Turkey is engulfed in large-scale protests. Musk helps the government curb the opposition.
The owner of social media platform X (Twitter), Elon Musk, has blocked the accounts of several users in Turkey. This happened after information about the protests was spread. This was reported by Glavcom referring to Polico.
The suspension occurred after mass demonstrations were provoked by the arrest of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's main political rival, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
According to the publication, many activists associated with the university and demonstrations were blocked on Twitter.
The majority of the blocked accounts belonged to activists linked to the university who disseminated information about the protests and locations frequented by students, said Yusuf Khan, coordinator and analyst of the Middle East program at the Wilson Center.
The Turkish Minister of Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, reported that authorities had identified 326 social media accounts that were spreading hate, of which 72 were abroad. Joint actions by cybersecurity and security services led to the arrest of 54 suspects associated with the social media accounts.
Turkish legislation grants authorities the right to block social media accounts at the government's request. The 2022 social media law provides the Turkish government with broad powers in this matter.
Protests against the detention of Mayor İmamoğlu are taking place in Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir. According to local media reports, İmamoğlu's arrest occurred after a search of his home related to a corruption investigation. A mayoral aide anonymously reported that İmamoğlu is in a police station.
The authorities have also restricted access to social media in Turkey. Objective and detailed information:
- YouTube
- social media platform X
This restriction on access to social media has caused the Turkish lira to fall to a record low.
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