Turkish internet traffic to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter is said to have been cut off during the military coup that took place in the country during the night from Friday to Saturday. This would ultimately be more effective than a blockage.
Both network traffic monitor Dyn on Twitter and Twitter yourself make the statements. Also the CEO of security company CloudFlare reports that there has been a sharp decline in Turkish internet traffic. Traffic to the three websites is said to have been throttled to such an extent that in practice it amounts to a blockade, especially when traffic to those sites increases as a result of the coup d’état. It is currently unclear whether the military who attempted the coup are behind this or whether the Turkish government is responsible.
Turkey Blocks, an organization dedicated to mapping the internet blockages in the country, reported at one point that the three websites would be completely blocked after all. also Dyn spoke later in the night from a blockade. In the meantime, Turkish traffic on the three websites would once again be allowed through completely unhindered. In total, the obstruction and blocking of traffic would have taken several hours.
Although it is not clear which party is responsible for blocking internet traffic, it would not be the first time that the Turkish government has blocked access to certain websites. In the past, Reddit, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter have often been the target of government blockades. Until now, these have always been temporary measures. The Turkish regime uses dns blocks to make websites inaccessible, but they appear to be too easy to circumvent. At the time of the attacks in Ankara at the end of 2015, there were also rumors that internet traffic was being throttled.
The coup was allegedly attempted by a military conspiracy. The armed forces had cordoned off the bridge connecting the Asian and European parts of Istanbul. The military conspirators are even said to have deployed tanks, helicopters and fighter jets. Turkish President Erdogan called on the people to take to the streets and oppose the coup. The population seems to have responded to this and the coup would have been defeated, the BBC reported.
Update, 11:10: The article stated that the Turkish government would be responsible for throttling and blocking access to social media. Although the Turkish government has made this move many times in the past, it cannot be said with certainty that the Turkish government is behind it this time as well. The article has been adapted accordingly.