Tweet
Senators blast Turkey over Twitter blackout
March 28, 2014, 08:52 am
By Julian Hattem
A bipartisan pair of senators is looking to formally condemn the
Turkish government for shutting down social media sites like Twitter.
In a resolution introduced on Thursday, Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)
and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) accused the country's leadership of violating
the right to free speech.
"The touchstone of a modern and legitimate democracy is the freedom of
expression enjoyed by its people," Murphy, who chairs the Foreign
Relations subcommittee on Europe, said in a statement. "In 2014, a
fundamental expression of that freedom is a people's access to social
media sites that allow them to share information and contribute to a
conversation about the world around them."
He called for the government to end the blackout if it "wishes to move
toward eventual integration into the European Union..."
Johnson, the top Republican on the European Affairs subcommittee, also
worried about Turkey's move in light of the Obama's administration's
decision to relinquish control of a critical Internet management
system.
"The ability of any private citizen to compete openly in offering
information to others has made the Internet one of the greatest
deregulatory success stories of all time," he said.
"The Turkish shutdown of Twitter and YouTube for political purposes
shows the danger of foreign governments gaining control over this
incredible forum for liberty."
Last week, the Turkish government blacked out Twitter in the country,
in a response to links on the site that seemed to show officials
engaged in corruption. On Thursday, the Turkish telecommunications
regulator made moves to block YouTube, as well, after a recording on
the site appeared to show top officials discussing a possible attack
on Syria.
The move comes days ahead of critical nationwide municipal elections on Sunday.
A court in Ankara has ordered the government to lift the ban on
Twitter in the next 30 days, which could leave the social media site
blocked when polls open.
Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/202015-senators-blast-turkey-over-twitter-blackout#ixzz2xLqg3irx
Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook
March 28, 2014, 08:52 am
By Julian Hattem
A bipartisan pair of senators is looking to formally condemn the
Turkish government for shutting down social media sites like Twitter.
In a resolution introduced on Thursday, Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)
and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) accused the country's leadership of violating
the right to free speech.
"The touchstone of a modern and legitimate democracy is the freedom of
expression enjoyed by its people," Murphy, who chairs the Foreign
Relations subcommittee on Europe, said in a statement. "In 2014, a
fundamental expression of that freedom is a people's access to social
media sites that allow them to share information and contribute to a
conversation about the world around them."
He called for the government to end the blackout if it "wishes to move
toward eventual integration into the European Union..."
Johnson, the top Republican on the European Affairs subcommittee, also
worried about Turkey's move in light of the Obama's administration's
decision to relinquish control of a critical Internet management
system.
"The ability of any private citizen to compete openly in offering
information to others has made the Internet one of the greatest
deregulatory success stories of all time," he said.
"The Turkish shutdown of Twitter and YouTube for political purposes
shows the danger of foreign governments gaining control over this
incredible forum for liberty."
Last week, the Turkish government blacked out Twitter in the country,
in a response to links on the site that seemed to show officials
engaged in corruption. On Thursday, the Turkish telecommunications
regulator made moves to block YouTube, as well, after a recording on
the site appeared to show top officials discussing a possible attack
on Syria.
The move comes days ahead of critical nationwide municipal elections on Sunday.
A court in Ankara has ordered the government to lift the ban on
Twitter in the next 30 days, which could leave the social media site
blocked when polls open.
Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/202015-senators-blast-turkey-over-twitter-blackout#ixzz2xLqg3irx
Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook