Two days after the earthquake, the Turkish government blocked access to Twitter, accusing it of having a major negative impact on local rescue and support



In the early morning of February 6, 2023 local time, a large earthquake of magnitude 7.8 occurred in southern Turkey, and it is reported that more than 12,000 people died in southern Turkey and neighboring Syria after 72 hours. . Desperate rescue and support activities were being carried out locally, and SNS such as Twitter was used for communication and information sharing, but two days after the earthquake, the Turkish government cut off access to Twitter. It is said that

Twitter restricted in Turkey in aftermath of earthquake - NetBlocks
https://netblocks.org/reports/twitter-restricted-in-turkey-in-aftermath-of-earthquake-oy9LJ9B3

Twitter Access Blocked in Turkey Days After Massive Earthquakes - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-08/twitter-access-blocked-in-turkey-days-after-massive-earthquakes

Twitter restricted in Turkey, according to network monitoring firm | CNN Business
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/08/tech/turkey-twitter-restriction/

Twitter restrictions in Turkey unprecedented during a natural disaster, org says [Updated] | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/02/turkey-govt-blocking-twitter-access-hampering-earthquake-rescue-org-suggests/

Network monitoring company NetBlocks confirmed that TTNet and Turkcell, Turkey's major internet service providers (ISPs), blocked access to Twitter on the afternoon of February 8, two days after the earthquake hit Turkey. . Of course, there were some areas where access to the Internet became impossible due to the damage of the earthquake, but the blocking of access to Twitter was intentionally filtered by the ISP.



The Turkish government has long indicated a policy of strictly regulating SNS, and has often regulated SNS during national emergencies and security issues. ``This incident occurred because authorities were concerned about misinformation on the Internet, but there is no formal explanation,'' NetBlocks said. Turkish police have announced that they have detained at least 18 people and arrested 5 people for making ``provocative posts'' about the earthquake.

Overseas media Bloomberg pointed out that immediately after the disaster, Turkish people requested rescue through Twitter and shared photos and videos showing the scale of the disaster. Republican People's Party leader Kemal Kulcidaroglu , Turkey's largest opposition party, has urged people to use a VPN to stay connected to Twitter.

Alp Toker, director of NetBlocks, told technology media Ars Technica that this was the first time he had seen a case where social media was regulated in response to a natural disaster, and that social media could be regulated during a disaster. He argues that the negative impact can never be underestimated. ``Since the disaster, Twitter has been widely used to seek help, relief supplies, and to keep in touch with loved ones,'' Toker said.

Fatih Altayli, a prominent Turkish journalist, tweeted sarcastically , 'With all the rescue teams communicating on Twitter, it's a good idea to shut down Twitter to silence dissent.' Actor Cem Yılmaz also said, ``Is there any explanation for Twitter being regulated when it helps save lives? It has been clear three days ago that Twitter has many advantages in this situation. But?' he tweeted .

Twitter CEO Elon Musk tweeted on the evening of February 8, ``The Turkish government has notified us that access to Twitter will soon be resumed.'' NetBlocks said access was restored after Turkish authorities met with Twitter's policy chief to remind them of 'Twitter's obligations regarding content removal and misinformation.'



In addition, some users have reported that access to TikTok as well as Twitter has been blocked. A TikTok spokesperson told Ars Technica, “We are aware of reports from users in Turkey who are unable to access internet applications, including TikTok. We are looking into this matter and hope to restore access as soon as possible, as it is an important means of keeping up.'

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