Just IN: Turkey has Blocked Access to Twitter and Whatsapp
Earlier this year, Facebook and Twitter were blocked in Turkey following the deadly Ankara blast after images spread on the platforms showing the suicide car bombing that killed 34 and injured 125 dozens in the Turkish capital of Ankara.
And today, earlier reports from Reuters, show that access to Twitter and WhatsApp in Turkey once again have been blocked over an internet monitoring group said, following the detentions of 11 pro-Kurdish lawmakers in the mainly Kurdish southeast overnight.
Access was being blocked by throttling, an expert from the monitoring group Turkey Blocks said, a method of slowing certain websites to the point where they are unusable.
It’s not the first time we hear of countries blocking social media platforms or the internet, this year, following the presidential elections in Uganda, government regulatory body of the communications sector; Uganda Communications Commission ordered ISPs to restrict access to the top sites in an attempt to control the flow of information and reports of election related incidences, while in Algeria, social media was blocked to fight fight cheating in secondary school exams, Brazil also blocked WhatsApp for 48 hours since the social messaging platform failed to comply with a July court order in a criminal case.
On the other hand, the government of Gabon shut down internet following the announcement of President Ali Bongo being re-elected by a slim margin for a second seven-year term in office.
