Monday 24 March 2014

Turkey blocks Twitter but users find workarounds

Turkey map
Twitter appears to be blocked in Turkey as the prime minister attempts to clamp down on unrest in the country. However, users are flouting the ban, with Twitter itself publicising tactics to ensure messages can get through to the site.
Reuters reported that people in Turkey attempting to access Twitter were met with a statement from its telecoms regulator citing court orders that now prevent access to the site, under the orders of prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
“Twitter has been blocked as a preventive measure in order to prevent future damage to our citizens as a last resort,” the statement reportedly said.
The attempt to block access has been met with widespread protest, with European Commission vice president Neelie Kroes claiming it was nothing more than censorship.

In another odd twist on the situation, the president of Turkey Abdullah Gül  took to Twitter to say the prime minister is wrong to try and implement the ban.
The incidents underline the power of social media platforms and the concern they cause leaders in many nations. Many governments attempted to stop communications tools such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as text messages, from being used during unrest in the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.
The UK government even considered blocking such tools in the aftermath of the riots that hit the UK in the summer of 2011, although these plans appear to have cooled over time.

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