As tensions grow in Iraq, the country's Ministry of Communications decided to block access to popular social media websites on Friday.

A Lebanon-based organization that monitors Internet freedom and cybersecurity, Cyber Arabs, confirmed to Mashable that access to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are all blocked in Iraq.

"We are disturbed by reports of access issues in Iraq and are investigating," a Facebook spokesperson told Mashable. "Limiting access to Internet services -- essential for communication and commerce for millions of people -- is a matter of concern for the global community." 

Twitter and YouTube spokespersons also have confirmed that Iraq residents are not able to access their sites. 

When someone inside Iraq tries to visit one of the pages, they get a warning message that says access has been blocked.

Some, including the Kuwait News Agency, said the reason for the blocking of the website is to prevent militants from using social media to spread propaganda. In addition to these sites, some pornographic sites have been blocked as well.

The social media blocks are not directly related to planned outages to perform upgrades to networks.

In the last few days, unusual drops in connections and service in Iraq have been reported, but it's likely that the social media block is separate from these connection issues. 

This isn't the first time that social media sites have been blocked. In 2009, Twitter was banned in Iran; in 2010, it was banned in South Korea; and in 2011, in China and Egypt. Facebook has been censored in Egypt, Morocco, Syria and Iran.

U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday that the U.S. won't be sending any more troops over to Iraq, but they would "look at all options" to help Iraq with the insurgency.

What do you think of the censorship of the Internet? Should countries or states be allowed to block websites? Leave a comment in the comments section below and let us know how you feel.