People stopped following the President on Twitter after he signed a controversial bill increasing government controls over the internet into law.

Gul, who has more than four million followers, announced in a tweet late Tuesday that he had ratified the legislation following government assurances that two disputed articles would be amended.

The move sparked a campaign for people to stop following Gul on Twitter and Hurriyet newspaper said that the Turkish leader lost about 78,000 followers overnight.

The legislation allows Turkish authorities to block websites for privacy violations without a court decision.

It also forces Internet providers to make users activities available to authorities.

The EU had called the legislation "a step back" for media freedom.