‘Did your brain fall out of your head?’ Free speech warrior Elon Musk defends move to ‘censor’ Twitter in Turkey ahead of controversial presidential election
- Twitter boss Elon Musk confirmed the social media platform is blocking content in Turkey ahead of upcoming presidential election
- He did not specify details about which tweets would be affected or who made the request.
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has previously blocked the site and is facing a strong challenge in the election from Kemal Kilicdaroglu
Chief Twit Elon Musk has defended his move to ‘censor’ Twitter in Turkey ahead of Sunday’s presidential election after backlash he received over the move.
Users were appalled when Twitter announced Friday it would limit access in the country without specifying the content or accounts that would be affected.
Musk became especially defensive after American blogger and journalist Matt Yglesias brought attention to the decision.
‘The Turkish government asked Twitter to censor its opponents right before an election and @elonmusk complied — should generate some interesting Twitter Files reporting,’ Yglesias tweeted.
Muck didn’t take kindly to the assertion – blasting Yglesias in the comment section of his post.
‘Did your brain fall out of your head, Yglesias? The choice is to either throttle Twitter entirely or limit access to some tweets. Which one do you want?’ he said.
Twitter is blocking content in Turkey ahead of upcoming presidential election and it appears to be at the request of the Turkish president. Pictured Musk and Erdogan meeting in 2017
Company did not give specific details about which tweets would be affected or who made the request, but President Erdogan has previously blocked Twitter
Musk later said that he would show ‘what the government in Turkey sent us’ but had yet to do so several hours later
Musk later said that he would show ‘what the government in Turkey sent us’ but failed to do even several hours after the swipe.
Twitter’s move comes as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been in power for two decades, faces strong challenge from Republican People’s Party’s Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
‘In response to legal process and to ensure Twitter remains available to the people of Turkey, we have taken action to restrict access to some content in Turkey today,’ Twitter’s Global Government Affairs account tweeted on Friday (Saturday, 6am in Turkey).
Twitter users were not happy at Musk’s compliance with the Turkish government’s request.
‘So you’re helping Erdogan censor his opposition ahead of a close election. Nice work,’ wrote one user.
‘@ElonMusk Shame On You! Shame On Twitter! Since when do you restrict the individual’s freedom of speech and side with tyrants ?’ added another.
‘Nice of them to at least let us know it’s happening so we remain aware rather than how it was done before with the shadow bans and subterfuge,’ wrote one more forgiving online poster.
A poster representing the Turkish president seen displayed as supporters wave flags during the Recep Tayyip Erdogan presidential elections rally in Kizilay Meydani, on Saturday
Twitter users were not happy at Musk’s compliance with the Turkish government’s request
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff also criticized Musk’s actions.
‘The day before a critical election in Turkey, Twitter appears to be acquiescing to the demands of the country’s autocratic ruler, Erdoğan, and is censoring speech on the platform,’ Schiff wrote.
Some users had sympathy for Musk given his business dealings in the country.
‘If he doesn’t comply with Turkish Law, there will be ZERO Twitter in Turkey and that is way worse. Elon’s best choice is to comply, notify people, and be transparent about it happening. ALL of the other social media places do it, they just don’t tell you about it.’
It isn’t the first time the social media platform has been throttled, however.
In February, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered Twitter to be blocked for 12 hours after devastating earthquakes battered the country, killing more than 50,000 people.
Erdogan’s government blocked the social media platform to fight what it called ‘disinformation’ although it was widely believed it was the government’s way to shift attention away from criticism of the handling of the natural disaster.
Supporters take part in Erdogan’s final campaign rally in Istanbul, Turkey
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff also criticized Musk’s actions
Twitter users were unhappy at the lack of transparency displayed by Twitter in its actions to comply with Erdogan’s request
Critics called the move ‘ignorant’ and at the time Kilicdaroglu said ‘we know everything you’re trying to hide.’
‘[President Tayyip Erdogan’s government] lost its mind and… the result is cries for help being heard less. We know everything you’re trying to hide,’ he said.
The block was picked up by Netblocks, a company which tracks connectivity across the globe.
‘Real-time network data show Twitter has been restricted in Turkey; the filtering is applied on major internet providers and comes as the public come to rely on the service in the aftermath of a series of deadly earthquakes,’ it stated at the time.
The Twitter block also drew an angry response from opposition DEVA party leader Ali Babacan, a former economy minister and Erdogan ally.
‘How can Twitter be blocked on a day when communication is saving lives? What sort of ignorance this,’ Babacan said at the time.
Erdogan’s communications director, Fahrettin Altun, said Twitter cooperated in the meeting and pledged to support Turkey’s efforts, and officials look forward to working with it ‘over the next few days and weeks.’
‘Disinformation is humanity’s common enemy and a grave threat to democracy, social peace, and national security,’ he said at the time of the disaster.
Human Rights Watch, a U.S.-based human rights organization, has called on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to be more transparent in their content moderation practices.
Only months ago President Erdogan blocked Twitter for 12 hours in February after he was criticized for his governments slow response to the devastating earthquake
Erdogan and Musk have met, most recently at the World Cup in 2022
The ruling Islamic-rooted party and its right-wing allies are in danger of losing parliament
‘As election night draws near it is imperative that social media platforms and the wider internet remain accessible so the public can follow the work of independent election monitors and reporting around the vote count,’ Human Rights Watch said on Friday.
‘Given the sorry state of Turkey’s mainstream media, the integrity of Turkey’s election depends upon it.’
The organization emphasized the importance of ensuring accessibility to social media during the election period.
They said it allows the public to follow the work of independent election monitors and stay informed about the vote count.
Erdogan and Musk met at the World Cup in 2022. They also met in 2017, shortly after Former U.S. President Donald Trump took office.
SpaceX also signed a deal with Turkey in 2021 to launch its first communications satellite.
On Sunday, voters will head to the polls to either re-elect Erdogan or oust him in favor of Kilicdaroglu – Turkey’s main opposition candidate and the head of the center-left Republican People’s Party.
Erdogan has promised to respect the outcome of the election tomorrow, as opinion polls show challenger Kilicdaroglu has a slight lead.
The incumbent President is facing the toughest challenge he’s come up against in his two decade stronghold, but has dismissed speculation that he would not cede power if he lost as ‘very ridiculous’.
In an interview with more than a dozen Turkish broadcasters, Erdogan said he came to power through democracy and would act in line with the democratic process.
‘If our nation decides to make such a different decision, we will do exactly what’s required by democracy and there’s nothing else to do,’ he said.
Erdogan said on Saturday that he viewed the elections as a ‘celebration of democracy for our country’s future’.
THE CENSORSHIP OF TWITTER
China: Twitter has been blocked since 2009. The Chinese government maintains strict control over online information and has implemented the Great Firewall, which prevents access to various foreign websites and social media platforms, including Twitter.
Russia: Twitter has faced pressure from the Russian government to remove certain content and accounts. In 2021, Russia slowed down Twitter’s traffic and threatened to ban the platform entirely if it did not comply with requests to remove content related to protests and illegal activities.
India: Twitter has faced conflicts with the Indian government over content moderation. In 2021, the Indian government requested the removal of certain tweets critical of its handling of protests by farmers. Twitter initially complied with some requests but later restored the accounts and tweets, citing concerns about free expression.
United States: Prior to Musk taking over as CEO, Twitter had implemented content moderation policies.
In the aftermath of the 2021 Capitol attack, Twitter suspended then-President Trump’s account due to concerns about the risk of incitement of violence.
The ban was subsequently reversed in November 2022 following Musk’s takeover of the platform.
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