Twitter restricted access to some tweets before Turkey’s election

Twitter obstructed material in Turkey before the election, when Turkish voters went to the polls to decide whether or not to re-elect President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This is Turkey’s most contentious election in years, and Erdogan’s defeat would have far-reaching consequences, given that his leadership has been defined by personalised self-rule.

Before the election, the Global Government Affairs account tweeted in English and Turkish that limited access to specific content had been introduced to guarantee that Twitter remained available to Turkish residents. However, the content would be accessible to the rest of the world.

Because of content limitations on his company’s network, Twitter CEO Elon Musk has been criticised for supporting Turkish President Erdogan’s requests and pursuing a controversial free speech policy.

Critics accuse Erdogan of collaborating with social media corporations to maintain power, minimise opposition votes, and claim that the government controls many Turkish media sites.