Turkey Calls For Social Media Blackout After Ankara Terrorist Attack: Twitter And Facebook Blocked

In light of the recent terrorist attack in Turkey, which left several injured, the government has taken a dogmatic stance and has called for a social media blackout. Access to popular social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook have been blocked in the region.

While this may feel like deja vu, the Turkish authorities have taken it upon themselves once again to be social media watchdogs. The Turkish Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTÜK) has imposed the ban so that people are unable to broadcast images or footage of the blast at the peace rally in Ankara.

"The Turkish Prime Minister has imposed a temporary broadcast ban regarding the terror attack conducted in Ankara this morning," noted a statement on the RTUK website.

The order has been issued so that the footage which show the blast and gruesome images do not "create a feeling of panic." In the event media organizations do not adhere to the guidelines, they could face a "fill blackout."

This is not the first time when the Turkish government has called for a censorship of social media - a stance which is viewed by many as curtailment of their freedom and reflective of a dictatorial attitude.

In January this year, we reported that Turkish authorities was threatening to block Twitter in the region unless the account of a left-wing newspaper was blocked. A few months later in July, Turkey banned Twitter access in a bid to stop users from sharing the videos and images of the bombings, which had resulted in 32 fatalities. It was only after social media networks complied with the Turkish court's ruling of no sharing of footage that access to the site was restored.

The current ban has received severe international criticism, but several Turks still managed to take Twitter to divulge that the site had been blocked on TTNET and Turkcell networks.

Per reports, access to Twitter was restored as normal in Turkey on Sunday, Oct. 11 afternoon.