Watchdog denies ban of 2 hours on Twitter

ISTANBUL

‘There is no block on access to Twitter in Turkey,’ the country's telecommunications watchdog has stated.

Twitter has not been blocked in Turkey, the country’s telecommunications watchdog stated on Dec. 15.

The watchdog made the clarification after Twitter users complained that they were unable to access the micro-blogging site for nearly two hours during the day.

“There is no block on access to Twitter in Turkey,” the Information and Communication Technologies Authority said in a statement.

Some users complained, watchdog says

The watchdog confirmed that it had received complaints from users of Turkcell, Turkey’s largest operator, who said they were unable to access the popular micro blogging site for two hours.

“An investigation into the allegations has started and an investigator from the authority has been sent to Turkcell,” the statement added.

Earlier this year, Turkey blocked Twitter for a brief period amid corruption allegations against the government. The justification for the block was the company’s alleged refusal to remove a number of web links.