Schmidt, who had a meeting with Gül at the Çankaya Presidential Palace on Tuesday, spoke against the planned filtering system, saying at a meeting with journalists earlier in the week that it was a bad idea. But Gül said in the one-hour meeting that the filtering system was not a restriction on Internet access, the private Cihan news agency reported. The meeting was closed to the press.
Cihan quoted Gül as saying that he valued Internet freedom but that the family, which he said keeps a society alive, was also valuable. Schmidt, for his part, reiterated that he was opposed to Internet restrictions.
On Aug. 22, all Internet subscribers will be required to sign up for one of the four levels of filtering, with the “standard” option allowing subscribers to access all available websites, according to the government. Turkey's Information Technologies and Communications Authority (BTK) has not revealed the exact details on which websites would be restricted under the three other filtering options.
Gül also said advancements in information technology contributed significantly to the strengthening of democracy, saying revolutions in the Middle East are a good example of how the Internet has helped spread democracy. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have been major tools in the spread of pro-democracy demonstrations across the Middle East.
Gül also asked Schmidt to take steps to reinforce Google's presence in Turkey through its office here.
