Wikipedia has been blocked for everyone in Turkey

Access to Wikipedia has been blocked in Turkey, according to internet watchdogs.

Turkey Blocks, which calls itself an independent ‘digital transparency project’, said users in Turkey have been unable to access the free encyclopaedia since Saturday morning.

‘The loss of availability is consistent with internet filters used to censor content in the country,’ the monitor said.The ban appears to apply not just to Turkish-language pages – all language versions of the site have been inaccessible.

The site has been blocked under a provisional administrative order without a court order.

However, Turkey Blocks said an order is expected in the coming days.

The only way of getting around the ban is to use a Virtual Private Network, or VPN. When users attempt to access the site, connections time out and browsers are told ‘this site can’t be reached’.

It is not yet clear why Wikipedia has been blocked.