Turkey said on August 10 that it had unblocked access to Instagram after parent Meta Platforms Inc agreed to cooperate in addressing the government's concerns over the social media platform.

The restoration of the network was announced as concern mounted in Turkey over the damage the block on Instagram was causing to domestic businesses who reach customers through the platform.

Access to Instagram was blocked on August 2 after a top Turkish official accused the platform of refusing to post condolences submitted by users over the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas. Turkey—which ranks fifth in the world for Instagram usage, with more than 57mn users—subsequently talked of Instagram failing to comply with the country's "laws and rules" and public sensitivities.

"As a result of our negotiations with Instagram officials, we will lift the access block... after they promised to work together to meet our demands regarding catalog crimes and on censorship imposed on users," Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu wrote on X.

Catalogue crimes in Turkish law include murder, sexual assault, abuse, torture and drug trafficking.

"Significant gains have been achieved in increasing security in the digital environment in Turkey, legal compliance, protection of user rights and the development of a fair inspection mechanism," Uraloglu added, noting Meta had agreed to comply with Turkish law and deliver efficient removal of posts and content that include elements of certain crimes or "terrorism propaganda".

The ban on Instagram was seen as particularly damaging to female entrepreneurs in Turkey who rely on it to, as Fortune reported, sell everything from cookies to bed sheets.

“We’ve been using Instagram to showcase our products and reach out to a wider client base,” Ezgi Akincilar, founder of online retailer Antalya’dan Iste, which sells food products ranging from honey and jam to canned artichokes, was reported as saying. 

She estimated that she owed more than half of her revenue to users who discover her on Instagram. “There’s no other platform to take its place,” she added.

Ahead of the lifting of the ban on Instagram, Bloomberg reported Esra Bezircioglu, chair of the Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey, as saying that the decision to block the platform may “disrupt communications and result in client dissatisfaction”. Such disruptions would create “strategic hardship” for businesses, she said.

Turkey’s blocking of online gaming platform and game creation system Roblox, meanwhile, remained in effect. Officials cited concerns about “content that may lead to child abuse” in banning it. The Roblox ban is also seen as damaging Turkish entrepreneurs as game developers in the country use it to develop products.