Twitter restricted in Turkey in aftermath of earthquake | CPT PPP Coverage
Cryptopolytech (CPT) Public Press Pass (PPP)
News of the Day COVERAGE
200000048 – World Newser
•| #World |•| #Online |•| #Media |•| #Outlet |
View more Headlines & Breaking News here, as covered by cryptopolytech.com
Twitter restricted in Turkey in aftermath of earthquake appeared on www.al-monitor.com by Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East.
The Turkish government imposed restrictions on Twitter on Wednesday, prompting widespread public outcry, where the social media platform has been a major tool in coordinating rescue efforts amid the destruction caused by two earthquakes in southern Turkey earlier this week.
Internet users are having difficulty accessing Twitter in Turkey, as websites that track internet restrictions and bandwidth throttling report that access to the site was restricted. The move comes as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is visiting the disaster zone, talking to survivors amid a mounting public anger over the government’s response.
Netblocks, a London-based internet tracking website, was the first to report on the restrictions.
“Network data confirm the restriction of Twitter on multiple internet providers in Turkey as of Wednesday,” Netblocks said.
?? Confirmed: Real-time network data show Twitter has been restricted in #Turkey; the filtering is applied on major internet providers and comes as the public come to rely on the service in the aftermath of a series of deadly earthquakes
? Report: pic.twitter.com/3884wMpYD2
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) February 8, 2023
Turkish journalist Cuneyt Ozdemir said the country’s Communications Directorate confirmed the restriction in response to his questions.
Turkey’s Vice President Fuat Oktay dodged a question over the restriction during a televised interview.
The social media platform has been one of the most useful tools in coordinating rescue efforts. Several people who were trapped under the debris used the app to make their voices heard by the authorities. Other trapped victims bid their farewells to their loved ones through Twitter on Monday night.
Opposition political figures slammed the move. Main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu described the decision as “insane.”
“What are you afraid of?” asked Iyi (Good) Party leader Meral Aksener, lamenting the move as “malicious and conscienceless.”
Ali Babacan, leader of Deva Party, an offshoot of the ruling party, also lashed out at the decision, saying usage of virtual private network (VPN) services would consume smartphones’ batteries swiftly.
Several Turkish social media users switched to VPN to maintain anonymity on the public internet. Several VPN providers announced free service to help Turkish users.
By Tuesday 4:00 a.m. Ankara time, Netblocks reported that Twitter access was restored across Turkey.
”The restoration comes after authorities held a meeting with Twitter to ‘remind Twitter of its obligations’ on content takedowns and disinformation,” Netblocks reported.
FEATURED ‘News of the Day’, as reported by public domain newswires.
View ALL Headlines & Breaking News here.
Source Information (if available)
This article originally appeared on www.al-monitor.com by Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East – sharing via newswires in the public domain, repeatedly. News articles have become eerily similar to manufacturer descriptions.
We will happily entertain any content removal requests, simply reach out to us. In the interim, please perform due diligence and place any content you deem “privileged” behind a subscription and/or paywall.
CPT (CryptoPolyTech) PPP (Public Press Pass) Coverage features stories and headlines you may not otherwise see due to the manipulation of mass media.
First to share? If share image does not populate, please close the share box & re-open or reload page to load the image, Thanks!