The recent ban on accessing Twitter Inc. (TWTR) in Turkey reflects the growing importance of social media as a medium of protest. Political leaders around the world are finally recognizing the potency of social media in changing regimes.
Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently confirmed that he has been instrumental in banning access to Twitter, as the website disobeyed national laws. The ban comes just prior to the municipal elections scheduled on March 30, 2014.
Twitter’s ban resulted from a tweet containing a link to recordings and documents, which suggested the involvement of Erdogan and his government’s in corruption. However, Erdogan denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the recordings and documents were fabricated to discredit him before the local elections.
Reportedly, Twitter and the Turkish government are working to resolve the dispute. The Turkish government has asked Twitter to appoint a representative in Turkey and also to block content as and when requested by the Turkish courts.
The Turkish government’s move has been widely criticized by international authorities including the U.S. and Swedish governments. However, this has not succeeded in moving Erdogan from his stance. He has also threatened to block Facebook (FB), Yahoo (YHOO) and Google’s (GOOG) YouTube service.
A possible ban on all types of social media will have a detrimental effect on Turkish population, as it will reflect the suppressive attitude of the government. The situation is quite similar to Facebook’s ban by the Egyptian government during the Arab (Lotus) revolution in Egypt, which prompted strong protests from Egyptians that eventually saw a regime change.
However, the ban on Twitter in Turkey may not have such a radical effect on population due to its inherent limitations, as compared to Facebook. Moreover, Turkey is a much more politically stable country than Tunisia and Egypt.
Currently, Twitter has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
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