Turkey is reportedly blocking access to Twitter following devastating earthquakes

Turkey could also be blocking entry to Twitter, two days after a pair of catastrophic earthquakes struck the world. Hundreds of individuals are nonetheless trapped in buildings in Turkey and Syria, the place the demise toll is approaching 12,000.

In accordance with Bloomberg, individuals in Turkey began having bother accessing Twitter on Wednesday afternoon. Some have resorted to VPNs to make use of the service. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the chief of Turkey’s fundamental opposition celebration, has accused the federal government of blocking Twitter.

It isn’t clear why the Turkish authorities may wish to stop entry to Twitter amid such devastation. The social media service continues to be a helpful catastrophe response instrument and customers have additionally been sharing pictures of the destruction brought on by the earthquakes. Twitter doesn’t have a communications staff that may be reached for remark.

This could not be the primary time that Turkey has stopped residents from accessing social media providers. It has additionally accomplished so throughout cross-border army operations and terror assaults. In 2014, Turkey temporarily banned Twitter. Customers had been sharing voice recordings and paperwork that purportedly confirmed corruption inside then-prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s sphere of affect. Erdoğan grew to become Turkey’s president later that 12 months and he stays in energy. His authorities has faced criticism for its response to this week’s catastrophe.