In Turkey, Twitter restricts access to some tweets ahead of the presidential election

(Image credit- Tech Times) Twitter began restricting access in Turkey in response to legal processes and to make sure that the platform is still accessible even after the presidential elections, as Turkey gets ready for one of the most important elections in its history.

Controlling Access

In advance of one of Turkey's most historic elections, Twitter stated on Saturday that it is currently limiting access to specific messages and material there. Account holders were already informed by the platform in accordance with the most recent policy, according to a report. Other nations won't be impacted by the access restriction in the interim.   No information was provided by Twitter regarding the accounts that were or would be blocked. However, many accounts now only have restricted access, such as those of investigative journalist Cevheri Guven and Kurdish businessman Muhammed Yakut, who accused the president and his allies of orchestrating a coup attempt in 2016.   Twit CEO Elon Musk's divisive free speech principles are brought to light by this decision, and some have argued that he is caving in to pressure from the Turkish government to maintain his position of power. Critics claim that the government has taken over the media and is repressing opposition voices online by targeting social media platforms.

President Erdoğan and Musk

Musk and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have been in contact at least since 2017, when they met in Turkey to talk about potential partnerships between Turkish businesses and his firms, such as Tesla and SpaceX. Their commercial relationships have become stronger over time, and their friendship has become enduring. The president reportedly said in the past that he would think about speaking with Musk about the earlier Twitter restriction of his posts, according to Vanity Fair. Days after the declaration, the two were seen shaking hands for over a minute during the World Cup final in December. This is not the first time Twitter has been charged with caving into calls for censorship from other international leaders. In January of last year, Twitter complied with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's request to suppress a BBC program that denigrated the president of his country. A few months later, it spread to numerous journalists, lawmakers, and activists who had trouble getting access. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Image credit- Engadget[/caption] Musk, though, claimed in his letter that he was unaware of the restricted information. In addition to controlling Tesla and SpaceX, he said, "It is not possible for me to fix every aspect of Twitter globally overnight." The governments of Turkey and India are recognized for holding the most traditional media outlets under their control, putting social media platforms at risk in both nations.

Elections to the Presidency

Turkey's presidential elections are often regarded as being the most competitive in recent memory. The current president, who consolidated power throughout his two decades in office, is running neck-and-neck against opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, according to the reports. Also read: NASA Sends the heartbeat-sensing FINDER to Turkey to Aid with Earthquake Recovery When elected, Kilicdaragolu pledged to put advancing democracy first in order to put a stop to authoritarian rule in the nation. "Turkey is a country of prohibitions," he said. Turkey will be a free nation if we are in power. A loss for Erdogan would have serious repercussions for the nation.