Ankara spouts fury as Twitter takes down pro-Erdogan trolls
Twitter said the suspensions were part of a broader operation in which it had removed and suspended accounts linked to state-run propaganda and disinformation centers in China, Russia and Turkey.
Turkey reacted angrily to Twitter’s announcement yesterday that it had suspended over 7,000 “fake and compromised” accounts linked the youth wing of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) that the social media giant said were used “to amplify political narratives favorable to” him and his ruling party.
Twitter said the suspensions were part of a broader operation in which it had removed and suspended 32,242 accounts after investigations established their links to state-run propaganda and disinformation centers in China, Russia and Turkey.
In a blistering statement, Erdogan’s communications director contested the company’s assertion that the accounts were fake and run by a state-linked troll network.
Fahrettin Altun called Twitter’s move “an arbitrary act, hidden behind the smokescreen of transparency and freedom of expression” that “demonstrated yet again that Twitter is no mere social media company but a propaganda machine.”
