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Tag: Twitter Ban

  • YouTube Banned By Turkish Government Less Than A Week After Twitter Ban

    Just a few days after the Turkish government blocked popular social networking site Twitter, it also imposed a crackdown on the video streaming site YouTube.

    Twitter, which has an estimated 10 million Turkish subscribers, was blocked by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the run-up to the local elections due to fears that voters will be influenced by what he calls “fake online tapes” that accuse him of corruption.

    International news agency Reuters quoted PM Erdogan at a rally last week, saying that he could not see why “people of good sense” could take the side of popular social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube because they carry “all of kinds of lies” there.

    Less than a week after the Twitter ban, Turkish YouTube users claimed to have been greeted by a message stating that  “administrative measure” had been taken against the site after “technical analysis and legal consideration” in accordance with Turkish law.

    A leaked audio recording of top government officials discussing potential military operations in Syria previously flooded the video website, thus prompting Turkey’s telecommunications authority (TIB) to take another administrative measure against it. There have been speculations that the government’s decision to remove YouTube access was made because PM Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) were trying to do some damage control over recent corruption allegations.

    However, it was also reported that some users are able to access YouTube, while others aren’t.

    Turkish Twitter users were originally getting around the crackdown by modifying their Domain Name System settings. The Twitter ban has since been lifted following a ruling imposed by an Ankara court. However, an insider from PM Edrogan’s office claimed that the TIB still had 30 days to appeal or implement the court’s decision.

    PM Edrogan made a promise during the campaign trail that he would “wipe out” the service and that he did not care about the reaction of the international community regarding the matter.

    According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, the seemingly hasty move to ban YouTube came after search engine Google turned down several requests from the Turkish government to remove videos featuring corruption accusations.

    At a rally held today, PM Erdogan described the leaked video on YouTube as “villainous”, and one of his officials claimed that it caused an issue of national security. The same source also stated that the government was negotiating with YouTube and that it may lift the ban if the video sharing site agreed to take down the incriminating content.

    Image via YouTube

  • Twitter Ban Struck Down By Turkish Court

    Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that the world would “witness the power of the Turkish Republic.”

    Now it is Erdogan who is witnessing the power of the Turkish court system.

    On Wednesday, a Turkish court ordered the lifting of the Twitter ban imposed last week. Erdogan pushed for the social media ban following the spread of recordings that many consider valid evidence of the prime minister’s corrupt behaviors.

    Turkey had moved to strengthen the block in recent days as millions found ways around the initial ban.

    The Twitter ban is expected to be lifted for all citizens shortly.

    Erdogan has been at war with websites and social media for months now, recently doubling down on his efforts with blocking Twitter.

    Despite claims to the contrary, it is clear to onlookers Erdogan is desperate to stop the spread of damning video and audio that shows him interfering with businesses, court cases, etc.

    Rather than face the music or work out some kind of refuting evidence, Erdogan thought he could simply silence citizens by cutting off access to social media.

    As the Turkish prime minister and his cohorts are learning, the internet doesn’t work that way and neither does the court system.

    Erdogan’s government has been vehemently protested for its corruption and attempts to suppress the freedoms of Turkish citizens.

    With elections approaching, it may be possible that the accusations spreading quickly around the world may factor into Erdogan’s future as prime minister. This would explain his actions towards social media despite embracing other technologies.

    However, nothing can justify a politician trying to hinder the internet access of millions of people in an effort to not look bad.

    Erdogan now looks bad on a global scale…and much of it is his own doing.

    What’s next for Erdogan with the court overturning the Twitter ban? He may try and find another way to make it happen yet again.

    Unless of course he decides to make Instagram the next target of his rage.

    Image via YouTube

  • Twitter Ban In Turkey: What Was The True Goal?

    “We’ll eradicate Twitter,” declared Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “I don’t care what the international community says. Everyone will witness the power of the Turkish Republic.”

    Then on Thursday at around midnight, Turkish citizens found that Twitter had been banned.

    Where did this sudden need to “eliminate” Twitter actually come from?

    It seems that Erdogan, who is otherwise supportive of new technologies, became adamantly opposed to social media sites like Twitter when they were used by the public to accuse him of political corruption.

    For instance, recordings were spread on the internet two weeks ago which allegedly featured Erdogan telling his son to dispose of large sums of money. Erdogan was described as enraged and no doubt that was the final straw for the embattled politician.

    As accusations against Erdogan are heavily featured on Twitter, it seems unsurprising in retrospect that Erdogan would take some sort of action. Especially since the site is a powerful organizational tool for those seeking to protest the government.

    What Erdogan failed to anticipate was the lengths that many would go to in order to get around the ban. Even now the Turkish government is working hard to crack down on the access that many have to Twitter. Though the IP-level ban has been successful at slowing access to Twitter, it has not made access impossible.

    Though Erdogan claimed he does not care what the international community thinks of his actions, with the elections nearing he should care about what the people of Turkey think.

    He should also be concerned that the increasingly secular Turkish public has not been happy about the direction of the government in recent years. Particularly the attempts to crack down on freedom of speech and information.

    By his very actions Erdogan has done nothing more than shine a bright light on himself and made the world that much more interested in himself and whether or not the various accusations of corruption are true.

    Erdogan thought he could force everyone to stop talking about him. Now, he’s a matter of global discussion and if there is valid proof of corruption, it will be readily shared on a global scale.

    The truth of the matter is that the Turkish Republic simply does not have the ability to stop the internet from making Erdogan look bad.

    The only thing the bitter prime minster has accomplished with his behavior is making Twitter more popular in Turkey than ever. In other words, if his goal was anything other than an epic backlash, Erdogan failed miserably.

    Image via YouTube

  • Urban Meyer Bans Twitter For Ohio State Football Players

    Apparently in an effort to snip anymore Terrelle Pryor/tattoo-gate debacle that sank the career of Jim Tressel, incoming Ohio State football coach, Urban Meyer, has decided to implement a Twitter ban for his players.

    Again, the surprise is this isn’t a more common approach from coaches, especially ones from big time college programs that receive a bulk of the media coverage, as every move of their players gets scrutinized with a fine-tooth comb. Apparently, for every Steve Alford and Urban Meyer, there’s a John Calipari, a coach who gives his players just enough rope to hang themselves.

    As for Meyer, there will be no self-hanging on his watch, at least not from his players and not on Twitter:

    @rollerCD
    Rob Oller    Urban Meyer bans Twitter for #Buckeyes players. Scarlet & Gray Matter, however, remains safely outside the #OhioState clutches. 1 hour ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    For those who may not know, Rob Oller is a sports columnist for the Columbus Dispatch, so if he says Meyer banned Twitter from Ohio State players, you can pretty much take it as gospel.

    There’s little doubt Meyer’s decision came directly from the Jim Tressel/Terrelle Pryor tattoo hubbub, a situation that cost Tressel his job. For an idea of the kind of tweets that can cost a successful coach his job, read more about Pryor’s tattoo fun here. Sports Illustrated is also a good source for those of you wondering why Meyer would issue such an edict. Here’s an example:

    Amid accusations that several Ohio State football players had traded signed memorabilia for tattoos and other favors from the owner of a local tattoo parlor, the Buckeyes quarterback made the following clarification: I paid for my tattoos. GoBucks Shortly after, Pryor and four teammates were suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season. He officially withdrew from the university in June after the resignation of head coach Jim Tressel.

    With that in mind, Meyer’s decision makes perfect sense.

    Of course, considering how Will Hill’s Twitter account was used under Meyer’s watch at Florida, the new Ohio State coach probably didn’t need any further motivation to ban his new team from the social networking platform.