![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/sites\/commondreams.org\/files\/imce-images\/turkey-internet-protest-1.jpg\" "\\"Riot")
<\/p>\nTurkish police fired volleys of tear gas and used water cannons to disperse large crowds of protesters Saturday rallying in central Istanbul against new \u201cdraconian\u201d internet laws passed to stifle dissent and stop evidence of high-level corruption being seen online..<\/p>\n
The new bill was passed late Wednesday by the Turkish parliament which is dominated by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan\u2019s AKP party.<\/p>\n
“Everywhere is bribery, everywhere is corruption,” the crowd chanted, a variation of an anti-government slogan used by demonstrators in protests across the country last summer.<\/p>\n
The legislation would give authorities the power to block web pages without a court order within just hours. It would also require internet service providers (ISPs) to store data on their clients\u2019 online activities for two years and provide it to the authorities on request.<\/p>\n
The government says the internet “reform” is aimed at “protecting individual privacy.”<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/sites\/commondreams.org\/files\/imce-images\/turkey-internet-protest-2.jpg\" "\\"Riot")
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Riot police use water cannons to disperse demonstrators during a protest against internet censorship in Istanbul February 8, 2014. REUTERS\/Osman Orsal<\/p>\n