Twitter Still Accessible In Turkey Despite User Reports Of Block, Company Says

UPDATE Sept. 10, 6:30 p.m. EDT: Twitter has clarified that the service is not blocked in Turkey. If the social network does get blocked in the country, Twitter will let users know via tweet from the company's @policy account.

Original post:

Twitter users are reporting that access to the social network has been blocked in Turkey, presumably in an effort by the country's government to curb the spread of images showing Turkish nationalists using violence against Kurdish citizens. Turkey has become increasingly more violent in recent weeks due to a breakdown of a ceasefire between Turkish forces and Kurdish rebels following a suicide bombing in July.

Since then, attacks by both sides have become regular occurrences, and that has lead many Turkish nationalists to go after Kurds. Images of these attacks have been spreading across social media, drawing global sympathy for Kurds.

Twitter users in Turkey are turning to tools like virtual private networks to get around the country's block on the social network. Turkey, which leads the world in requests to censor tweets, has blocked Twitter and other websites in the past. The country blocked Twitter and YouTube in 2014 after citizens used the sites to share audio that appeared to incriminate then-Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of corruption. [Erdogan is now the country's president.]

Besides blocking Twitter, Turkey on Tuesday also sent ground forces into Iraq in search of Kurdish rebels, following multiple attacks on Turkish police officers and soldiers this week that resulted in at least 30 deaths. The recent upheaval is the first round of violence between the two sides since a ceasefire began in 2013.