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Turkcell Superonline: Difference between revisions

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In 2011, a hacktivist group called Telecomix claimed that Syria was using Blue Coat Systems products to censor the internet and these allegations were investigated by the US government. Citizen Lab's research has also provided evidence of Blue Coat devices being used for censorship and surveillance in countries like Turkey and Syria.<ref>[https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/10/blue-coat-acknowledges-syrian-government-use-its-products Blue Coat: Concern for Criminal Penalties, Not Human Rights]</ref>
In 2011, a hacktivist group called Telecomix claimed that Syria was using Blue Coat Systems products to censor the internet and these allegations were investigated by the US government. Citizen Lab's research has also provided evidence of Blue Coat devices being used for censorship and surveillance in countries like Turkey and Syria.<ref>[https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/10/blue-coat-acknowledges-syrian-government-use-its-products Blue Coat: Concern for Criminal Penalties, Not Human Rights]</ref>
[[File:Revolution of Bluecoat.png|thumb|519x519px|Picture Showing Symantec's Logo Over the Years]]
Blue Coat is acquired by Symantec. In 2017, Symantec acquired LifeLock, and renamed itself to NortonLifeLock in 2019. On July 20, 2021, Norton LifeLock released Norton Crypto, which would've mined Ethereum in the background in exchange for periodic payments. This drew criticism from users, as this was installed automatically, and many users reported having diffuculty uninstalling the program. In August 2021, NortonLifelock agreed to merge with the company Avast. After completing its merger with Avast in September 2022, the company adopted the name Gen Digital. In 2025 its portfolio includes Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG and CCleaner.


===Fair Usage Terms Incident (2012-2019)===
===Fair Usage Terms Incident (2012-2019)===
Line 43: Line 41:


==Controversies==
==Controversies==
===Removing Discounts for Who Disable Data Collection===
If user decides to reject the data collection practices in the Turkcell mobile app, then Turkcell removes the ability to see time limited offers which often include discounts to their services. If user accepts data collection after rejecting it beforehand Turkcell rewards the user with free mobile data usage that can be used for 1 month. Rejecting the data collection again results in removal of the free data usage. Users who agree to data collection first does not receive any rewards because they already accepted.


===PPPoE/WAN Password Restrictions===
===PPPoE/WAN Password Restrictions===
Line 56: Line 57:
Superonline is one of the most active utilizers of deep packet inspection (DPI) technology among internet service providers in Turkey, operating within a regulatory environment that Freedom House describes as systematically restricting online freedoms.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/turkey/freedom-net/2023 |title=Turkey: Freedom on the Net 2023 |website=Freedom House |publisher=Freedom House |date=10 October 2023 |access-date=3 June 2025}}</ref> With this technology, Superonline applies content-based censorship by analyzing users' internet traffic in detail, implementing policies that align with Turkey's broader approach to internet control documented by Freedom House as part of the country's "Not Free" internet status.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/turkey |title=Turkey Overview |website=Freedom House |publisher=Freedom House |date=31 March 2025 |access-date=3 June 2025}}</ref>
Superonline is one of the most active utilizers of deep packet inspection (DPI) technology among internet service providers in Turkey, operating within a regulatory environment that Freedom House describes as systematically restricting online freedoms.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/turkey/freedom-net/2023 |title=Turkey: Freedom on the Net 2023 |website=Freedom House |publisher=Freedom House |date=10 October 2023 |access-date=3 June 2025}}</ref> With this technology, Superonline applies content-based censorship by analyzing users' internet traffic in detail, implementing policies that align with Turkey's broader approach to internet control documented by Freedom House as part of the country's "Not Free" internet status.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/turkey |title=Turkey Overview |website=Freedom House |publisher=Freedom House |date=31 March 2025 |access-date=3 June 2025}}</ref>


Unlike traditional packet inspection, DPI technology also scans the content of data packets and provides the ability to detect and block VPN protocols. According to user reports, Superonline has one of the most strictly censored internet service in Turkey, and in the past has taken measures strict enough to completely block VPN protocols such as WireGuard. It also blocks or throttles popular VPN services and their websites such as Cloudflare Warp (connection itself), ProtonVPN (throttles the website, especially [https://protonvpn.com protonvpn.com] domain), Surfshark (throttles the website, up-to-date info required for connection), Psiphon (connection itself), NordVPN (throttles the website, up-to-date info required for connection), IPVanish/SpeedtestVPN (throttles the website and the connection itself) and constantly tightens its DPI-based scanning systems. There is also allegations that Superonline using DNS poisoning to block certain websites.
Unlike traditional packet inspection, DPI technology also scans the content of data packets and provides the ability to detect and block VPN protocols. According to user reports, Superonline has one of the most strictly censored internet service in Turkey, and in the past has taken measures strict enough to completely block VPN protocols such as WireGuard. It also blocks or throttles popular VPN services and their websites such as Cloudflare Warp (connection itself), ProtonVPN (throttles the website, especially [https://protonvpn.com protonvpn.com] domain), Surfshark (throttles the website, up-to-date info required for connection), Psiphon (connection itself), NordVPN (throttles the website, up-to-date info required for connection), IPVanish/SpeedtestVPN (throttles the website and the connection itself) and constantly tightens its DPI-based scanning systems. There is also allegations that Superonline using DNS poisoning to block certain websites. They were blocking some third party DNS services in the past.
 
===Currently Unavailable Websites Due to Censorship===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Website
!Description
!Estimated monthly active users
!Block start date
|-
|Smashwords
|E-book publishing platform
|~1 000 000
|2025-02-05
|-
|Bento
|German culture and lifestyle news site
|~200 000
|2024-12-18
|-
|Tango
|Video calling and social networking app
|~50 000 000
|2024-12-12
|-
|IMVU
|3D avatar–based virtual chat and gaming platform
|~10 000 000
|2024-10-03
|-
|Discord
|Voice, video, and text chat application
|~200 000 000
|2024-09-10
|-
|Roblox
|Online platform for user-created games
|~230 000 000
|2024-07-29
|-
|Wattpad
|Social reading network for user-written stories
|~90 000 000
|2024-06-02
|-
|talkSPORT
|Sports-focused online radio channel
|~5 000 000
|2024-04-22
|-
|laut.fm
|Personalized internet radio service
|~1 000 000
|2023-12-28
|-
|OnlyFans
|Subscription-based content creator platform
|~120 000 000
|2023-06-29
|-
|Beacons
|Content and payment toolkit for creators
|~500 000
|2022-05-01
|-
|iHeart
|US-based radio and podcast network
|~110 000 000
|2022-05-01
|-
|National Film Board of Canada
|Canada’s national film production and distribution agency
|~3 000 000
|2022-05-01
|-
|DW
|Germany’s international broadcaster (Deutsche Welle)
|~60 000 000
|2022-01-21
|-
|VOA Turkish
|Voice of America Turkish service
|~10 000 000
|2022-01-21
|-
|4chan
|Anonymous imageboard site
|~20 000 000
|2021-11-25
|-
|Radio Garden
|Platform for listening to global radio stations via map
|~1 500 000
|2021-07-30
|-
|Issuu
|Digital magazine and catalog publishing service
|~50 000 000
|2020-12-07
|-
|Charlie Hebdo
|French satirical magazine
|~2 000 000
|2020-10-10
|-
|Mezopotamya Ajansı
|Regional news and analysis agency
|~100 000
|2018-10-29
|-
|TuneIn
|Internet radio and podcast app
|~75 000 000
|2018-01-21
|-
|WikiLeaks
|Platform for leaking and publishing confidential documents
|~500 000
|2016-07-29
|-
|Kızıl Bayrak
|Left-leaning daily newspaper
|~20 000
|2015-07-23
|-
|Umut Gazetesi (Translation: Hope Gazzette)
|Local and community-focused news newspaper
|~15 000
|2015-07-01
|-
|ETHA
|Etkin News Agency
|~10 000
|2014-06-27
|-
|Grindr
|Social and dating app for LGBTQIA+ individuals
|~12 000 000
|2013-07-02
|-
|PasteBin
|Text and code sharing service
|~25 000 000
|2012-06-12
|-
|AVN
|Adult entertainment industry news portal
|~1 000 000
|2011-04-27
|-
|Playboy
|Adult lifestyle and culture magazine
|~3 000 000
|2009-10-27
|-
|Shoutcast
|Internet radio streaming protocol and directory
|~500 000
|2007-11-12
|-
|Tagged
|Social discovery and networking site
|~5 000 000
|2007-08-04
|}
 
===Historically Unavailable Websites Due to Censorship===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Site
!Date(s)
!Reason for Blocking
!Notes
|-
|YouTube
|6 March 2007; 17 January 2008; 13 March 2008; 3 November 2010; 27 March 2014; 6 April 2015
|Blasphemy against Atatürk and Turkish nation; videos of Deniz Baykal; recordings of FM Davutoğlu; media coverage of Savcı Mehmet Selim Kiraz's murder
|Blocks lifted after content removal.
|-
|Wikipedia
|29 April 2017 – January 2020
|Content allegedly showing Turkey's collaboration with terrorist organizations
|Wikimedia objections; #WeMissTurkey campaign; access restored in 2020.
|-
|Ekşi Sözlük (Translation: Sour Dictionary)
(Pretty popular social media in Turkey mixing Urban Dictionary and Twitter's features)
|February 2023
|"Information pollution" related to Kahramanmaraş earthquakes
|Previous intermittent blocks.
|-
|Twitter (X)
|20 March 2014; 6 April 2015
|Alleged recordings of FM Davutoğlu and MIT Undersecretary; media coverage of Savcı Kiraz's murder
|Briefly unblocked on 3 April 2014 by Constitutional Court; access restored after content removal.
|-
|Last.fm & MySpace
|Around 2010
|Copyright infringement
|Objections from independent musicians; currently accessible.
|-
|Imgur
|2015 – February 2020
|Sharing of Savcı Kiraz's images
|Access restored in February 2020.
|-
|Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, GitHub
|2016
|Minister Berat Albayrak's emails
|
|-
|WordPress
|2016
|Adnan Oktar-related content
|
|-
|Blogger / Blogspot
|2016
|Unauthorized streaming of football matches
|
|-
|Ateizm Derneği (Translation: Ateism Society)
|March 2015
|Public denigration of people's beliefs
|
|-
|Instagram
|2024
|Content restrictions (various reasons)
|
|-
|Others (~574,000 domains)
|2021
|Various legal decisions
|Total number of blocked domains
|}


===Information About Blocking of VPNs===
===Information About Blocking of VPNs===
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+VPN Censorship Table
|+VPN Censorship Table
!Name Of The VPN
!Name Of The VPN
!Website Throttled/Blocked
!Website Throttled/Blocked
!Connection Status
!Connection Status
!Banned in Government Departments, Education Institutions and Student Dorms
!ISP Responsibility to Prevent Connection
!ISP Responsibility to Prevent Connection
!Additional Notes
!Additional Notes
Line 70: Line 304:
|No
|No
|Unknown
|Unknown
|Blocked (Protocol Ban)
|
|
|
|
Line 76: Line 311:
|No (Yes before the launch of Mullvad Browser)
|No (Yes before the launch of Mullvad Browser)
|Not Blocked (Info not up-to-date)
|Not Blocked (Info not up-to-date)
| - Blocked (Protocol Ban)
- Other Mullvad products are blocked too.
- Mullvad Browser can not access the internet because it is Firefox based and Firefox does not trust CA certificates that are used to monitor connections.
- MullvadDNS is inaccessible despite the additional notes.
|
|
|MullvadDNS was inaccessible but it has been fixed.
|MullvadDNS was inaccessible but it has been fixed.
Line 82: Line 322:
|Yes (Only protonvpn.com domain)
|Yes (Only protonvpn.com domain)
|Not Blocked
|Not Blocked
| - All Proton related domains are throttled (including proton.me unlike residental connections).
- VPN protocols are banned.
|Legally Required
|Legally Required
| - VPN config files should be downloaded from proton.me domain.
| - VPN config files should be downloaded from proton.me domain.
Line 91: Line 333:
|No
|No
|Not Blocked
|Not Blocked
| - Trying to establish a connection results in infinite loop.
- Ports except HTTPS and DNS are blocked which is necessary for VPN connection.
- Browser extension works if you bypass Deep Packet Inspection on device level. Most methods for bypassing does not work (including GoodbyeDPI).
|
|
|They sometimes give free gift codes when big events are happening.
|They sometimes give free gift codes when big events are happening.
Line 97: Line 343:
|No
|No
|Unknown
|Unknown
|Blocked (Protocol Ban)
|
|
|
|
Line 103: Line 350:
|No
|No
|Unknown
|Unknown
|Blocked (Protocol Ban)
|
|
|
|
Line 109: Line 357:
|Yes
|Yes
|Maybe (Some users reported issues)
|Maybe (Some users reported issues)
|Blocked (Protocol Ban)
|Legally Required
|Legally Required
|
|
Line 115: Line 364:
|Yes
|Yes
|Not Blocked (Info not up-to-date)
|Not Blocked (Info not up-to-date)
|Blocked (Protocol Ban)
|Legally Required
|Legally Required
|Saily e-sim service (by NordVPN) is blocked.
|Saily e-sim service (by NordVPN) is blocked (Both cell tower level and internet level).
|-
|-
|VyprVPN
|VyprVPN
|No
|No
|Unknown
|Unknown
|Blocked (Protocol Ban)
|Legally Required
|Legally Required
|
|
Line 127: Line 378:
|Probably (PR_CONNECT_RESET_ERROR)
|Probably (PR_CONNECT_RESET_ERROR)
|Unknown
|Unknown
|Blocked (Protocol Ban)
|Legally Required
|Legally Required
|
|
Line 133: Line 385:
|Sometimes (Website is sometimes broken)
|Sometimes (Website is sometimes broken)
|Not Blocked
|Not Blocked
| - Blocked (Protocol Ban)
- Browser extension may work if you bypass Deep Packet Inspection on device level. Most methods for bypassing does not work (including GoodbyeDPI).
- Adguard filter lists are blocked.
- Other Adguard products are blocked too.
|
|
|
|
Line 139: Line 397:
|No
|No
|Unknown
|Unknown
|Blocked (Protocol Ban)
|
|
|
|
Line 145: Line 404:
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|Blocked (Protocol Ban)
|Legally Required
|Legally Required
|
|
Line 151: Line 411:
|Yes
|Yes
|Not Blocked (Info not up-to-date)
|Not Blocked (Info not up-to-date)
|Blocked (Protocol Ban)
|Legally Required
|Legally Required
|
|Turkish authorities seized a physical ExpressVPN server in January 2017 as part of an investigation into the assassination of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov. The raid aimed to identify individuals who used the VPN to remotely delete the assassin’s Gmail and Facebook accounts. The server contained no user logs.
|-
|-
|IPVanish
|IPVanish
|Yes
|Yes
|Blocked
|Blocked
|Blocked
|Legally Required
|Legally Required
Line 163: Line 425:
|Yes
|Yes
|Not Blocked (Info not up-to-date)
|Not Blocked (Info not up-to-date)
|Blocked (Protocol Ban)
|Legally Required
|Legally Required
|
|
Line 169: Line 432:
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|Blocked (Protocol Ban)
|Legally Required
|Legally Required
|
|
Line 175: Line 439:
|No
|No
|Unknown
|Unknown
|Blocked (Protocol Ban)
|
|
|
|
Line 181: Line 446:
|No
|No
|Unknown
|Unknown
|Blocked (Protocol Ban)
|Legally Required
|Legally Required
|
|
Line 187: Line 453:
|No
|No
|Unknown
|Unknown
|Blocked (Protocol Ban)
|
|
|
|
Line 192: Line 459:
|NymVPN
|NymVPN
|No
|No
|Unknown
|Unknown
|Unknown
|
|
Line 199: Line 467:
|No
|No
|Not Blocked
|Not Blocked
|Unknown
|
|
|
|
Line 205: Line 474:
|No (Because the domain is for Opera Browser)
|No (Because the domain is for Opera Browser)
|Not Blocked
|Not Blocked
|Blocked (IP banned because it was a pretty popular method)
|
|
|
|
Line 211: Line 481:
|No (Because the domain is mozilla.org)
|No (Because the domain is mozilla.org)
|Unknown
|Unknown
| - Blocked (Protocol Ban)
- Trying Firefox's built-in version fails because Firefox does not trust CA certificates that is necessary for MITM-ing users.
- Firefox based browsers can not connect to any website even without bypassing tools.
|
|
|Purchasing with Turkish Lira is supported.
|Purchasing with Turkish Lira is supported.
Line 217: Line 491:
|No (Because the domain is for Brave Browser)
|No (Because the domain is for Brave Browser)
|Unknown
|Unknown
| - VPN feature does not show up in Turkiye.
- Brave Browser's TOR feature does not work.
- Brave Search does not work.
- Brave Leo (AI assistant) does not work.
|
|
|VPN feature does not show up in Turkiye.
|VPN feature does not show up in Turkiye.
Line 223: Line 503:
|No
|No
|Not Blocked
|Not Blocked
|Blocked (Protocol Ban)
|
|
|They give Turkish users free bandwidth.
|They give Turkish users free bandwidth.
Line 229: Line 510:
|No
|No
|Not Blocked (Info not up-to-date)
|Not Blocked (Info not up-to-date)
|Blocked (Closely monitored)
|Legally Required
|Legally Required
|DW gives free Psiphon access to people in Turkiye with this [https://psiphon.news/tellafriend.tr.dw link].
|DW gives free Psiphon access to people in Turkiye with this [https://psiphon.news/tellafriend.tr.dw link].
Line 234: Line 516:
|Lantern
|Lantern
|No
|No
|Unknown
|Unknown
|Unknown
|
|
Line 240: Line 523:
|Mysterium
|Mysterium
|No
|No
|Unknown
|Unknown
|Unknown
|
|
Line 246: Line 530:
|VPNBook
|VPNBook
|No
|No
|Unknown
|Blocked
|Blocked
|
|
|
|
Line 253: Line 538:
|No (Because the domain is for Mega services)
|No (Because the domain is for Mega services)
|Unknown
|Unknown
| - Blocked (Protocol Ban)
- Other MEGA services are blocked too.
|
|
|
|
Line 259: Line 546:
|No (Because the domain is for Kaspersky Antivirus)
|No (Because the domain is for Kaspersky Antivirus)
|Not Blocked (Info not up-to-date)
|Not Blocked (Info not up-to-date)
|Blocked (Protocol Ban)
|
|
|Purchasing with Turkish Lira is supported.
|Purchasing with Turkish Lira is supported.
Line 265: Line 553:
|No
|No
|Not Blocked
|Not Blocked
|Blocked
|Legally Required
|Legally Required
|
|
Line 270: Line 559:
|CloudFlare Warp
|CloudFlare Warp
|No (Because the domain is for CloudFlare DNS and other services)
|No (Because the domain is for CloudFlare DNS and other services)
|Blocked
| - Blocked
- Only the app is blocked. If you convert your WARP config to Wireguard and manually connect to IP address it works.
|Blocked and Sometimes Blocks Cloudflare DNS Too
|Legally Required
|Legally Required
|
|
Line 277: Line 568:
|Unknown
|Unknown
|Unknown
|Unknown
|Blocked (Closely monitored)
|Legally Required
|Legally Required
|
|-
|RiseupVPN
|No
|Not Blocked
|Blocked (Protocol Ban)
|
|
|
|}
|}
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