Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkish Prime minister promised to wipe out Twitter after it ignored a request by a court asking the social network to remove specific allegations about corruption.
It seems he has followed through on his promise, after Twitter reportedly ‘went dark’ in Turkey.
The news is currently in development, a site that tracks decisions made by courts about Internet communications reveal that the ‘İstanbul Cumhuriyet Başsavcılığı (TMK 10. Maddesi İle Görevli)’ has been put into effect by Telekomünikasyon İletişim Başkanlığı.
According to reports, Twitter is looking into the situation now. Twitter handles @policy and @twitterTurkey are providing users with ongoing updates.
Turkish users: you can send Tweets using SMS. Avea and Vodafone text START to 2444. Turkcell text START to 2555.
— Twitter Public Policy (@Policy) March 20, 2014
In response to allegations that have been made, Turkey’s prime minister has been threatening to take on social media platforms such as Twitter and YouTube for linking him to corruption.
At a rally, Tayyip Erdogan said “We will wipe out all of these,” in reference to Twitter, YouTube, and other social media sites where people have been asserting scandal claims.
Twitter was also caught in political crossfire in Egypt, China, and Pakistan before, so this isn’t the first time.
Turkish analyst Ilhan Tanir says the U.S. State Department issued a statement saying they are concerned by any suggestion that social media sites could be shut down, and that unfettered media is an essential element for open societies.
[Photo Credit: Voanews]
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