This article was published on June 4, 2010

Some Google services being blocked in Turkey? [Updated from Google]


Some Google services being blocked in Turkey? [Updated from Google]

According to sources around Twitter, that certainly seems to be the case.

While some Turkish journalists have been protesting against the blocking of YouTube and other sites, it appears the some Google services have come under fire as well.  Presently, we have confirmation of Google Weblogs being blocked, but we have not yet been able to confirm any other services.

The blockages seem to stem from sites that criticize Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey.  Some Turkish citizens, however, have argued that they should be allowed to make their own decisions and not have a lack of information forced upon them.

According to the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News, a Turkish court can ban a complete website merely because of a single piece of content while other sites like YouTube are banned by several court decisions, instead of just one.

We’re still digging around to find some solid information on this, and would appreciate any reports that we could get from inside the borders of Turkey.

Update:

We’re hearing unconfirmed reports that this in a failed attempt to block YouTube, the Turkish government have blocked every Google Service out there.

A Google spokesperson confirms this report, stating:

“We have received reports that some Google applications are unable to be accessed in Turkey. The difficulties in accessing some Google services in Turkey appears to be linked to the ongoing ban on YouTube. We are working to get our services back up as soon as possible.”

Thank you to Oğuz Serdar for the tip.

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