YouTube ban in Turkey is now official after the country has been banned from another social networking site last week - Twitter. The Turkish court blocked the video site Wednesday as an 'administrative measure', according to Telecoms authority. YouTube ban in Turkey came after audio of Turkish officials discussing Syria leaked online.
In line with this, Google is looking into the ban and it seems that some users have still found ways of accessing the site. According to government officials, other sites could be blocked if documents 'threatening' national security still leaks. The YouTube ban in Turkey resulted from an audio recording of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted by Reuters at a rally last week saying: 'I don't understand how people of good sense could defend this Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. There are all kinds of lies there.'
Voice recordings of other senior officials were also shared on the video site and could be heard discussing a potential military operation in Syria. Following the YouTube ban in Turkey, their government officials have confirmed yesterday that more social media platforms could be blocked if national security is found to be threatened.
A source at the Prime Minister's office said that the videos have caused 'a national security issue', hence the YouTube ban in Turkey. The source added that Turkey was in talks with the video sharing platform and the ban may be lifted if YouTube agreed to remove the content.
In reaction to the YouTube ban in Turkey, Turkish citizens have tweeted pictures of their computer screens featuring the blocked Youtube message. A journalist from the country named Jonathon Burch, posted on his Twitter page earlier today regarding the ban. Amnesty International also tweeted about the ban today, writing: "#Turkey moves to block Youtube, after cutting off Twitter. Will Facebook be next?"
This is not the first time for the YouTube ban in Turkey. The country's access to the video site has been blocked in the past, and last week was the first ban on the social networking site Twitter. The Twitter ban meanwhile resulted from being instrumental in organizing flash protests against the government last year.
Meanwhile, Turkey President Abdullah Gul said it was unacceptable to impose complete bans on social media platforms like Twitter. He took to Twitter to express himself saying, "I hope this implementation won't last long,' he wrote. One cannot approve of the complete closure of social media platforms."
YouTube ban in Turkey resulting from a possible threat to national security is acceptable, but taking the banning of websites like Twitter appears to be a clear form of suppressing freedom of expression. Let's just hope that the Turkish government will do what is right as the future of Turkey is in their hands.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
