Turkey Twitter ban sparks anger

Turkey’s decision to block access to Twitter for about 12 hours from Wednesday afternoon to early Thursday as people scrambled to find loved ones after devastating earthquakes has compounded public frustration at the pace of relief efforts.

Opposition leaders and social media users criticised the throttling of the platform, which has helped people share information on arriving aid and the location of those still trapped in rubble after the initial tremor on Monday.

President Tayyip Erdogan’s government has blocked social media in the past and focused in recent months on fighting what it calls “disinformation”, which it said prompted the block on Wednesday.