Turkey extends social media crackdown with WhatsApp block
Turkey has mounted a fresh social media crackdown according to an internet monitoring group, after it reportedly blocked access to WhatsApp, extending existing blocks against Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
Turkey Blocks said the websites had been disabled using a process known as throttling, which slows access to affected sites to the point at which they become unusable, part of a pattern of activity in recent hours.
Update: WhatsApp messaging service block in #Turkey confirmed, joining Twitter, Facebook and YouTube shutdownshttps://t.co/XA9JZaxn54 pic.twitter.com/XNusUu2rgW
— Turkey Blocks (@TurkeyBlocks) November 3, 2016
Turkey is no stranger to media censorship having cut off an entire region in its south east from the internet, affecting some 6m people, as part of an emergency decree to ‘prevent protests’ in 11 predominantly Kurdish cities.
The move coincides with the detention of 11 pro-Kurdish lawmakers overnight.