UPDATE on Dec. 21: Surfshark told VPNOverview it has released an update that would allow its users in Turkey to bypass the latest restrictions.
In an email to VPNOverview, ExpressVPN also said the recent crackdown hasn’t affected its service. “We haven’t seen any abnormal trends in the quantity and quality of connections in Turkey. We are, of course, keeping a close eye on the situation to ensure that our users can continue to access the free and open internet.”
Sixteen VPN services, including well-known providers like Surfshark, CyberGhost, and Proton, are now blocked in Turkey.
A directive sent by the country’s telecom authority ordered the immediate closure of these VPNs (virtual private networks), and the continuous monitoring of “alternative access methods.” It also mandated tracking and reporting changes in traffic volume and quantity of these “methods,” independent news portal T24 said on Friday.
A 2014 amendment to Turkey’s laws requires internet service providers (ISPs) to comply with the BTK’s (Turkey’s Information and Communications Technologies Authority) directives, like cutting access to banned websites.
Meanwhile, VPN users in Turkey say they’ve been experiencing connectivity issues since early December.
Turkey’s VPN Ban; Affected Services
According to T24, Turkey is banning the following VPNs:
- Proton VPN
- Surfshark VPN
- Super VPN
- VPN Unlimited
- IPVanish VPN
- VPN365
- CyberGhost VPN
- HideMe VPN
- PureVPN
- ZenVPN
- Psiphon
- TunnelBear VPN
- Snap VPN
- Hotspot Shield
- SecureVPN
- SurfEasy VPN
This mass VPN ban is part of the Turkish government’s broader strategy to prevent access to censored news sites, particularly foreign-based outlets like DW Türkçe and Voice of America’s Turkish edition (VOA Türkçe), DW Türkçe said.
At the end of 2022, the list of banned sites in Turkey totaled around 712,558. This number could increase to 900,000 by the end of 2023, Prof. Yaman Akdeniz, founder of the İÖD (Freedom of Expression Association), told DW Türkçe.
“Banning access to VPN providers in Turkey increases the disproportion of power between the government and citizens,” Laura Tyrylytė, the Head of Public Relations at NordVPN, told VPNOverview. “We stand for freedom of speech and firmly believe that citizens should be able to access reliable and uncensored information.”
Connectivity Issues Started Early This Month
Users in Turkey started reporting connectivity issues with VPN services in early December.
“We started the day with access blocks, and now VPNs are targeted,” one user wrote on X on December, 3. “Some of the popular ones [VPNs] are down; those who paid should get refunds. They’ve used a mix of http-failure, connection reset, and DNS manipulation.”
“Most popular VPN services have fallen today. It will be on the news soon,” another user wrote on the same day.
Besides VPNs, some users on Reddit said they had difficulties accessing their Proton Email accounts over the weekend.
How to Bypass Censorship in Turkey
According to FreedomHouse, “Internet freedom in Türkiye has steadily declined over the past decade.” The advocacy organization rates Turkey 30/100 for internet freedom, tagging it as “not free.”
While VPN services have technically not been banned in Turkey until now, users frequently encounter issues due to server blocking or deep packet inspection. Turkey’s new restrictions pose a significant hurdle for VPN users, but some VPN services, like NordVPN, are more effective at bypassing censorship in the country.
Check out our guide to getting past censorship in Turkey for more information about how to get past internet restrictions.
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