Censorship of Twitter#Pakistan

Twitter acts on complaints by third parties, including governments, to remove illegal content in accordance with the laws of the countries in which people use the service. On processing a successful complaint about an illegal tweet from "government officials, companies or another outside party", the social networking site will notify users from that country that they may not see it.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/twitters-censorship-plan-rouses-global-furor/|title=Twitter's censorship plan rouses global furor|date=January 27, 2012|access-date=January 27, 2012|agency=Associated Press|work=CBS News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128032913/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57367843/twitters-censorship-plan-rouses-global-furor/|archive-date=January 28, 2012|url-status=live}}

{{main|Internet censorship in France}}

Following the posting of antisemitic and racist posts by anonymous users, Twitter removed those posts from its service. Lawsuits were filed by the Union des étudiants juifs de France (UEJF), a French advocacy group and, on January 24, 2013, Judge Anne-Marie Sauteraud ordered Twitter to divulge the personally identifiable information about the user who posted the antisemitic post, charging that the posts violated French laws against hate speech. Twitter responded by saying that it was "reviewing its options" regarding the French charges. Twitter was given two weeks to comply with the court order before daily fines of €1,000 (about US$1,300) would be assessed. Issues over jurisdiction arise, because Twitter has no offices nor employees within France, so it is unclear how a French court could sanction Twitter.{{cite news|last=Pfanner|first=Eric|title=In a French Case, a Battle to Unmask Twitter Users|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/25/technology/twitter-ordered-to-help-reveal-sources-of-anti-semitic-posts.html|access-date=January 26, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 24, 2013|author2=Somini Sengupta|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126023031/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/25/technology/twitter-ordered-to-help-reveal-sources-of-anti-semitic-posts.html|archive-date=January 26, 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=French court rules on hate tweets|url=http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Technology/2013/01/25/French-court-rules-on-hate-tweets/UPI-38951359153077/|access-date=January 26, 2013|newspaper=UPI|date=January 25, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126104115/http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Technology/2013/01/25/French-court-rules-on-hate-tweets/UPI-38951359153077/|archive-date=January 26, 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Marchive|first=Valéry|title=Twitter ordered to give up details of racist users|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/twitter-ordered-to-give-up-details-of-racist-tweeters/|work=ZDNet|access-date=January 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128015444/http://www.zdnet.com/twitter-ordered-to-give-up-details-of-racist-tweeters-7000010283/|archive-date=January 28, 2013|url-status=live}}

{{main|Internet censorship in India}}

Twitter accounts spoofing the Prime Minister of India such as "PM0India", "Indian-pm" and "PMOIndiaa" were blocked in India in August 2012 following violence in Assam.{{cite news

| url= https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19343887

| title= India targets social media sites after Assam violence

| publisher= BBC News

| date= August 22, 2012

| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171203022528/http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19343887

| archive-date= December 3, 2017

| url-status= live

}}

During the curfew in Jammu and Kashmir after the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019, the Indian government approached Twitter to suspend accounts which were spreading rumours and anti-India content.{{cite news

| url= https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/govt-tells-twitter-to-block-accounts-inciting-anti-india-content-using-kashmir/story-V10neIY9VmgfI8rLB67Y4N.html

| title= Govt tells Twitter to block accounts inciting anti-India content using Kashmir

| publisher= Hindustan Times

| date= August 12, 2019

| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190817030848/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/govt-tells-twitter-to-block-accounts-inciting-anti-india-content-using-kashmir/story-V10neIY9VmgfI8rLB67Y4N.html

| archive-date= August 17, 2019

| url-status= live

}} This included the Twitter account of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, a Kashmiri separatist leader.{{Cite web |last1=Tripathi |first1=Rahul |last2=Irfan |first2=Hakeem |date=2019-08-13 |title=Twitter told to take down handles spreading fake news about Kashmir Valley |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/4-twitter-handles-suspended-for-alleged-anti-india-propaganda/articleshow/70648195.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813020448/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/4-twitter-handles-suspended-for-alleged-anti-india-propaganda/articleshow/70648195.cms |archive-date=2019-08-13 |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=The Economic Times}} On August 3, 2019, Geelani tweeted "India is about to launch the biggest genocide in the history of mankind",{{cite news |title='India is about to launch the biggest genocide in IOK': Kashmiri leader urges Muslims to 'save our souls' |url=https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/08/03/india-is-about-to-launch-biggest-genocide-in-iok-kashmiri-leader-urges-muslims-to-save-our-souls/ |access-date=August 16, 2019 |work=Pakistan Today |date=August 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804154917/https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/08/03/india-is-about-to-launch-biggest-genocide-in-iok-kashmiri-leader-urges-muslims-to-save-our-souls/ |archive-date=August 4, 2019 |url-status=live }} leading which, his account was suspended on request by authorities. Two days later, on August 5, the Indian parliament passed resolution to bifurcate the Jammu and Kashmir state into two union territories.

In February 2021, Twitter blocked hundreds of accounts that were posting about the Indian farmers protest from being accessed by users in India, by request of the Ministry of Home Affairs; the government ministry alleged that the accounts were spreading misinformation.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/10/technology/india-twitter.html|title=Twitter Blocks Accounts in India as Modi Pressures Social Media|first=Karan Deep|last=Singh| newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 10, 2021}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/5935003/india-farmers-protests-twitter/|title=Why Twitter Blocked Accounts Linked to Farmers Protests in India|magazine=Time}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/twitter-blocks-several-accounts-posting-messages-in-support-of-farmers-stir-restores-most-of-them-later/article33717312.ece|title=Twitter blocks several accounts posting messages in support of farmers' stir, restores most of them later|first1=Vijaita|last1=Singh|first2=Yuthika|last2=Bhargava| newspaper=The Hindu |date=February 1, 2021|via=www.thehindu.com}} Later that month, Twitter became subject to the national Social Media Ethics Code, which expects all social media companies operating in the country to remove content by request of the government within 36 hours, and appoint a local representative who is an Indian resident and passport holder{{Cite web|last=Ramachandran|first=Naman|date=February 25, 2021|title=India Publishes 'Digital Media Ethics Code' for Social Media and Streaming Platforms|url=https://variety.com/2021/streaming/news/india-digital-media-ethics-code-social-media-streaming-platforms-1234914981/|access-date=June 19, 2021|website=Variety|language=en-US}}

On May 18, 2021, Bharatiya Janata Party national spokesperson Sambit Patra posted an image alleged to be from an internal Indian National Congress (INC) document, detailing a social media campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi to criticize his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. The INC disputed the posts and claimed that they were fabricated. Twitter subsequently marked the post as containing manipulated media.{{Cite web |date=May 22, 2021 |title=Twitter marks BJP leader's post on Cong 'toolkit' manipulated; IT Ministry steps in, calls it biased |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/sambit-patra-tweet-manipulated-media-toolkit-twitter-7324737/ |access-date=June 19, 2021 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}{{Cite web|date=May 19, 2021|title=What is 'Congress toolkit' controversy: All you need to know {{!}} India News - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/what-is-the-congress-toolkit-controversy-all-you-need-to-know/articleshow/82761578.cms|access-date=June 19, 2021|website=The Times of India|language=en}} The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology issued a request for Twitter to remove the label, alleging that Twitter's decision was "prejudged, prejudiced, and a deliberate attempt to colour the investigation by the local law enforcement agency". After Twitter refused to remove the label, its offices in New Delhi were raided by police.{{Cite web|last=Ramachandran|first=Naman|date=May 24, 2021|title=Twitter's India Offices Raided by Delhi Police After Political Tweet|url=https://variety.com/2021/digital/global/twitter-india-offices-raid-bjp-1234980231/|access-date=June 19, 2021|website=Variety|language=en-US}}

In June 2021, Twitter lost its immunity as an "intermediary" under the Information Technology Act for its failure to appoint a local representative. It will be considered publisher of all materials posted on the platform.{{Cite web|date=June 18, 2021|title=Legal protection of Twitter as intermediary is not absolute, it is compliance-oriented|url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/legal-protection-of-twitter-as-intermediary-is-not-absolute-it-is-compliance-oriented-9727961.html|access-date=June 19, 2021|website=Firstpost}}{{Cite web|date=June 16, 2021|title=Twitter loses its status as intermediary platform in India due to non-compliance with new IT rules|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/twitter-loses-its-status-as-intermediary-platform-in-india-due-to-non-compliance-with-new-it-rules/videoshow/83563515.cms|access-date=June 19, 2021|website=The Economic Times}} Later the same month, police in Uttar Pradesh registered a case against Twitter accusing it of distribution of child pornography.{{cite news |agency=Reuters |date=June 30, 2021 |title=Twitter faces new case for child pornography after India map row |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/30/india-twitter-kashmir-map-child-pornography |work=al-Jazeera |location= |access-date=July 1, 2021}} In March 2022, Delhi High Court questioned Twitter on why it would not block users posting objectionable content about Hindu Gods in the same way they blocked US President Donald Trump. The court sought a detailed explanation of Twitter's policies and asked them to file an affidavit.{{Cite web |last=Saxena |first=Akshita |publisher=LIVELAW NEWS NETWORK |date=March 28, 2022 |title=Twitter Can Block Donald Trump's Account But Not User Posting Objectionable Content About Hindu Gods? Delhi High Court Asks |url=https://www.livelaw.in/news-updates/delhi-high-court-twitter-hindu-gods-blasphemy-block-user-donald-trump-intermediary-it-rules-195182 |access-date=March 29, 2022 |website=www.livelaw.in |language=en}}

In July 2022, Twitter started a lawsuit against the government of India after being ordered to remove multiple accounts and tweets that violated India's laws. Twitter is arguing that the laws are too restrictive and challenging the orders to block content. The company stated that some of the blocking demands "pertain to political content that is posted by official handles of political parties" and said that such orders are "a violation of the freedom of speech".{{cite web |last1=Singh |first1=Manish |title=Twitter, challenging block orders, sues India's government |url=https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/05/twitter-sues-india-government/ |website=TechCrunch |date=July 5, 2022 |access-date=July 6, 2022}}

On August 19, 2023, Twitter suspended NewsClick's account.{{Cite web |last=Khanduri |first=Shailesh |title=Newsclick's Twitter account suspended |url=https://www.newsdrum.in/national/newsclick-twitter-account-suspended |access-date=August 20, 2023 |website=www.newsdrum.in |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=August 16, 2023 |title=NAPM Condemns The Vindictive Targeting Of Progressive Media Houses, Including NewsClick{{!}} Countercurrents |url=https://countercurrents.org/2023/08/napm-condemns-the-vindictive-targeting-of-progressive-media-houses-including-newsclick/ |access-date=August 20, 2023 |website=countercurrents.org |language=en-US}} The following day, it suspended the account of The Kashmir Walla, a Kashmiri news portal.{{Cite web |author=News Desk |date=August 20, 2023 |title=Kashmiri news portal The Kashmir Walla's Twitter account withheld in India |url=https://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/kashmiri-news-portal-the-kashmir-wallas-twitter-account-withheld-in-india/ |access-date=August 20, 2023 |website=The Kashmiriyat |language=en-US}}

{{main|Censorship in Israel}}

In 2016, access to comments by the American blogger Richard Silverstein about a criminal investigation, which involved a minor and therefore was under a gag order according to Israeli law, was blocked to Israeli IP addresses, following a request by Israel's Ministry of Justice.{{cite news

| title = Israeli Censorship on an American Tweet

| url = http://www.calcalist.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3695173,00.html

| newspaper = Calcalist (in Hebrew)

| date = August 9, 2016

| access-date = August 9, 2016

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160810170948/http://www.calcalist.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3695173,00.html

| archive-date = August 10, 2016

| url-status = live

}}{{cite news

| title = Twitter Agrees To Remove Tweet At Israel's Request

| url = http://www.vocativ.com/349919/twitter-agrees-to-censor-tweet-at-israels-request/

| newspaper = Vocativ

| date = August 11, 2016 | access-date = August 11, 2016

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160812164544/http://www.vocativ.com/349919/twitter-agrees-to-censor-tweet-at-israels-request/

| archive-date = August 12, 2016 | url-status = live

}}

{{main|Internet censorship in Pakistan}}

In May 2014, Twitter regularly disabled the ability to view specific "tweets" inside Pakistan, at the request of the government of Pakistan on the grounds that they were blasphemous, having done so five times in May.{{cite news|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/22/world/asia/twitter-agrees-to-block-blasphemous-tweets-in-pakistan.html|date=May 22, 2014|access-date=January 24, 2017|title=Twitter Agrees to Block 'Blasphemous' Tweets in Pakistan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317015326/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/22/world/asia/twitter-agrees-to-block-blasphemous-tweets-in-pakistan.html|archive-date=March 17, 2017|url-status=live}}

On November 25, 2017, the NetBlocks internet shutdown observatory and Digital Rights Foundation collected evidence of nation-wide blocking of Twitter alongside other social media services, imposed by the government in response to the religious political party Tehreek-e-Labaik protests.{{Cite news|url=https://digitalrightsfoundation.pk/press-release-drf-and-netblocks-find-blanket-and-nation-wide-ban-on-social-media-in-pakistan-and-demand-it-to-be-lifted-immediately/|title=DRF and NetBlocks find blanket and nation-wide ban on social media in Pakistan and demand it to be lifted immediately|date=November 26, 2017|work=Digital Rights Foundation|access-date=November 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201040815/https://digitalrightsfoundation.pk/press-release-drf-and-netblocks-find-blanket-and-nation-wide-ban-on-social-media-in-pakistan-and-demand-it-to-be-lifted-immediately/|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=live|language=en-GB}}{{Cite news|url=http://nation.com.pk/27-Nov-2017/activists-assail-blanket-ban-on-social-media|title=Activists assail blanket ban on social media|date=November 27, 2017|work=The Nation|access-date=November 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171128200108/http://nation.com.pk/27-Nov-2017/activists-assail-blanket-ban-on-social-media|archive-date=November 28, 2017|url-status=live|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.samaa.tv/social-buzz/2017/11/need-know-nation-wide-internet-disruptions-dharna/|title=All you need to know about nation-wide internet disruptions during dharna|date=November 27, 2017|website=Samaa TV|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127185835/https://www.samaa.tv/social-buzz/2017/11/need-know-nation-wide-internet-disruptions-dharna/|archive-date=November 27, 2017|url-status=live|access-date=November 29, 2017}} The technical investigation found that all major Pakistani fixed-line and mobile service providers were affected by the restrictions, which were lifted by the PTA the next day when protests abated following the resignation of Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid.{{Cite news|url=http://nation.com.pk/26-Nov-2017/the-issue-of-social-media-networking|title=The issue of social media networking|date=November 26, 2017|work=The Nation|access-date=November 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171128200126/http://nation.com.pk/26-Nov-2017/the-issue-of-social-media-networking|archive-date=November 28, 2017|url-status=live|language=en-US}}

X, formerly known as Twitter, has remained inaccessible in Pakistan since February 2024. The Pakistan government blocked access to the social media platform around the time of the 2024 February elections, citing national security concerns. Despite the government's stance, both the government and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) refused to comment on the outages, which were widely reported by internet watchdog groups.

Since May 7, 2025, X, formerly known as Twitter, is partially restored in Pakistan.{{Cite web |last=Desk |first=News |date=2025-05-07 |title=X now accessible in Pakistan without VPN, say users |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2544463/access-to-x-partially-restored-in-pakistan |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Desk (Lahore) |first=Web |date=2025-05-07 |title=Pakistan lifted Ban on X (Twitter) after mid-night Indian strikes? |url=https://pakobserver.net/pakistan-lifted-ban-on-x-twitter-after-mid-night-indian-strikes/ |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Pakistan Observer |language=en-US}}

{{main|Censorship in Russia}}

On May 19, 2014, Twitter blocked a pro-Ukrainian political account for Russian users. It happened soon after a Russian official had threatened to ban Twitter entirely if it refused to delete "tweets" that violated Russian law, according to the Russian news site Izvestia.{{Cite web |last=Ries |first=Brian |date=2014-05-19 |title=Twitter Blocks Pro-Ukrainian Political Account for Russian Users |url=https://mashable.com/archive/twitter-blocks-account-russia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215054111/https://mashable.com/2014/05/19/twitter-blocks-account-russia/ |archive-date=2018-02-15 |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Mashable |language=en}}

On July 27, 2014, Twitter blocked an account belonging to a hacker collective that has leaked several internal Kremlin documents to the Internet.{{Cite web |date=2014-07-27 |title=Twitter 'Blocks' Access to Russia's Most Infamous Hackers |url=https://globalvoices.org/2014/07/27/russia-twitter-hackers-b0ltai-censorship/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717072218/http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/07/27/russia-twitter-hackers-b0ltai-censorship/ |archive-date=2015-07-17 |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Global Voices |language=en}}

On March 10, 2021, Roskomnadzor began throttling Twitter on all mobile devices and 50% of computers due to claims that Twitter regulatory board failed to remove illegal content that includes suicide, child pornography, and drug use. They issued Twitter could be blocked in Russia if it did not comply. In an e-mail statement Twitter stated it was "deeply concerned to throttle online public conversation."{{Cite news|date=March 10, 2021|title=Twitter says 'deeply concerned' after Russian move|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-twitter-concern-idUSKBN2B22GL|access-date=March 10, 2021}}{{Cite web|title=Russia slows down Twitter in latest social media clampdown|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-slows-down-twitter-social-media-clampdown/|access-date=March 10, 2021|website=CBS News|date=March 10, 2021 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Shead|first=Sam|date=March 10, 2021|title=Russia says it is slowing down Twitter to protect citizens from illegal content|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/10/russia-slows-down-twitter-to-protect-citizens.html|access-date=March 10, 2021|website=CNBC|language=en}}

From March to April 2021, Roskomnadzor considered a ban and the removal of the IP of Twitter from Russia completely.{{Cite web|date=March 16, 2021|title=Russia will block Twitter in one month unless it deletes banned content - Russian news agencies|url=https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/russia-will-block-twitter-in-one-month-unless-it-deletes-banned-content-russian-news|website=Nasdaq}} The government agency was met with denials and lack of urgency from the social network.{{Cite web|last=Rosenbaum|first=Andrew|title=Twitter faces shutdown in Russia unless banned content is deleted {{!}} Cyprus Mail|url=https://cyprus-mail.com/2021/03/16/twitter-faces-shutdown-in-russia-unless-banned-content-is-deleted/|access-date=March 16, 2021|website=Cyprus Mail|date=March 16, 2021 |language=en-GB}} Roskomnadzor has the necessary “technical capabilities” to completely remove Twitter from Russian domain.{{Cite web |date=March 16, 2021 |title=Russia threatens to block Twitter in a month |url=https://www.cbs42.com/news/business/russia-threatens-to-block-twitter-in-a-month/ |access-date=March 16, 2021 |website=CBS 42 |language=en-US}} The severity of the situation occurred when over 3,000 posts containing child pornography in violation of Community Guidelines have been detected in 2021 by the agency that was later sent to Twitter regulatory board for verification. However Twitter sent no response back to the agency concerning the illegal content and has thereafter been charged of withholding its duty to maintain the social network's Community Guidelines.

On April 2, 2021, a Russian court found Twitter guilty on three counts of "violating regulations on restricting unlawful content," and ordered Twitter to pay $117,000 in fines.{{Cite news|date=April 2, 2021|title=Russian court fines Twitter over failure to delete content|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-politics-social-media-fines-idUSKBN2BP0NZ|access-date=April 9, 2021}}{{Cite web|last=Klar|first=Rebecca|date=April 2, 2021|title=Russia fines Twitter for not removing posts|url=https://thehill.com/policy/technology/546201-russia-fines-twitter-for-not-removing-posts|access-date=April 9, 2021|website=TheHill|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Twitter fined by Russian court for not taking down calls to protest|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/twitter-fined-court-russia-not-taking-down-calls-protest-n1262921|access-date=April 9, 2021|website=NBC News|date=April 2, 2021 |language=en}} On April 5, 2021, Russia extended its throttling of Twitter until May 15, 2021. On May 17, 2021, Roskomnadzor said that Twitter had removed 91% of the banned content and backed off on blocking Twitter. Barring 600 posts still pending removal, the government agency also said they would continue throttling Twitter on Mobile Devices only saying that Twitter needed to remove all the banned items and in the future delete reportedly illegal posts within 24{{spaces}}hours for all restrictions to be lifted.{{Cite web|date=May 17, 2021|title=Russia partially halts punitive Twitter slowdown, warns other tech platforms|url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/russia-partially-lifts-restrictions-twitter-after-some-banned-content-deleted-2021-05-17/|access-date=June 10, 2021|website=Reuters}}

{{main|Internet censorship in South Korea}}

In August 2010, the government of South Korea tried to block certain content on Twitter due to the North Korean government opening a Twitter account.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/20/AR2010082005741.html |title=South Korea tries to block Twitter messages from North |work=Washingtonpost.com |date=August 21, 2010 |access-date=September 18, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111203123/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/20/AR2010082005741.html |archive-date=November 11, 2012 |url-status=live }} The North Korean Twitter account created on August 12, [https://twitter.com/uriminzok uriminzok], loosely translated to mean "our people" in Korean, acquired over 4,500 followers in less than one week. On August 19, 2010, South Korea's state-run Communications Standards Commission banned the Twitter account for broadcasting "illegal information."{{Cite web |last=Sniderman |first=Zachary |date=August 19, 2010 |title=North Korea's Newly Launched Twitter Account Banned by South Korea |url=http://mashable.com/2010/08/19/north-korea-twitter-banned/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100824001319/http://mashable.com/2010/08/19/north-korea-twitter-banned/ |archive-date=August 24, 2010 |access-date=September 18, 2010 |website=Mashable}} According to the BBC, experts claim that North Korea has invested in "information technology for more than 20 years" with knowledge of how to use social networking sites.{{Cite news |last=Boyd |first=Clark |date=August 18, 2010 |title=North Korea creates Twitter and YouTube presence |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11007825 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100910180237/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11007825 |archive-date=September 10, 2010 |access-date=September 18, 2010 |work=BBC News}} This appeared to be "nothing new" for North Korea as the reclusive country has always published propaganda in its press, usually against South Korea, calling them "warmongers." With only 36 posts, the Twitter account was able to accumulate almost 9,000 followers. To date, the South Korean Commission has banned 65 sites, including the Twitter account.

{{main|Censorship in Turkey}}

On April 20, 2014, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, FAZ, reported Twitter had blocked two regime hostile accounts in Turkey, @Bascalan and @Haramzadeler333, both known for pointing out corruption.{{Cite news|url = http://m.faz.net/aktuell/politik/tuerkei-twitter-sperrt-regierungsfeindliche-konten-12903503.html|title = Twitter sperrt regierungsfeindliche Konten|date = April 20, 2014|access-date=July 12, 2014|language = de}} In fact, on March 26, 2014, Twitter announced that it started to use its Country Withheld Content tool for the first time in Turkey.{{Cite web|url = https://blog.twitter.com/2014/challenging-the-access-ban-in-turkey|title = Challenging the access ban in Turkey|date = March 26, 2014|access-date = July 12, 2014|website = Twitter Blog|publisher = Twitter|last = Gadde|first = Vijaya|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140712032127/https://blog.twitter.com/2014/challenging-the-access-ban-in-turkey|archive-date = July 12, 2014|url-status = live}} As of June 2014, Twitter was withholding 14 accounts and "hundreds of tweets" in Turkey.{{Cite web|url = http://www.bianet.org/biamag/diger/156774-twitter-yasaklari-yolsuzluk-dedikodu-ve-biraz-porno|title = Twitter Yasakları: Yolsuzluk, Dedikodu ve Biraz Porno|date = June 28, 2014|access-date = July 12, 2014|website = Bianet|last = Sözeri|first = Efe Kerem|language = tr|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140714202100/http://www.bianet.org/biamag/diger/156774-twitter-yasaklari-yolsuzluk-dedikodu-ve-biraz-porno|archive-date = July 14, 2014|url-status = live}}

Turkey submitted the highest volume of removal requests to Twitter in 2014,{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-twitter/turkey-tops-countries-demanding-content-removal-twitter-idUSKBN0LD1P620150209|title=Turkey tops countries demanding content removal: Twitter|publisher=reuters|date=February 9, 2015|access-date=February 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924141757/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-twitter/turkey-tops-countries-demanding-content-removal-twitter-idUSKBN0LD1P620150209|archive-date=September 24, 2017|url-status=live}} 2015,{{Cite web |last=Ant |first=Onur |date=March 22, 2017 |title=Half of All Requests to Remove Twitter Posts Come From Turkey |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-22/half-of-tweet-removal-requests-come-from-turkey-twitter-says |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924140834/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-22/half-of-tweet-removal-requests-come-from-turkey-twitter-says |archive-date=September 24, 2017 |access-date=March 22, 2017 |website=Bloomberg.com}} ...Turkey accounted for more than half of all content removal requests sent to Twitter during the second half of 2016, a ranking it has topped for three years.{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/turkey-leads-in-twitter-censorship-2015-8|title=Turkey leads the world in Twitter censorship — and no other country is even close|publisher=businessinsider|date=August 13, 2015|access-date=August 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815203946/http://www.businessinsider.com/turkey-leads-in-twitter-censorship-2015-8|archive-date=August 15, 2015|url-status=live}} 2016, 2017{{Cite web |title=Removal Requests - Twitter Transparency Center |url=https://transparency.twitter.com/en/reports/removal-requests.html |website=Twitter Transparency}} and 2018, while in 2019, it was third. {{as of|2017}}, Twitter reported that the government of Turkey accounted for more than 52 percent of all content removal requests worldwide.{{cite web |year=2017 |title=Transparency Reports, Turkey |url=https://transparency.twitter.com/en/countries/tr.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621193855/https://transparency.twitter.com/en/countries/tr.html |archive-date=June 21, 2018 |access-date=July 27, 2018 |website=Twitter}}

{{Further|Censorship in Venezuela|2014 Venezuelan protests}}

Twitter images were temporarily{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}} blocked in Venezuela in February 2014,{{cite web

| url= http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/venezuela-censors-tweets-among-february-protests/#!B9IFw

| title= Venezuela censors tweets amid protests, Twitter confirms

| last= Knibbs

| first= Kate

| website= Digital Trends

| date= February 17, 2014

| access-date= March 31, 2014

| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140407062921/http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/venezuela-censors-tweets-among-february-protests/#!B9IFw

| archive-date= April 7, 2014

| url-status= live

}} along with other sites used to share images, including Pastebin.com and Zello, a walkie-talkie app.{{cite news

| url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303775504579397430033153284

| title=Twitter, Other Apps Disrupted in Venezuela Amid Protests

| last=Chao

| first=Loretta

| newspaper=The Wall Street Journal

| date=February 21, 2014

| access-date=March 31, 2014

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150629195712/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303775504579397430033153284

| archive-date=June 29, 2015

| url-status=live

}} In response to the block, Twitter offered Venezuelan users a workaround to use their accounts via text messaging on their mobile phones.{{cite news

| url= https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/02/14/twitter-image-blocking-venezuela/5497219/

| title= Twitter reports image blocking in Venezuela

| agency= Associated Press

| newspaper=USA Today

| date= February 14, 2014

| access-date= March 31, 2014

| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171122030356/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/02/14/twitter-image-blocking-venezuela/5497219/

| archive-date= November 22, 2017

| url-status= live

}}

On February 27, 2019, internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported the blocking of Twitter by state-run Internet provider CANTV for a duration of 40{{spaces}}minutes.{{Cite web|url=https://netblocks.org/reports/twitter-blocked-in-venezuela-noy9d4B3|title=Twitter blocked in Venezuela|date=February 27, 2019|website=NetBlocks|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228070156/https://netblocks.org/reports/twitter-blocked-in-venezuela-noy9d4B3|archive-date=February 28, 2019|url-status=live|access-date=February 27, 2019}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.caraotadigital.net/nacionales/bloquearon-twitter-venezuela/|title=NetBlocks: "Por primera vez durante la crisis Twitter fue bloqueado en Venezuela"|last=Carballo|first=Betzimar|date=February 27, 2019|website=Caraota Digital|language=es|access-date=February 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190307184800/http://www.caraotadigital.net/nacionales/bloquearon-twitter-venezuela/|archive-date=March 7, 2019|url-status=dead}} The disruption followed the sharing of a tweet made by opposition leader Juan Guaidó linking to a highly critical recording posted to SoundCloud, which was also restricted access during the incident. The outages were found to be consistent with a pattern of brief, targeted filtering of other social platforms established during the country's presidential crisis.{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/venezuela-maduro-social-media-internet-blackout-to-stifle-opposition-2019-1|title=Venezuela's Maduro has been blacking out social media — and sometimes the whole internet — to stifle his US-backed opposition|last=Ma|first=Alexandra|website=Business Insider|access-date=February 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228065951/https://www.businessinsider.com/venezuela-maduro-social-media-internet-blackout-to-stifle-opposition-2019-1|archive-date=February 28, 2019|url-status=live}}

{{Main|Deplatforming|Twitter suspensions|Twitter Files}}

Under Twitter's Terms of Service which requiring users agreement, Twitter retains the right to temporarily or permanently suspend user accounts based on violations.{{Cite web |last=Holt |first=Kris |date=June 12, 2012 |title=Dirty digital politics: How users manipulate Twitter to silence foes |url=https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/twitter-politics-report-spam-user-ban/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212081305/https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/twitter-politics-report-spam-user-ban/ |archive-date=December 12, 2018 |website=The Daily Dot}} One such example took place on December 18, 2017, when it banned the accounts belonging to Paul Golding, Jayda Fransen, Britain First, and the Traditionalist Worker Party.{{Cite web|title=Opinion {{!}} Why I'm done with Twitter's black hole of outrage|url=https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/twitter-keeps-riding-line-between-moderation-censorship-n1273434|access-date=November 13, 2021|website=MSNBC.com|date=July 12, 2021 |language=en}} Then-President of the United States Donald Trump faced a limited degree of censorship in 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://loomered.com/2019/12/17/twitter-suspends-account-retweeted-by-president-trump/|title=Twitter Suspends Account Retweeted By President Trump |date=December 17, 2019|website=Loomered}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/6/27/18761360/donald-trump-twitter-policy-censorship-rules|title=Twitter won't censor Trump's rule-breaking tweets, but it will make them harder to find|first=Theodore|last=Schleifer|date=June 27, 2019|website=Vox}}{{Cite web|last=Trump|first=Donald|date=January 8, 2021|title=Donald Trump's twitter page|url=https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump|access-date=January 8, 2021|website=Twitter}} Trump has used the platform extensively as a means of communication, and has escalated tensions with other nations through his tweets.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/for-trump-and-iran-trolling-on-twitter-helped-escalate-tensions-on-the-battlefield/2020/01/09/04e81552-32f6-11ea-a053-dc6d944ba776_story.html|title=For Trump and Iran, trolling on Twitter helped escalate tensions on the battlefield|first=David|last=Nakamura|date=January 9, 2020|newspaper=The Washington Post}} Following the January 6 United States Capitol attack, Twitter permanently suspended Trump's personal Twitter account on January 8, 2021, at 6:21{{spaces}}EST.{{Cite news|date=January 9, 2021|title=Twitter permanently suspends Trump's account|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55597840|access-date=January 9, 2021}}{{efn|On November 20, 2022, Elon Musk lifted Trump's ban.{{Cite news |date=2022-11-20 |title=Musk lifts Donald Trump's Twitter ban |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63692369 |access-date=2024-09-07 |work=BBC |language=en-GB}}}} Trump then posted four status updates on the presidential @POTUS Twitter account which were subsequently removed. Twitter said they would not suspend government accounts, but will "instead take action to limit their use."{{Cite web|author=Brian Fung|title=Twitter bans President Trump permanently|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/tech/trump-twitter-ban/index.html|access-date=January 9, 2021|website=CNN|date=January 8, 2021 }}

File:Semi-censorship on Twitter ("Show more replies").png

File:Semi-censorship on Twitter (hiding non-offensive content under "Show additional replies"); Cropped and light theme.png

Twitter's policies have been described as subject to manipulation by users who may coordinate to flag politically controversial tweets as allegedly violating the platform's policies, resulting in deplatforming of controversial users or users who made tweets they object to. The platform has long been criticized for its failure to provide details of underlying alleged policy violations to the subjects of Twitter suspensions and bans.{{cite news|url=https://www.thespec.com/news-story/6778843-here-s-what-it-takes-to-get-banned-from-twitter/|title=Here's what it takes to get banned from Twitter|last=Ohlheiser|first=Abby|date=July 22, 2016|newspaper=Hamilton Spectator|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107013042/https://www.thespec.com/news-story/6778843-here-s-what-it-takes-to-get-banned-from-twitter/|archive-date=November 7, 2017|url-status=live}}

In 2018, the platform introduced hiding tweets from certain accounts in conversations and search results under "Show more replies". When Twitter's software decides that a certain user is "detract[ing] from the conversation", that user's tweets will be hidden from search results and public conversations until an unspecified change occurs, with the user not being made aware that they're being semi-censored in this way or why.{{cite news |last1=Oremus |first1=Will |title=Twitter Will Start Hiding Tweets That "Detract From the Conversation" |url=https://slate.com/technology/2018/05/twitter-will-start-hiding-tweets-that-detract-from-the-conversation.html |access-date=September 19, 2023 |work=Slate |date=May 15, 2018}} Studies have called the hiding 'reply deboosting' and found that 6.2% of the 41,092 existing accounts in their dataset had been shadow banned at least once during the study period.{{cite web |last1=Jaidka |first1=Kokil |last2=Mukerjee |first2=Subhayan |last3=Lelkes |first3=Yphtach |title=An audit of Twitter's shadowban sanctions in the United States |url=https://www.easychair.org/publications/preprint_download/z4jt |access-date=September 19, 2023}}{{cite journal |last1=Leerssen |first1=Paddy |title=An end to shadow banning? Transparency rights in the Digital Services Act between content moderation and curation |journal=Computer Law & Security Review |date=April 1, 2023 |volume=48 |pages=105790 |doi=10.1016/j.clsr.2023.105790 |issn=0267-3649|doi-access=free }} As of 2023, there is no place to report unwarranted hiding of tweets, nor are there any measures to ensure hiding is not arbitrary or for questionable purposes such as commercial interests. Through these and other features, platforms like Twitter conduct an intransparent 'management of visibilities' that steers and nudges audiences in more or less subtle ways.

For several years, many social media users have expressed concerns about algorithmic suppression.{{cite news |last1=Tiffany |first1=Kaitlyn |title=Elon Musk Can't Solve Twitter's 'Shadowbanning' Problem |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/01/twitter-shadow-ban-transparency-algorithm-suppression/672736/ |access-date=September 19, 2023 |work=The Atlantic |date=January 17, 2023 |language=en}} A number of those users may have collected specific tweets that have been hidden. Nevertheless, according to a 2022 news report, "[s]ocial-media companies deny quietly suppressing content". A study crawled more than 2.5{{spaces}}million Twitter profiles and found that nearly one in 40 had their tweets hidden.{{cite news |last1=Nicholas |first1=Gabriel |title=Shadowbanning Is Big Tech's Big Problem |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/04/social-media-shadowbans-tiktok-twitter/629702/ |access-date=September 19, 2023 |work=The Atlantic |date=April 28, 2022 |language=en}}{{cite arXiv |last1=Le Merrer |first1=Erwan |last2=Morgan |first2=Benoit |last3=Trédan |first3=Gilles |title=Setting the Record Straighter on Shadow Banning |date=2020 |class=cs.SI |eprint=2012.05101 }} Tweets hidden this way do not show up in the notifications of the person replied to and most people browsing a Twitter thread may not click the button to see additional replies. A study about practices of 'silencing' users on social media suggests that that algorithms play a critical role in steering online attention on social media has implications for algorithmic accountability.{{cite journal |last1=Jaidka |first1=Kokil |last2=Mukerjee |first2=Subhayan |last3=Lelkes |first3=Yphtach |title=Silenced on social media: the gatekeeping functions of shadowbans in the American Twitterverse |journal=Journal of Communication |date=April 1, 2023 |volume=73 |issue=2 |pages=163–178 |doi=10.1093/joc/jqac050}} In 2022, it was reported that Musk didn't clarify what metrics Twitter might use to determine if a tweet may be "wrong and bad" or "destructive to the world".{{cite news |last1=Fung |first1=Brian |last2=Duffy |first2=Clare |title=Elon Musk says he would reverse Twitter's Trump ban |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/10/tech/elon-musk-twitter-trump-ban/index.html |access-date=September 19, 2023 |work=CNN |date=May 10, 2022 |language=en}} He clarified "Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom of reach", which may underline how he and the platform can continue to hide or deboost any content for any unspecified reasons.{{cite web |last1=Francesco |first1=Lomonaco |title=Raising Teenagers' Awareness of Social Media Threats: A Theoretical and Empirical Study |url=https://boa.unimib.it/handle/10281/415539 |website=boa.unimib.it}}

;Incidents

In 2018, Twitter rolled out a "quality filter" that hid content and users deemed "low quality" from search results and limited their visibility, leading to accusations of shadow banning. After conservatives claimed it censors users from the political right, Alex Thompson, a writer for VICE, confirmed that many prominent Republican politicians had been "shadow banned" by the filter.{{Cite news |last=Thompson |first=Alex |date=July 26, 2018 |title=Twitter appears to have fixed search problems that lowered visibility of GOP lawmakers |url=https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/vbj7w3/twitter-appears-to-have-fixed-search-problems-that-lowered-visibility-of-gop-lawmakers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802090605/https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/vbj7w3/twitter-appears-to-have-fixed-search-problems-that-lowered-visibility-of-gop-lawmakers |archive-date=August 2, 2018 |access-date=August 6, 2018 |work=VICE News}} Twitter later acknowledged the problem, stating that the filter had a software bug that would be fixed in the near future.

In October 2020, Twitter prevented users from tweeting about a New York Post article about the Biden–Ukraine conspiracy theory, relating to emails about Hunter Biden allegedly introducing a Ukrainian businessman to his father, Joe Biden.{{cite news|last1=Mihalcik|first1=Carrie|last2=Wong|first2=Queenie|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-twitter-limit-reach-of-new-york-post-article-about-hunter-biden/|title=Facebook, Twitter limit reach of New York Post article about Hunter Biden|date=October 14, 2020|newspaper=CNET}} Senators Marsha Blackburn and Ted Cruz described the blocking of the New York Post on Twitter as "election interference".{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/15/technology/facebook-twitter-republicans-backlash.html|title=Twitter Changes Course After Republicans Claim 'Election Interference'|last1= Isaac|first1=Mike|last2=Conger|first2=Kate|work=The New York Times|date=October 22, 2020|orig-date=October 15, 2020|access-date=January 9, 2021}} The New York Times reported in September 2021 that a Federal Election Commission inquiry into a complaint about the matter found Twitter had acted with a valid commercial reason, rather than a political purpose. The FEC inquiry also found that allegations Twitter had violated election laws by allegedly shadow banning Republicans and other means were "vague, speculative and unsupported by the available information."{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/13/us/politics/fec-twitter-hunter-biden-article.html|title=The F.E.C. dismisses claims that Twitter illegally blocked a Hunter Biden article.|first=Shane|last=Goldmacher| newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 13, 2021}}

In 2023, under Elon Musk's ownership, posts containing the keyword "Substack" were temporarily restricted, and liking, sharing and searching for such tweets were prevented.{{Cite news |date=April 11, 2023 |title=Twitter ends Substack newsletter censorship, for now |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/twitter-ends-substack-newsletter-censorship-for-now/article66723565.ece |access-date=April 25, 2023 |issn=0971-751X}} Matt Taibbi, a Twitter Files author, was also temporarily shadow banned.{{Cite web |date=April 11, 2023 |title=Twitter Files journalist Matt Taibbi 'shadow banned' by Elon Musk |url=https://nypost.com/2023/04/11/twitter-files-journalist-matt-taibbi-shadow-banned-by-elon-musk/ |access-date=April 25, 2023 |language=en-US}}

In some cases, governments and other authorities law take unilateral action to block Internet access to Twitter or its content.

{{main|Internet censorship in China}}

Twitter is officially blocked in China; however, many Chinese people circumvent the block to use it.{{cite journal |last1=Bamman |first1=D. |last2=O'Connor |first2=B. |last3=Smith |first3=N. |date=March 5, 2012 |title=Censorship and deletion practices in Chinese social media |url=http://journals.uic.edu/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3943/3169 |url-status=live |journal=First Monday |publisher=University of Illinois at Chicago |volume=17 |issue=3 |doi=10.5210/fm.v17i3.3943 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211215604/http://journals.uic.edu/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3943/3169 |archive-date=December 11, 2013 |access-date=December 3, 2013 |doi-access=free}} Even major Chinese companies and national medias, such as Huawei and CCTV, use Twitter through a government-approved VPN.{{Cite web |title=CCTV (@CCTV) {{!}} Twitter |url=https://twitter.com/CCTV |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001095124/https://twitter.com/CCTV |archive-date=October 1, 2019 |access-date=August 30, 2019 |website=twitter.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Huawei (@Huawei) {{!}} Twitter |url=https://twitter.com/Huawei |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811070818/https://twitter.com/Huawei |archive-date=August 11, 2019 |access-date=August 30, 2019 |website=twitter.com |language=en}} The official account of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs started tweeting in English in December 2019; meanwhile, Chinese diplomats, embassies and consulates maintained 55 identified accounts on Twitter as of 2019, with over half having been established within the year alone.{{cite web |last=Feng |first=Zhaoyin |date=December 29, 2019 |title=China and Twitter: The year China got louder on social media |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-50832915 |work=BBC News}}

In 2010, Cheng Jianping was sentenced to one year in a labor camp for "retweeting" a comment that suggested boycotters of Japanese products should instead attack the Japanese pavilion at Expo 2010. Her fiancé, who posted the initial comment, claims it was actually a satire of anti-Japanese sentiment in China.{{cite news |last=Shahid |first=Aliyah |date=November 18, 2010 |title=Chinese woman, Cheng Jianping, sentenced to a year in labor camp over Twitter post |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/11/18/2010-11-18_chinese_woman_cheng_jianping_sentenced_to_a_year_in_labor_camp_over_twitter_post.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121051632/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/11/18/2010-11-18_chinese_woman_cheng_jianping_sentenced_to_a_year_in_labor_camp_over_twitter_post.html |archive-date=November 21, 2010 |access-date=January 26, 2011 |newspaper=New York Daily News}}

According to a Washington Post report, in 2019, state security officials visited some users in China to request them to delete certain tweets.{{cite news |last1=Shih |first1=Gerry |date=January 4, 2019 |title=Chinese censors go old school to clamp down on Twitter: A knock on the door |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinese-censors-go-old-school-to-clamp-down-on-twitter-a-knock-on-the-door/2019/01/04/1bd462e4-f331-11e8-9240-e8028a62c722_story.html |access-date=January 6, 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} The Chinese police would produce printouts of tweets and advise users to delete either the specific messages or their entire accounts. The New York Times described the process as "unusually broad and punitive". The targets of the crackdown even included lurkers on the platform with very few followers.{{cite news |last1=Mozur |first1=Paul |date=January 10, 2019 |title=Twitter Users in China Face Detention and Threats in New Beijing Crackdown |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/10/business/china-twitter-censorship-online.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901020025/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/10/business/china-twitter-censorship-online.html |archive-date=September 1, 2019 |access-date=January 6, 2020 |work=The New York Times}} In 2019, a Chinese student at the University of Minnesota was arrested and sentenced to six months in prison when he returned to China, for posting tweets mocking Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping while in the US.{{cite news |last1=Allen-Ebrahimian |first1=Bethany |date=January 23, 2020 |title=University of Minnesota student jailed in China over tweets |url=https://www.axios.com/china-arrests-university-minnesota-twitter-e495cf47-d895-4014-9ac8-8dc76aa6004d.html |access-date=January 31, 2020 |work=Axios}}

On July 3, 2020, Twitter announced that all data and information requests for Hong Kong authorities were immediately paused after the Hong Kong national security law, which was imposed by the Chinese government, went into effect.{{cite web |last1=Manfredi |first1=Lucas |date=July 6, 2020 |title=Facebook, Twitter pause data requests from Hong Kong authorities over controversial security law |url=https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/facebook-twitter-pause-data-requests-from-hong-kong-authorities-over-controversial-security-law |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815045302/https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/facebook-twitter-pause-data-requests-from-hong-kong-authorities-over-controversial-security-law |archive-date=August 15, 2020 |access-date=August 14, 2020 |website=Fox Business}} According to the official verdicts as of 2020, at least hundreds of Chinese were sentenced to prison for using Twitter to like, post or share tweets.{{cite news |last1=Dahai |first1=Han |date=November 10, 2020 |title=Chinese Authorities Punish Citizens for Using Foreign Social Media |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/east-asia-pacific_voa-news-china_chinese-authorities-punish-citizens-using-foreign-social-media/6198214.html |access-date=November 13, 2020 |work=VOA}} According to the documents obtained by the New York Times in 2021, Shanghai police were trying to use technology means to find out the true identities of Chinese users of specific accounts on foreign social media, including Twitter.{{Cite web |date=December 20, 2021 |title=Buying Influence: How China Manipulates Facebook and Twitter |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/12/20/technology/china-facebook-twitter-influence-manipulation.html |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20211220092243/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/12/20/technology/china-facebook-twitter-influence-manipulation.html |archivedate=December 20, 2021 |access-date=December 20, 2021 |work=The New York Times}} In 2022, Peiter Zatko, Twitter's former head of security, accused Twitter of accepting funding from unnamed "Chinese entities", which gave them access to the information of users in China, and Twitter knew that could endanger these users.{{Cite web |date=August 23, 2022 |title=Twitter is vulnerable to Russian and Chinese influence, whistleblower says |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/23/tech/twitter-foreign-intel-problem/index.html |work=CNN}} Zatko also disclosed that FBI notified Twitter of at least one Chinese agent in the company.{{Cite web |date=2022-09-13 |title=FBI notified Twitter of at least one Chinese agent in company -- whistleblower |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/twitter-whistleblower-congress-grassley/fbi-notified-twitter-of-at-least-one-chinese-agent-in-company-whistleblower-idUKL1N30K19Q/ |website=Reuters}}

{{main|Internet censorship in Iran}}

During the 2009 Iranian presidential election, the Iranian government blocked Twitter due to fear of protests being organised.{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=anh.uW3gNZp4|title=Iran Blocks Facebook, Twitter Sites Before Elections (Update1)|date=May 23, 2009|work=Bloomberg|access-date=March 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924183021/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=anh.uW3gNZp4|archive-date=September 24, 2015|url-status=live}} In September 2013, the blocking of both Twitter and Facebook was briefly lifted without notice due to a technical error, but within a day the websites were blocked again.{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2013/09/16/twitter-facebook-iran/|title=Iran Unblocks Facebook and Twitter|last=Taylor|first=Chris|date=September 17, 2013|website=Mashable|access-date=September 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829214714/http://mashable.com/2013/09/16/twitter-facebook-iran/|archive-date=August 29, 2017|url-status=live}}

{{main|Internet in Myanmar#Censorship}}

On February 5, 2021, the military State Administration Council, which assumed power following a coup d'état, ordered mobile and Internet providers to block Twitter and Instagram in the country, after a similar censorship measure was imposed on Facebook.{{Cite web |last=Iyengar |first=Rishi |date=February 5, 2021 |title=Myanmar blocks Twitter and Instagram |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/05/tech/myanmar-blocks-twitter-instagram/index.html |access-date=July 29, 2023 |website=CNN |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Lyons |first=Kim |date=February 6, 2021 |title=Myanmar orders internet providers to block Twitter and Instagram in the country |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/6/22269831/myanmar-orders-block-twitter-facebook-instagram-military-coup |access-date=July 29, 2023 |website=The Verge |language=en-US}} A spokesperson for Twitter subsequently said that the company would "continue to advocate to end destructive government-led shutdowns".

{{main|Internet in North Korea}}

In April 2016, North Korea started to block Twitter "in a move underscoring its concern with the spread of online information".{{Cite web |last=Talmadge |first=Eric |date=April 4, 2016 |title=North Korea blocks Facebook, Twitter and YouTube |url=http://globalnews.ca/news/2616449/north-korea-blacks-facebook-twitter-and-youtube/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406095746/http://globalnews.ca/news/2616449/north-korea-blacks-facebook-twitter-and-youtube/ |archive-date=April 6, 2016 |access-date=April 4, 2016 |publisher=Global News |agency=Associated Press}} Anyone who tries to access it without special permission from the North Korean government, including foreign visitors and residents, is subject to punishment.

On February 26, 2022, during the invasion of Ukraine, Russia began restricting access to Twitter, with global internet monitor NetBlocks observing that the censorship measure was in effect "across multiple providers."{{Cite web |date=February 26, 2022 |title=Twitter and Facebook restricted in Russia amid conflict with Ukraine |url=https://netblocks.org/reports/twitter-and-facebook-restricted-in-russia-amid-conflict-with-ukraine-JBZrogB6 |access-date= |website=NetBlocks |language=en-US}}{{cite web |title=Russia restricts Twitter, Facebook during Ukraine attack |url=https://news.yahoo.com/russia-restricts-twitter-facebook-during-200817875.html |website=Axios}} Despite direct connections being restricted, Russians could still access Twitter via VPN services.{{Cite web |last=Brandom |first=Russell |date=February 26, 2022 |title=Russia blocks Twitter as Ukraine invasion escalates |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/26/22952006/russia-block-twitter-ukraine-invasion-censorship-putin |access-date= |website=The Verge |language=en}} The decision was subsequently announced by Roskomnadzor as a measure to curtail information on Twitter and Facebook that did not align with the government of Russia's positions.{{cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/sarahemerson/russia-blocks-facebook-twitter|title=Facebook And Twitter Have Been Blocked In Russia|date=March 4, 2022|accessdate=March 4, 2022|website=BuzzFeed}}

{{As of|2018}}, foreign news and opposition websites are blocked in Turkmenistan, and international social networks such as Twitter are "often inaccessible".{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-16094646|title=Turkmenistan country profile|author=BBC Monitoring|year=2018|website=BBC News|access-date=February 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225074838/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-16094646|archive-date=February 25, 2018|url-status=live}}{{Cite magazine |last=Barry |first=Eloise |date=January 18, 2022 |title=These Are the Countries Where Twitter and Facebook Are Banned |url=https://time.com/6139988/countries-where-twitter-facebook-tiktok-banned/ |access-date=June 9, 2024 |magazine=TIME |language=en}}

On August 8, 2024, President Nicolás Maduro announced a ban on access to Twitter for ten days amid anti-government protests, citing incitations of hatred, fascism and civil war.{{cite web |author=BBC Monitoring |year=2024 |title=Venezuelan president bans X for 10 days over Musk row |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ypx0p84rgo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809083615/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ypx0p84rgo |archive-date=August 9, 2024 |access-date=August 9, 2024 |website=BBC News}} The ban was subsequently extended for an indefinite period.{{Cite web|url=https://larepublica.pe/mundo/venezuela/2024/08/20/nicolas-maduro-extiende-el-bloqueo-de-la-red-social-x-en-venezuela-de-forma-indefinida-elon-musk-lrtmv-686820|last=Maza|first=Jesús|title=Nicolás Maduro extiende el bloqueo de la red social X en Venezuela de forma indefinida|website=La República|language=es|date=23 August 2024|access-date=30 August 2024}}

{{main article|Blocking of Twitter in Brazil}}

On August 30, 2024, the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court judge Alexandre de Moraes issued an order requiring Brazilian ISPs to block Twitter due to Elon Musk's refusal to appoint a legal representative of Twitter in Brazil, which was required by Brazilian law.{{Cite news |last=Rogero |first=Tiago |date=2024-08-30 |title=Brazilian court orders suspension of Elon Musk's X after it missed deadline |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/aug/30/elon-musk-x-could-face-ban-in-brazil-after-failure-to-appoint-legal-representative |access-date=2024-08-30 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} The ban itself came from previous conflicts between Musk and Moraes after Twitter under Musk revoked the suspension of accounts that were previously requested by the government to be blocked for misinformation regarding the 2023 Brazilian Congress attack. Moraes imposed a fine of {{BRLConvert|50|k|r=-3}} per day for anyone in Brazil who accessed Twitter using a virtual private network (VPN), and initially requested the removal of VPN apps from Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store.{{cite web |last=Roth |first=Emma |title=Judge orders X ban in Brazil |website=The Verge |date=2024-08-30 |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/30/24231286/x-brazil-ban-elon-musk-legal-representative |access-date=2024-08-31}} The President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, supported the ban of Twitter in the country.{{Cite news |last1=Nicas |first1=Jack |last2=Conger |first2=Kate |date=2024-08-30 |title=Brazil Blocks X After Musk Ignores Court Orders |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/30/world/americas/brazil-elon-musk-x-blocked.html |url-access=registration |access-date=2024-08-31 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} On September 18, 2024, Twitter began serving its content through Cloudflare for requests originating from Brazil in an attempt to circumvent the ban.{{cite news |date=18 September 2024 |title=Musk Finds a Way Around Brazil's X Ban |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/18/world/americas/brazil-musk-x-ban.html |access-date=18 September 2024 |work=The New York Times}}{{cite news |date=18 September 2024 |title=Como mudança no X fez rede de Musk voltar a funcionar no Brasil |trans-title=How a change in X made Musk's network work again in Brazil |url=https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/articles/c5y3xy47jxzo |access-date=18 September 2024 |work=BBC Brasil |language=Portuguese}} On October 8, 2024, Brazil's Supreme Federal Court lifted the ban on Twitter, allowing the platform to operate again across the country.{{cite web |date=8 October 2024 |title=Brazil's Supreme Court lifts ban on social media site X |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brazil-supreme-court-lifts-ban-social-media-site-x-elon-musk/ |access-date=8 October 2024 |publisher=CBS News}}

{{See also |Internet in Egypt#2011 Internet shutdown}}

Twitter was inaccessible in Egypt on January 25, 2011, during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. Some news reports blamed the government of Egypt for blocking it.{{cite news|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Backchannels/2011/0125/Inspired-by-Tunisia-Egypt-s-protests-appear-unprecedented|title=Inspired by Tunisia, Egypt's protests appear unprecedented|last=Murphy|first=Dan|date=January 25, 2011|newspaper=The Christian Science Monitor|access-date=January 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222063503/http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Backchannels/2011/0125/Inspired-by-Tunisia-Egypt-s-protests-appear-unprecedented|archive-date=February 22, 2011|url-status=live}} Vodafone Egypt, Egypt's largest mobile network operator, denied responsibility for the action in a tweet.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/VodafoneEgypt/statuses/29927017323433984|title=We didn't block twitter...|author=@VodafoneEgypt|author-link=Vodafone Egypt|date=January 25, 2011|publisher=Twitter|access-date=January 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305032749/https://twitter.com/VodafoneEgypt/statuses/29927017323433984|archive-date=March 5, 2016|url-status=live}} Twitter's news releases did not state who the company believed instituted the block.{{cite journal|last=Sherman|first=Alex|date=January 26, 2011|title=Twitter Says Access to Service in Egypt Is Blocked|url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-01-26/twitter-says-access-to-service-in-egypt-is-blocked.html|journal=Business Week|access-date=January 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110129225609/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-01-26/twitter-says-access-to-service-in-egypt-is-blocked.html|archive-date=January 29, 2011|url-status=dead}} As of January 26, Twitter was still confirming that the service was blocked in Egypt.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/twitterglobalpr/status/30377205695647744|title=Twitter Comms: Egypt continues to block Twitter...|date=January 26, 2011|publisher=Twitter}} On January 27, various reports claimed that access to the entire Internet from within Egypt had been shut down.{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/27/egypt-internet-goes-down-_n_815156.html|title=Egypt's Internet Shut Down, According To Reports|last=Kanalley|first=Craig|date=January 27, 2011|work=Huffington Post|access-date=July 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110129005406/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/27/egypt-internet-goes-down-_n_815156.html|archive-date=January 29, 2011|url-status=live}}

Shortly after the Internet shutdown, engineers at Google, Twitter, and SayNow, a voice-messaging startup company acquired by Google in January, announced the Speak To Tweet service. Google stated in its official blog that the goal of the service was to assist Egyptian protesters in staying connected during the Internet shutdown.{{cite web|url=http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/some-weekend-work-that-will-hopefully.html|title=Some weekend work that will (hopefully allow more Egyptians to be heard.|last=Singh|first=Ujjwal|access-date=May 12, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503002907/http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/some-weekend-work-that-will-hopefully.html|archive-date=May 3, 2011|url-status=live}} Users could phone in a tweet by leaving a voicemail and use the Twitter hashtag #Egypt. These comments could be accessed without an Internet connection by dialing the same designated phone numbers. Those with Internet access could listen to the comments by visiting twitter.com/speak2tweet.

On February 2, 2011, connectivity was re-established by the four main Egyptian service providers.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12346929|title=Egypt internet comes back online|date=February 2, 2011|website=BBC News|access-date=June 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401155011/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12346929|archive-date=April 1, 2012|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://asert.arbornetworks.com/2011/02/egypt-returns-to-the-internet/|title=Egypt Returns to the Internet|last=Labovitz|first=Craig|date=February 2, 2011|website=Arbor Networks|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025112723/http://asert.arbornetworks.com/2011/02/egypt-returns-to-the-internet/|archive-date=October 25, 2011|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.renesys.com/blog/2011/02/egypt-returns-to-the-internet.shtml|title=Egypt Returns To The Internet|last=Cowie|first=James|date=February 2, 2011|website=Renesys|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205190100/http://www.renesys.com/blog/2011/02/egypt-returns-to-the-internet.shtml|archive-date=February 5, 2011|url-status=dead|access-date=July 10, 2012}} A week later, the heavy filtering that occurred at the height of the revolution had ended.

{{Main|Blocking of Twitter in Nigeria}}

Access to Twitter was blocked in Nigeria from June 5, 2021, to January 13, 2022. The blocking occurred after Twitter deleted tweets made by, and temporarily suspended, the Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari, warning the southeastern people of Nigeria,{{Cite web|date=June 2, 2021|title=Twitter removes Nigerian president's 'abusive' civil war post|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/twitter-removes-nigerian-presidents-abusive-civil-war-post-2021-06-02/|access-date=June 6, 2021|website=Reuters}}{{Cite news|date=June 2, 2021|title=Nigeria Condemns Twitter for Deleting President Buhari's Tweet|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-02/nigerian-president-threatens-crackdown-after-spate-of-attacks|access-date=June 6, 2021}} predominantly Igbo people, of a potential repeat of the 1967 Nigerian Civil War due to the ongoing insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria.{{Cite web|date=June 2, 2021|title=Twitter deletes Nigerian leader's 'civil war' post|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-57336571|access-date=June 6, 2021|website=BBC News|language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |last1=Princewill |first1=Nimi |last2=Busari |first2=Stephanie |date=June 4, 2021 |title=Nigeria bans Twitter after company deletes President Buhari's tweet |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/04/africa/nigeria-suspends-twitter-operations-intl/index.html |access-date=June 5, 2021 |website=CNN |language=en}}{{Cite news|last=Maclean|first=Ruth|date=June 5, 2021|title=Nigeria Bans Twitter After President's Tweet Is Deleted|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/05/world/africa/nigeria-twitter-president.html|access-date=June 5, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news |title=Nigeria suspends Twitter after the social media platform freezes president's account |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/06/04/nigeria-suspends-twitter-buhari/ |access-date=June 5, 2021 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}{{Cite web|title=Nigerians on Twitter react to Nigeria's Twitter suspension|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/4/nigerian-twitter-users-blast-govt-ban-of-social-media-giant|access-date=June 5, 2021|website=www.aljazeera.com|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Twitter blocked in Nigeria after deleting a tweet by its president|url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/5/22520166/twitter-suspended-nigeria-delete-tweet-president-violate-rules|access-date=June 6, 2021|website=www.theverge.com| date=June 5, 2021 |language=en}} The Nigerian government claimed that the deletion of the president's tweets factored into their decision, but it was ultimately based on "a litany of problems with the social media platform in Nigeria, where misinformation and fake news spread through it have had real world violent consequences",{{Cite web|date=June 6, 2021|title=Nigeria's Twitter ban: Government orders prosecution of violators |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-57368535 |access-date=June 7, 2021 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}} citing the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria's corporate existence.{{Cite web|date=June 4, 2021|title=BREAKING: FG suspends Twitter's operations in Nigeria|url=https://theinformant247.com/breaking-fg-suspends-twitters-operations-in-nigeria/|access-date=September 28, 2021|website=The Informant247 News|language=en-US}}

{{main|Internet censorship and surveillance in Africa#Tanzania}}

On October 29, 2020, ISPs in Tanzania blocked access to Twitter and other social media platforms during the general election.{{Cite web |date=October 27, 2020 |title=Internet disrupted in Tanzania on eve of general elections |url=https://netblocks.org/reports/internet-disrupted-in-tanzania-on-eve-of-presidential-elections-oy9abny3 |access-date= |website=NetBlocks |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=October 27, 2020 |title=Internet throttling, SMS blocking in days leading up to election in Tanzania |url=https://globalvoices.org/2020/10/27/internet-throttling-sms-blocking-in-days-leading-up-to-election-in-tanzania/ |access-date= |website=Global Voices |language=en}}{{Cite news |date=October 29, 2020 |title=Tanzania Restricts Social Media |url=https://www.dw.com/en/tanzania-restricts-social-media-during-election/a-55433057 |access-date=September 20, 2020}}

{{main|Censorship in Turkey}}

On March 21, 2014, access to Twitter in Turkey was temporarily blocked, after a court ordered that "protection measures" be applied to the service. This followed earlier remarks by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who vowed to "wipe out Twitter" following damaging allegations of corruption in his inner circle.{{Cite web |date=2014-03-21 |title=Twitter website 'blocked' in Turkey |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26677134 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316182729/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26677134 |archive-date=2018-03-16 |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}} However, on March 27, 2014, Istanbul Anatolia 18th Criminal Court of Peace suspended the above-mentioned court order. Turkey's constitutional court later ruled that the ban was illegal.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26849941|title=Turkey Twitter ban: Constitutional court rules illegal|date=April 2, 2014|access-date=April 2, 2014|publisher=BBC News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140404164811/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26849941|archive-date=April 4, 2014|url-status=live}} Two weeks after the Turkish government blocked the site, the Twitter ban was lifted.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-2687622|title=#BBCtrending: Turkey's Twitter block 'lifted'|date=April 3, 2014|access-date=April 3, 2014|work=BBC News}}{{Dead link|date=June 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Some of the country's Internet providers restricted access to Twitter during the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes and its aftermath. No official statement has been made regarding the restriction.{{cite web |last1=Belanger |first1=Ashley |date=February 8, 2023 |title=Twitter restrictions in Turkey unprecedented during a natural disaster, org says |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/02/turkey-govt-blocking-twitter-access-hampering-earthquake-rescue-org-suggests/ |access-date=February 8, 2023 |website=ArsTechnica}}

On July 2, 2021, Uzbekistan blocked access to Twitter along with TikTok, VKontakte, and Skype after stating that they had violated a new personal data law. This also came amid new laws passed that criminalized insulting or slandering the president online, amid an upcoming presidential election later that year.{{Cite web |date=March 7, 2021 |title=Uzbekistan Restricts Access To Several Social Media Sites |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-restricts-social-media/31339492.html |access-date= |website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty |language=en-US}} The sites were briefly unblocked on March 16, 2022, before being blocked again hours later.{{Cite web |date=March 17, 2022 |title=Uzbekistan unblocks, re-blocks popular social media amid TikTok talks |url=https://eurasianet.org/uzbekistan-unblocks-re-blocks-popular-social-media-amid-tiktok-talks |access-date= |website=eurasianet |language=en-US}} The bans on access to Twitter and VKontakte were again lifted on August 1, 2022.{{Cite news |date=August 2, 2022 |title=Twitter unblocked in Uzbekistan |work=eurasianet |url=https://eurasianet.org/twitter-unblocked-in-uzbekistan |url-status=live |access-date=October 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809071145/https://eurasianet.org/twitter-unblocked-in-uzbekistan |archive-date=August 9, 2022}}

{{main|Internet censorship in Pakistan}}

In February 2024, Twitter was blocked by Pakistani state authorities ahead of the 2024 general election. The ban was upheld in April, citing national security concerns. Despite the government's stance, both the government and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) refused to comment on the outages, which were widely reported by internet watchdog groups.{{Cite web |date=April 17, 2024 |title=Pakistan says it blocked social media platform X over 'national security' |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/17/pakistan-says-it-blocked-social-media-platform-x-over-national-security |access-date=June 9, 2024 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Aziz |first=Farieha |date=April 25, 2024 |title=The ministry of (dis)information and the ban on X |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1828972 |access-date=June 9, 2024 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}

Activists challenging the ban argue that it was designed to suppress dissent following the general election, which was marred by widespread claims of vote rigging and subsequent protests. Authorities had also shut down mobile services on the day of the election, again citing security concerns. NetBlocks, an internet monitoring group, reported that users were unable to access Twitter on February 10 while the country was awaiting election results.{{Cite web |date=2024-04-17 |title=Pakistan says it blocked social media platform X over 'national security' |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/17/pakistan-says-it-blocked-social-media-platform-x-over-national-security |access-date=May 15, 2024 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}

In April, the Sindh High Court ordered the government to restore access to the platform within one week, according to a report by the AFP news agency, citing lawyer Moiz Jaaferi, who had launched a separate challenge against the ban.{{Cite web |title=Sindh High Court orders unblocking of social media platform X in Pakistan |url=https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/news/international/sindh-high-court-orders-unblocking-of-social-media-platform-x-in-pakistan/384116 |access-date=May 15, 2024 |website=www.canadianlawyermag.com |language=en}} Despite this order, access to Twitter has been sporadic, with availability fluctuating based on the internet service provider, forcing users to rely on virtual private networks (VPNs), as noted by Alp Toker of NetBlocks.{{Cite web |date=April 18, 2024 |title=X working with Pakistan govt to 'understand concerns' over ban |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240418-x-working-with-pakistan-govt-to-understand-concerns-over-ban |access-date=May 15, 2024 |website=France 24 |language=en}}

Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, a prolific user of social media platforms, had been particularly impacted by this ban. This reliance on social media grew especially after the country's traditional media began censoring news about Khan and his party in the run-up to the election. Khan, who has more than 20{{spaces}}million followers on Twitter, saw his party call for protests against alleged rigging in the 2024 election. A government official's admission of vote manipulation in mid-February raised further concerns about the transparency of the election, confirming Khan's claims to many and furthering the allegations.{{Cite web |title=Pakistan official admits involvement in rigging election results |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/17/pakistan-official-admits-involvement-in-rigging-election-results |access-date=May 15, 2024 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Key Ally of Pakistan's Prime Minister Demands End to Ban on X, Formerly Twitter |url=https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/key-ally-of-pakistans-prime-minister-demands-end-to-ban-on-x-formerly-twitter/ |access-date=May 15, 2024 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US}}

NetBlocks confirmed through its Live metrics showing Twitter had been restricted in Pakistan since February, with service remaining fully or intermittently restricted for most users. They added that the incident came amidst a surge in internet censorship during the general election.{{multiref|{{Cite tweet |number=1765034456509710734 |user=netblocks |title=NetBlocks' official Tweet (1)}}|{{Cite tweet|user=netblocks|number=1761436365387104516|title=NetBlocks' official Tweet (2)}}}} Asad Baig, a media strategist at Dawn News, said that "The government's actions reek of authoritarianism, stifling dissent, and silencing voices in the name of maintaining control."{{Cite web |last=Baig |first=Asad |date=April 27, 2024 |title=Censorship and disinformation |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1829946 |access-date=May 15, 2024 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}} Several condemnations of the Pakistani Twitter ban were also exchanged by many non-governmental organizations.

Since May 7, 2025, X, formerly known as Twitter, is partially restored in Pakistan.

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