Skip to main content

Turkish authorities block Wikipedia without giving reason

By BBC Turkey has blocked all access inside the country to the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, one of the world's most popular websites. It was not initially clear why the ban had been imposed. The Turkey Blocks group said the site was inaccessible from 08:00 (05:00 GMT) by order of the Turkish authorities. People in the capital Istanbul were unable to access any Wikipedia pages without using a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Switzerland investigates Turkey spying claims Turkey blocks web drives after leak Wikipedia founder creates news service "After technical analysis and legal consideration based on the Law Nr. 5651 [governing the internet], an administrative measure has been taken for this website," Turkey's Information and Communication Technologies Authority was quoted as saying. No reason was given. Turkey Blocks and Turkish media, including the Hurriyet Daily News, said the provisional order would need to be backed by a full court ruling in the next few days. Another day, another outage - by Mark Lowen, BBC Turkey Correspondent It's become all too familiar here: the endless 'loading' icon followed by the message 'server timed out'. Blocking websites is a common tool of the Turkish authorities: Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have suffered the same fate several times, and numerous anti-government sites are inaccessible. Critics say it smacks of Turkey's repression of free speech: over half of all requests to Twitter to remove content have come from Turkey, and the country now ranks 155 of 180 in the press freedom index of the watchdog Reporters without Borders. Social media was in uproar as news of the ban emerged, with some users speculating that it might be a bid to suppress criticism on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Wikipedia page. Mr Erdogan narrowly won a controversial 16 April referendum on increasing his powers, but the issue has deeply divided the country. One Twitter user noted that the Wikipedia page on Turkey's referendum has a section on "controversies and electoral misconduct", and cites claims that the government suppressed the 'No' campaign through "arrests, control of the media and political suppression". Turkey has temporarily blocked popular social media sites including Facebook and Twitter in the past, especially in the wake of mass protests or terror attacks. The government has previously denied censoring the internet, blaming outages on spikes in usage after major events. Wikipedia has also faced censorship in other countries, including a temporary ban in Russia, and repeated crackdowns in China.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Honda Atlas introduces BR-V in Pakistan

Bh dunyanews.tv Honda Atlas introduces BR-V in Pakistan   The launching ceremony took place at Faletti's Hotel in Lahore. LAHORE (Dunya News) – As new weapon against its competitors in Pakistan, Honda Atlas Cars Pakistan Limited launched the much awaited all-new Honda BR-V, a 7 seater SUV. The launching ceremony was held at Faletti’s Hotel Lahore and attended by Mr. Shinji Aoyoma, Chief Operating Officer, Regional Operations (Asia & Oceania) of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and President & CEO of Asian Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and Mr. Toichi Ishiyama, President & CEO of Honda Atlas Cars (Pakistan) Ltd. BR-V is the first locally produced mid-size SUV, powered by a 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine. Mr. Shinji Aoyoma said: “In the last financial year ended March 31, 2017, Honda Atlas Cars achieved the highest record sales with over 35,000 units sold. I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to our Pakistani customers who have supported Honda with this great achievement....

This Guy Just Made a Gun That Fires Nerf Darts at Twice the Speed of Sound

By tribunist.com Nerf guns were created so it was completely possible to shoot your friends and relatives in the most enjoyable and painless way possible. Sure, getting shot by a Nerf toy gets marginally irritating if it keeps happening and you don’t actually want to take part, but it was never super-painful. Until now… Toy manufacturers want to avoid lawsuits so they limit the power that products such as those created by Nerf have. It might not particularly tickle when you get hit by a Nerf dart, especially at close range or in in certain sensitive areas, however, you more than likely won’t find yourself writhing on the ground in agony. A YouTube user by the name of Giaco Whatever struggled to see the fun in that concept and decided to knock things up a notch. Giaco Whatever, who posts videos under the tagline “I make things,” has found a way to make Nerf darts deadly and has posted several videos of his results online. Using an air-powered cannon packing 400 PSI of pressure, ...

Dawn Leaks: PM withdraws portfolio of Tariq Fatemi

By GEO ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday approved the recommendations of the Dawn leaks Inquiry committee, withdrawing the portfolio of Foreign Affairs from his Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi. A notification from the PM Office said that Rao Tehsin Ali, the principal information officer at the Foreign Ministry, will be proceeded against under the E&D rules 1973 on the charges based on the report findings. Read more: Interior Minister calls on PM Nawaz to discuss Dawn leaks report It added that the role of the editor of Dawn Newspaper, Zaffar Abbas, and reporter Cyril Almeida will be referred to the All Pakistan Newspaper Association (APNS) for necessary disciplinary action to be taken against them. The notification also said that the APNS will be asked to develop a code of conduct for the media, "especially when dealing with issues relating to security of Pakistan and to ensure that stories on issues of national importance and security are published by a...