Turkish authorities were moving to block access to YouTube on Thursday following similar action against Twitter, the country's state-run news agency said, according to Reuters.
While the Anadolu Agency said the national telecommunications authorities had instituted the block, the website was still widely accessible following the announcement, Reuters reported. The block against YouTube is likely to provoke further outrage in Turkey, where social media is widely used.
The ban comes after an alleged audio recording of a meeting between the Turkey's foreign minister, intelligence chief and top military and Foreign Ministry officials was leaked on YouTube, according to Reuters.
The four are allegedly heard discussing a military intervention in Syria, a sensitive political issue in Turkey, Reuters reported.
Key allies, including the U.S. and the European Union, had criticized the earlier move against Twitter as a restriction of free speech and a step backward for Turkish democracy, according to Reuters.
The attempted crackdown on Twitter came after links to other wiretapped recordings suggesting corruption were spread on the microblogging site, causing Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's government major embarrassment before Sunday's local elections, Reuters reported.
Turkey holds crucial local elections Sunday, widely regarded as a referendum on Erdogan's rule, Reuters reported.
A telecommunications authority webpage gave the following information for YouTube.com: "After technical analysis and legal consideration based on the law, an administrative measure has been taken for this website," according to Reuters.
A government official said access to the website was closed down out of "national security concerns and because of the urgency of the situation," Reuters reported. The official said the move aimed to prevent the "posting of other recordings that may threaten national security."
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called the leak an act of espionage and an "open declaration of war against the Turkish republic," according to Reuters.
His office released a statement saying eavesdropping on a top-secret meeting was an attack on Turkey's security and a grave crime, Reuters reported.
In an emailed statement from Google Inc., which owns YouTube, spokeswoman Abbi Tatton said the company had seen reports that some users in Turkey weren't able to access YouTube, according to Reuters.
