TURKEY’S President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed on Saturday that social media is one of the main threats to democracy.

The autocratic leader’s government, already one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists, plans to pursue legislation to criminalise spreading what it considers to be fake news and disinformation online.

Rights groups say the proposed changes would further tighten restrictions on free speech in Turkey.

“Social media, which was described as a symbol of freedom when it first appeared, has turned into one of the main sources of threat to today’s democracy,” Mr Erdogan said in a video message to a government-organised communications conference in Istanbul.

He added: “We try to protect our people, especially the vulnerable sections of our society, against lies and disinformation without violating our citizens’ right to receive accurate and impartial information.”

Turkey passed a law last year requiring social media platforms with more than a million users to maintain a legal representative and store data in the country.

Such major firms as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have since set up offices in Turkey.

The new legislation would make the dissemination of “disinformation” and “fake news” criminal offences punishable by up to five years in prison, according to pro-government media reports. It also would establish a social media regulator.

Most of Turkey’s major media companies are under the control of the government, leaving social media as an important outlet for dissenting voices.

Reporters Without Borders ranks Turkey 153rd out of 180 countries in its 2021 press freedom index.

“All means possible are used to eliminate pluralism,” the press freedom organisation says. 

“In this ‘New Turkey’ marked by Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s hyper-presidency, one in which arbitrary decisions by magistrates and government agencies are the new normal, internet censorship has reached unprecedented levels.”