By Europe correspondent Mary Gearin, wires
Photo: Mr Erdogan has come under mounting pressure since audio recordings that spread across Twitter appeared to put him at the heart of a major corruption scandal. (AFP: Adem Altan)
A Twitter ban in Turkey just days before national elections has triggered a public outcry and international condemnation.
Turkish courts blocked the social media platform a day after Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan vowed to wipe it out.
Ahead of bitterly contested national polls, Mr Erdogan has been battling claims of corruption, with alleged audio evidence of government wrongdoing being published on Twitter.
Mr Erdogan's spokesman says the site has been blocked because it refused a court order to remove some links.
Turkish industry minister Fikri Isik said talks with Twitter were taking place and the ban would be lifted if the social media platform appointed a representative in Turkey and agreed to block specific content when requested by Turkish courts.
A company spokesman declined to say whether it would appoint someone in Turkey, but said it was moving forward in talks with the government.
"We stand with our users in Turkey who rely on Twitter as a vital communications platform. We hope to have full access returned soon," the company said in a tweet.
But opposition parties have launched legal action saying the ban violates personal freedoms.
Turkish president condemns shutdown
The shutdown has been condemned by Turkish president Abdullah Gul, as well as Britain, the United States and the European Union.
Some Turks quickly found ways to circumvent the ban, with the hashtag #TwitterisblockedinTurkey among the top hashtags trending globally.
"One cannot approve of the complete closure of social media platforms," Mr Gul tweeted, voicing his hope that the ban would be short-lived and setting himself publicly at odds with the prime minister.
Turkey's main opposition party said it would challenge the ban and file a criminal complaint against Mr Erdogan on the grounds of violating personal freedoms.
The White House said it was "deeply concerned" about the ban, calling it contrary to democratic governance.
"The United States is deeply concerned that the Turkish government has blocked its citizens access to basic communication tools," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
"We oppose this restriction on the Turkish people's access to information, which undermines their ability to exercise freedoms of expression and association and runs contrary to the principles of open [governance] ... that are critical to democratic governance and the universal rights that the US stands for around the world."
Mr Erdogan's ruling AK Party has already tightened internet controls, handed government more influence over the courts and reassigned thousands of police and hundreds of prosecutors and judges as it fights the corruption scandal, which the prime minister has cast as a plot by political enemies to oust him.
ABC/Reuters
