{"id":3032,"date":"2016-08-26T06:18:43","date_gmt":"2016-08-26T13:18:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/?p=3032"},"modified":"2021-07-15T04:21:00","modified_gmt":"2021-07-15T11:21:00","slug":"turkey-blocks-facebook-youtube-twitter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/turkey-blocks-facebook-youtube-twitter\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey blocks Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter… again"},"content":{"rendered":"

Starting Thursday, 11:07PM local time in Turkey, internet users started reporting that Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter had been blocked. Internet users in Turkey were forced to use a VPN to access their social media accounts. The government has started to tighten access\u00a0to\u00a0VPNs as well. Unfortunately, PayPal was denied a financial license renewal by the Turkish government and has withdrawn from Turkey. Bitcoin<\/a> is now the best way for Turkish netizens to buy goods and services securely. The incident, the second attempt by Turkey to block access to Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter this month, reminds us that Turkey\u2019s handful of Internet service providers (ISPs) work with the government to shut down access to parts of the Internet whenever it is deemed necessary. The ISPs then throttle traffic to and from target websites until they are unusable.<\/p>\n

Like many other oppressive regimes, the Turkish government has direct control or influence over the actions of the country\u2019s internet service providers and telecommunication companies. Turkey is regressing. For example, In Jammu and Kashmir<\/a> in India, the internet killswitch is used on more websites than just Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter. An internet watchdog group in Turkey, Turkey Blocks<\/a>, believes that a new law in Turkey is being used which allows the military to bypass the Ministry of Communications to use the country\u2019s Internet killswitch in times of national security emergencies. This internet killswitch is now being used with more frequency and with less provocation. Turkey\u2019s government has not, and likely will not, make any official explanation for the block; the block subsided 7 hours after it started.<\/p>\n

Twitter users from Turkey use a VPN to bypass internet censorship<\/h2>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/06JAnk\/status\/768941002010877956<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/AylinaKilic\/status\/768920561594560512<\/p>\n

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Twitter and Facebook are both blocked in Turkey. Always a good sign.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Ali Arikan (@aliarikan) August 25, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n