Opposition leaders and users criticized the block on the platform, which helps people share information about the arrival of aid
Turkey’s decision to block access to Twitter for around 12 hours from Wednesday afternoon to early Thursday morning – as people tried to find loved ones after the devastating earthquakes – fueled public outrage.
Opposition leaders and social media users criticized the blocking of access to the platform, which helps people share information about the arrival of aid and the location of those still trapped in the rubble after Monday’s earthquake.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has blocked access to social media in the past and has focused in recent months on fighting what it calls “disinformation,” which led to yesterday’s twitter block.
Full access to Twitter was restored early today as the death toll from the earthquake in Turkey and neighboring Syria passed 17,500.
The Erdogan government “has lost its mind and… the result is that the cries for help are being heard less. We know everything you are trying to hide,” CHP official opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu said after the blockade was imposed yesterday evening.
The Twitter ban also drew an angry response from opposition DEVA party leader Ali Babacan, a former finance minister and Erdogan ally.
“How can access to Twitter be blocked on a day when communication saves lives? What kind of ignorance is this,” Babacan said late yesterday.
The pro-Kurdish HDP party said Twitter had played a critical role in organizing aid for those affected by the earthquakes and that blocking access to social media would cause more deaths.
Block “against misinformation” says the government
A government official – who asked to speak on condition of anonymity – said the move temporarily halted actual calls for help, but that action was taken quickly and the service was back to normal.
“This had to be done because on some accounts there were untrue claims, slander, insults and posts with fraudulent purposes,” the official told Reuters, citing attempts to steal money under the guise of collecting aid.
Turkish officials held talks with Twitter management yesterday and said they expected cooperation to combat disinformation during aid operations, Deputy Transport Minister Omer Fatih Sayan said.
Erdogan’s communications director, Fahrettin Altun, said Twitter management cooperated in the meeting and pledged to support Turkey’s efforts, and officials looked forward to working with it “in the coming days and weeks.”
“Disinformation is the common enemy of humanity and a serious threat to democracy, social peace and national security,” Altun tweeted today.
Last October, Turkey’s parliament passed a law under which journalists and social media users face up to three years in prison for spreading “disinformation”, raising concerns among rights groups and European countries over freedom of speech.
Erdogan’s ruling party had argued that legislation was needed to deal with false accusations on social media and would not silence the opposition. The issue takes on increasing importance with elections scheduled for May 14.
A Reuters investigation last summer showed how the mainstream media has turned into a tight command hierarchy with government-approved titles, while smaller independent and opposition media face the brunt of regulatory sanctions.
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