LISBON, Portugal
Turkey has rebuffed claims that a new Internet law is causing “concern” among foreign governments.
The country’s European Union Minister Volkan Bozkir on Saturday responded to anonymous comments attributed to an Ankara-based foreign diplomat.
Thursday's article focused on legislation that would allow Telecommunications Directorate to track internet use without any judicial oversight and quoted the diplomat as saying it would be a "big cause for concern" and “more than problematic.”
Talking to journalists on a visit to Lisbon, Bozkir said the issue had not been raised by Stefano Manservisi, the head of the EU delegation to Turkey.
"I talk with Mr Manservisi every day and he didn't mention anything about this to me at all,” Bozkir said. Referring to the anonymous source, he added: “This odd person is meddling in with stuff that is none of his business."
Bozkir said the Telecommunications Directorate would not violate privacy and stressed that the legislation is a matter of "state security."
According to the new law, the directorate can monitor Internet users and block websites without a court order.
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