Wikipedia is arguably the world’s biggest source of data. Even though the data isn’t always a 100% correct since it is open to anonymous and collaborative editing, but it is still the go to data source of any Internet server. The internet encyclopedia has however faced bans across the world, often due to the unedited content that gets published on the platform. A similar ban was enforced in Turkey two years ago after it was found that a page on the informational website linked the country with a terrorist group. The company was asked to remove the data but it rejected, leading to a ban.
However, a decision overturn has happened. The highest court in the country, Turkey’s Constitutional Court reversed this decision today, calling it a violation of freedom of expression. It’s not clear when, but the Turkish citizens will be able to access the site very soon.
The site was banned in 2017 using a law that allows the state to ban any website that is deemed a national security threat. The parent company of Wikipedia, Wikimedia, asked for the decision to be reversed swiftly, but over time the wave died down.
Finally, today, the ban has been lifted after a series of up and downs. Wikipedia has set an example of standing tall in the face of discrimination. It did not let unjust censorship to take action and refused to bow down to the whims of bureaucracy and did not remove content just because the government had objections with it. It sure took some time, but Wikipedia, and the citizens of Turkey can record this as a win in their books.
