The Legal Boundary Between Combating Cybercrime and Blocking Online Content: A Conceptual Analysis of the Cybercrime Law of Northern Cyprus

This study examines how Cybercrime Law No. 32/2020 of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) delineates the legal boundary between protecting digital systems and regulating online publications. Its central question concerns the constitutional and governance problems that may arise when criminal-law instruments designed to address attacks on information systems are combined, within the same regulatory architecture, with content-blocking mechanisms affecting freedom of expression and access to information. The analysis draws on a conceptual reading of the statutory provisions, the outcomes of constitutional review dated 30 June 2022 as reported in official documents, the 2022 annual report of the Information Technologies and Communications Authority, and a primary institutional statement concerning the 2016 ransomware incident affecting San Francisco's transportation authority. The findings indicate that unlawful access to computer systems and restrictions on lawful users' access to online content constitute distinct forms of legal intervention. The reported blocking of 1,724 URLs demonstrates that the content-access regime was applied on a measurable scale, but does not, by itself, establish the actual frequency of cyberattacks or the overall distribution of enforcement measures under the law. The article recommends separating regulatory objectives, applying proportionality review to restrictions on fundamental rights, strengthening judicial safeguards, and ensuring transparent public reporting of cyber incidents.