Wikipedia Is Being Blocked In Turkey (turkeyblocks.org)

Nine hours ago, Ilgaz wrote: The Turkey Blocks monitoring network has verified restrictions affecting the Wikipedia online encyclopedia in Turkey. A block affecting all language editions of the website [was] detected at 8:00AM local time Saturday 29 April. The loss of availability is consistent with internet filters used to censor content in the country.
stikves added Access to Wikipedia has been blocked in Turkey as a result of "a provisional administrative order" imposed by the Turkish Telecommunications Authority (BTK)... Turkey Blocks said an administrative blocking order is usually expected to precede a full court blocking order in coming days. While the reason for the order was unknown early on Saturday, a statement on the BTK's website said: "After technical analysis and legal consideration based on the Law Nr. 5651, ADMINISTRATION MEASURE has been taken for this website (wikipedia.org) according to Decision Nr. 490.05.01.2017.-182198 dated 29/04/2017 implemented by Information and Communication Technologies Authority."
The BBC adds reports from Turkish media that authorities "had asked Wikipedia to remove content by writers 'supporting terror.'"

Comments

Donald Trump congratulates Turkey's dictator

[bit trollent]

Donald Trump has been instructed by Vladamir Putin to congratulate Turkey's dictator on his recent elimination of democracy in his country.

As a known secret agent working for Turkey on behalf of Russia, Michael Flynn said in an op-ed "Our ally Turkey is in crisis and needs our support"

Michael Flynn was working as a secret foreign agent when he wrote that op-ed, and Donald Trump knew he had found his new National Security Adviser.

It might not make sense to pick a secret foreign agent to be national security advisor, but you have to remember, Vladimir Putin picked our national security adviser, and it makes perfect sense to him.

The signs are there

[Z00L00K]

The signs are in place that Turkey is moving to a totalitarian regime. And they have come pretty far in that movement.

Re:The signs are there

[Hognoxious]

If even ten percent of the people arrested really were involved in the coup it would have succeeded.

Re:The signs are there

[ShanghaiBill]

And yet, the EU is still in talks to have them join. Unbelievable.

Turkey's application to join the EU has not yet been formally rejected, but there are no "talks". Turkey is preparing to reinstate the death penalty, and the EU has already said that will result in their accession being formally rejected.

Re:The signs are there

[Megol]

No. Stop spreading bullshit you have no fucking idea about. There's no chance in hell that Turkey will be able to join the EU and the chance is decreasing rapidly.

Even when there were talks (a long time ago) Turkey would have to change their system a lot to even be able to ask for a membership. Examples:
It is forbidden to insult Ataturk.
It is forbidden to talk about the internationally recognized and well documented Armenian genocide.
Human rights violations. Too many to list.
Trying to control media including the freedom of the press.
Multiple instances of trying to influence Turks living abroad in illegal ways, threats, spionage etc.

Re:The signs are there

[thegarbz]

And yet, the EU is still in talks to have them join. Unbelievable.

No they aren't. The process for the Turkish ascension has been stonewalled for years. In the 14 years since the Turkish ascension started they have completed only one of the 33 required chapters of the acquis and are showing promise of completing only two others. By comparison Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia, etc all managed their complete ascension in less time than it has taken Turkey to get this far.

In order to join the EU you must have a compatible legal system with the EU. You may have also missed the vote which passed the EU parliament last year that effectively suspended any talks of Turkey joining the EU due to their recent backwards movements in this regard. Regardless of what Turkey does, legally only 16 chapters are opened to them right now, and they've got sweet fuck all chance of getting another at this stage.

Re:The signs are there

[Dogtanian]

There's no chance in hell that Turkey will be able to join the EU and the chance is decreasing rapidly.

Exactly. Turkey has been pushing to join the EU for decades now, and it has (of its own- or rather of Erdogan's- own volition) been moving further away from meeting the requirements to join.

Even a few years ago, before things got this bad, it was generally seen as clear that Erdogan was not interested in joining the EU- let alone meeting the conditions for membership- but only in exploiting it for political capital... particularly when they were rejected so he could blame them for anti-Muslim bias, say they had no intention of letting them in in the first place, and use it as an excuse to bolster his own autocratic regime.

It'll also be noted how Erdogan exploited the Syrian refugee crisis in an attempt to extort concessions from the EU by threatening non-cooperation and effectively swamping the EU with refugees coming via Turkey. With freedom of speech- let alone expression- being cracked down on to the current extent, with the state shamelessly exploiting its power to push its own message while persecuting and suppressing any opposition, Turkey has- like Russia- become a mockery of a democracy.

Erdogan got his way- regardless of whether the Turks themselves are decent people, this is not a country- in anything like its current state- it would be acceptable or remotely workable to have within the EU. But then, there was never a cat's chance in hell of this happening anyway (and now it's more like a snowman's chance).

If I'd thought there was *anything* like a realistic prospect of Erdogan's Turkey being allowed to join the EU, there's no way I'd have voted "Remain". (Spoiler; I voted "Remain".)

Of course, that didn't stop self-serving scum like Boris Johnson- the guy who shifted his allegiance to improve his own prospects of becoming Prime Minister- using this as a scaremongering tactic to promote the Leave case, and in an utterly shameless display of hypocrisy, once they'd won, saying they were going to help Turkey join the EU. What a piece of shit.

Way to go, Turkey!

[OneHundredAndTen]

Soon you will attain the status of an Islamic theocracy, that you seem to be so keen on.

Ssshhh!

[sky_khan72]

Keep it quiet or slashdot will be next!

Re:And the US website block?

[religionofpeas]

US citizens are not blocked from reading the same information on other sites.

Re:And the US website block?

[Anonymous Coward]

That is ridiculous. Removing or changing your own content is not the same as preventing access to somebody else's. Please think a little.

Sad they voted for it. Twitter is next - he said.

[Elixon]

I must say: Turkey will get what they voted for. Unfortunately recovering from this will be much more pricey then getting into this s*t.

This shows the problem with democracy. Average people are dumb. As the result the dictator can be democratically elected.

According to what Erdogan already advertised the Twitter will be next and Facebook will follow. Not sure if I should be sympathetic with that country if majority is getting what they voted for. Although I am sympathetic with that smarter minority because history shows us that this smarter minority will sacrifice the most in the future when trying to fix mistakes of dumb majority.

Re:Good old Turkey and friends

[johanw]

They only call it safe because most countries don't want any more muslims in but are too yellow to state that openly.

Re: And the US website block?

[Jesus H Rolle]

People in power are blocking access to information for political reasons. It is blatant censorship, regardless of the mechanics, and especially disturbing because the US government is nominally owned by the USican public, who ought to have access to their publicly funded data. Likewise the Turquese public ought to have access to public domain content.

The mass migration to Europe from Syria is nothing

[c8663]

The mass migration to Europe from Syria is nothing compared to the mass migration from Turkey that will happen in a few years.

Re:And the US website block?

[thegarbz]

That's because you don't seem to understand the difference:

Turkey:
Block access to third party published information.

USA:
Hasn't blocked anything. Simply removed a government website that contained content that wasn't inline with the current government's thinking. The content of this website has been copied elsewhere, and no attempt has been made to block people from viewing it.

These require a different response because they are very different cases. Claiming they are similar and should be met with the same outrage is just asinine.

It gets better. Those Turks are actually Russians.

[denzacar]

Those "pro Turkey" lobbyists who paid him are actually Russians.
http://www.politico.com/story/...

The Turkish man who gave Mike Flynn a $600,000 lobbying deal just before President Donald Trump picked him to be national security adviser has business ties to Russia, including a 2009 aviation financing deal negotiated with Vladimir Putin, according to court records.
The man, Ekim Alptekin, has in recent years helped to coordinate Turkish lobbying in Washington with Dmitri "David" Zaikin, a Soviet-born former executive in Russian energy and mining companies who also has had dealings with Putin's government, according to three people with direct knowledge of the activities.
...
Alptekin, in an interview, said he hired Flynn with his own money and did not coordinate any lobbying for the Turkish government. He also denied knowing Zaikin.

But Alptekin acknowledged that he has attended events and met with leaders of the Turkish Heritage Organization, a Washington-based group of Turkish-Americans loyal to Erdogan.
The organization was started when Zaikin asked a Washington-based international political consultant named John Moreira to help set it up, Moreira told POLITICO.

"Surprisingly", both Zaikin and Alptekin also had business deals with Putin.

In the 2000s, Zaikin was an executive in Russia's oil industry at a time when Putin was consolidating control over the country's mineral wealth to the financial benefit of himself and the circle of oligarchs who are his key supporters and associates.
...
In 2008, Zaikin made a deal with an ex-KGB oligarch involved in the giant state oil company Gazprom. Zaikin's company sold the oligarch a 2.5 percent stake in a subsidiary, known as KNG, for shares worth $10, equivalent to valuing the entire subsidiary at $400, according to SEC disclosures.
That came less than two years after Zaikin's company bought KNG for the equivalent of $2.7 million.
...
Alptekin has had his own business dealings in Russia.

As a partner in an investment group called ETIRC as early as 2006, Alptekin bought a stake in a New Mexico jet manufacturer called Eclipse Aviation.
In September 2008, Eclipse announced plans to build a $205 million factory in Russia financed by Russian state bank Vnesheconombank, whose board was chaired by Putin, then prime minister.
A photo in the trade press showed Putin personally inspecting one of Eclipse's jets.

And there's more...

It's almost as if it all connects back to Putin. Funny that.