Within the scope of the CMB investigation, access to many finance and stock market-oriented X accounts, including Uğur Gürses and Bilge Yılmaz, was blocked.
The comprehensive market fraud investigation carried out by the Capital Markets Board (CMB) and the chief public prosecutor's office has extended to social media platforms. In line with the requests of the Istanbul and Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Offices, access to more than a hundred X (Twitter) accounts, which were claimed to manipulate investors and cause speculation in the market, was blocked within the scope of Article 8/A of Law No. 5651. Restricted profiles include well-known economists, financial analysts and journalists.
Financial Network with 12 Million Followers Restricted
According to the Freedom of Expression Association's EngelWeb data, the total number of followers of the accounts for which access blocking has been decided is approximately 12 million. Following the decisions made by the criminal judgeships of peace, the Since the platform processes decisions piece by piece, some accounts on the list can still be accessed.
Uğur Gürses, Prof. are on the access block list. Dr. Veysel Ulusoy, Prof. Dr. There are names closely followed by the public such as Bilge Yılmaz, cryptocurrency analyst Ted Pillows, investment consultant Emre Şirin and journalists Dinçer Gökçe and Naz Yavuzarslan.
Some Featured Blocked Accounts and Follower Distribution
The decision directly affected stock market-focused news channels, technical analysis profiles and independent commentators. Some of the accounts with high followers that were subject to the decision are listed as follows:
Orhan Aydin (@orhanaydin): 806.813
PUBLIC OFFERING NEWS (@ArzHaber): 628.442
Uğur Gürses (@ugurses): 554.249
Prof. Veysel Ulusoy (@economicanalysis): 425.012
Mehmet Mescioğlu (@mehmetmesci): 370.262
Alp Kılınç (@alpklnctr): 355.185
Bilge Yılmaz (@ProfBilgeYilmaz): 339.202
Ted (@TedPillows): 318,659
Background of the Investigation: Detentions, Arrests and Liquidation of Funds
Social media restrictions are a continuation of the large-scale operation that started with the CMB's audit report dated September 17. Financial measures were taken against the managers of important brokerage firms and portfolio management companies such as Pusula Finans, Tera Yatırım, Hedef Holding and Bulls Yatırım, in the process initiated with the allegation of market fraud in some shares and funds, especially Katılımevim Savings Finansman AŞ shares; assets were frozen.
Tera Yatırım Holding Chairman Emre Tezmen, board members Emre Alkin and Kerem Alkin, Tera Portföy General Manager Alper Öztürk and Pusula Holding Chairman Serdar Turhan, who were detained within the scope of the investigation, were arrested by the criminal judgeship of peace to which they were referred. On the market side, CMB stopped the TEFAS transactions of 130 investment funds, including Tera, Pusula, Hedef and Bulls Portföy, and started the liquidation process.
How Will the Flow of Financial Information on Social Media Be Affected?
Authorities state that they target anonymous accounts and speculative posts that try to mislead small investors in an organized manner through stock exchange and capital market instruments. However, the fact that the list includes independent analysts and academics raises debates in the field of financial literacy and market commentary. It will become clear in the coming days whether the X platform will file a legal objection against the court decisions or whether the restrictions will become permanent.
