Turkey’s ‘Ekşi Sözlük’ social media site banned again

Ekşi Sözlük, a social media platform that is among the most popular websites in Turkey, has faced censorship once again.  

The order to ban the website was given by the Ankara 6th Penal Judgeship of Peace, said the platform’s administration. 

"However, we are not informed about the details, and we are trying to obtain information from the authorities. We will share information as we receive it,” it said in a statement. 

Meanwhile, EngelliWeb, a platform monitoring online censorship in Turkey, reported that Ekşi Sözlük was banned for reasons related to “national security and the preservation of public order.” 

In response to the domain block, Ekşi Sözlük's administration launched eksisozluk1999.com and redirected the content to this address, employing a tactic commonly used in Turkey to navigate around censorship decisions for websites. 

This is not the first time Ekşi Sözlük has encountered censorship. In February, the platform was targeted amid restrictions on platforms criticizing the government's negligence during the February earthquakes. (HA/VK)