Twitter Blocked in Turkey

Twitter Blocked in Turkey

Twitter has been blocked in Turkey since March 20th, though many found ways around the ban even thereafter. Turkey initially placed the ban as protests rose and a corruption scandal began to embroil the government ahead of an election.  Blocking Twitter has only brought it more negative attention though: the block was the subject of further acts of protest and was condemned by the United States and United Nations Human Rights office, among others.  Given Turkey's 30 day period to unblock Twitter, it's possible that service won't be restored.  I have researched on-line and found 3 ways for citizens in this country to work-around the block.  Below are the 3 ways users can get around the ban:

1. SMS

In what is likely the simplest way to get around the restrictions, users can send tweets via SMS; though this solution is limited to sending outgoing tweets.  Twitter provided both English and Turkish instructions for doing this.

2. Change Your DNS

Many users are reporting they are able to bypass the block by changing their DNS settings.  Non tech-savvy users will need to exercise caution when changing these numbers, but solutions like OpenDNS or Google DNS are reliable.  Wikileaks posted step-by-step instructions in Turkish. 

3. Use a VPN or Tor

Another solution is to use a VPN connection.  Setting up a VPN usually requires paying at least some cash up-front, though there are free versions. But as one user pointed out, people should be cautious when using free VPNs.  They can be unreliable, or in some cases, malicious software.  Users can also get around the restrictions by using Tor, which makes you anonymous in the Internet connection.

Thank you for reading,

Ben