Twitter limits access to some tweets in Turkey ahead of closely contested election

On the eve of one of the potentially most consequential elections in the country’s history, Twitter began blocking posts in Turkey. “In response to legal process and to ensure that Twitter remains available to people in Turkey, we have taken action today to restrict access to certain content in Turkey,” the company said. , in English and Turkish. “We have informed the account holders about this action as per our policy. This content will be available to the rest of the world.”

Twitter hasn’t said which tweets it’s blocking, and the company no longer operates a communications department Engadget reached out to for more information. Clearly, the decision to comply with the Turkish government’s censorship request has shined a spotlight on Elon Musk’s free speech beliefs. Musk, who took Twitter’s name on the same day, lashed out at Twitter on Friday. Bloomberg columnist Matthew Yglesias when he suggested the decision “should generate some interesting Twitter filings reporting.”

“Have your brains gone out of your head, Yglesias? The choice is to block Twitter in its entirety or limit access to certain tweets. Which do you want?” Musk Tweeted at Yglesias,

As Sunday’s election could have significant implications for Turkey. After two decades in power, Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces the most credible threat to his presidency in recent memory. Ahead of Sunday’s contest, opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu showed a slight lead over his rival. If elected, Kilikdaroglu has promised to reshape the country’s domestic policy. Erdogan’s defeat could also have a profound effect on Turkey’s relations with other powers in the region, including Russia and NATO. Per If a candidate does not win more than 50 percent of the vote, the country will hold a run-off election on May 28. As of the writing of this article, Erdogan has an 11 percentage point lead over Kilicdaroglu, although this may change as more ballots are counted.