Turkcell Superonline: Difference between revisions
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User freedom faces substantial restrictions as Turkey implements comprehensive internet censorship policies that affect all ISPs including Superonline, with the government's Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) collecting user data hourly including location data, browsing history, and messaging communications.<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> According to Freedom House's comprehensive assessment, Turkey's internet status remains classified as "Not Free" with extensive government control over digital communications and widespread social media blocking affecting service providers like Superonline.<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> | User freedom faces substantial restrictions as Turkey implements comprehensive internet censorship policies that affect all ISPs including Superonline, with the government's Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) collecting user data hourly including location data, browsing history, and messaging communications.<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> According to Freedom House's comprehensive assessment, Turkey's internet status remains classified as "Not Free" with extensive government control over digital communications and widespread social media blocking affecting service providers like Superonline.<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> | ||
The deterioration of judicial independence since 2016 has further compromised the legal framework governing internet service providers, with thousands of loyalist judges appointed who align with government interests in telecommunications regulation and censorship enforcement.<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> | |||
User privacy concerns are exacerbated by Superonline's extensive data collection practices, processing personally identifiable information, contact data, subscription details, network traffic, location data, payment information, and usage patterns, operating within Turkey's restrictive legal framework that has been documented by Freedom House as increasingly authoritarian.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/turkey/freedom-world/2023 |title=Turkey: Freedom in the World 2023 |website=Freedom House |publisher=Freedom House |date=4 November 2023 |access-date=3 June 2025}}</ref> Regarding market control, Superonline operates as the largest alternative ISP with approximately 15% of the broadband market share in 2021, positioning itself as the leading challenger to dominant player Türk Telekom which holds 65.3% market share.<ref>[https://www.btk.gov.tr/uploads/pages/pazar-verileri/ceyrek-raporu-2021-4-ceyrek-22-03-21-kurum-disi.pdf BTK Market Share Statistics 2021 Q4]</ref> | User privacy concerns are exacerbated by Superonline's extensive data collection practices, processing personally identifiable information, contact data, subscription details, network traffic, location data, payment information, and usage patterns, operating within Turkey's restrictive legal framework that has been documented by Freedom House as increasingly authoritarian.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/turkey/freedom-world/2023 |title=Turkey: Freedom in the World 2023 |website=Freedom House |publisher=Freedom House |date=4 November 2023 |access-date=3 June 2025}}</ref> Regarding market control, Superonline operates as the largest alternative ISP with approximately 15% of the broadband market share in 2021, positioning itself as the leading challenger to dominant player Türk Telekom which holds 65.3% market share.<ref>[https://www.btk.gov.tr/uploads/pages/pazar-verileri/ceyrek-raporu-2021-4-ceyrek-22-03-21-kurum-disi.pdf BTK Market Share Statistics 2021 Q4]</ref> | ||
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The incident occurred within the context of Turkey's three-month state of emergency enacted in 11 provinces following the February 2023 earthquakes, which gave the president power to pass laws without parliamentary approval and allowed the government to limit or suspend basic freedoms including telecommunications access.<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> There has also been controversy over the company's compliance with social media bans in Turkey during the earthquake, implemented under emergency powers that allowed authorities to take measures to prevent the circulation of information deemed false.<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> The biggest criticism has been the restriction of communication opportunities for people trapped under the remains of the earthquake and putting lives at risk. Internet freedom advocates have criticized Superonline's quick implementation of these bans, especially when access restrictions are imposed on social media platforms which helped find the trapped people.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/turkey/freedom-net/2024 |title=Turkey: Freedom on the Net 2024 |website=Freedom House |publisher=Freedom House |date=2024 |access-date=3 June 2025}}</ref> | The incident occurred within the context of Turkey's three-month state of emergency enacted in 11 provinces following the February 2023 earthquakes, which gave the president power to pass laws without parliamentary approval and allowed the government to limit or suspend basic freedoms including telecommunications access.<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> There has also been controversy over the company's compliance with social media bans in Turkey during the earthquake, implemented under emergency powers that allowed authorities to take measures to prevent the circulation of information deemed false.<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> The biggest criticism has been the restriction of communication opportunities for people trapped under the remains of the earthquake and putting lives at risk. Internet freedom advocates have criticized Superonline's quick implementation of these bans, especially when access restrictions are imposed on social media platforms which helped find the trapped people.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/turkey/freedom-net/2024 |title=Turkey: Freedom on the Net 2024 |website=Freedom House |publisher=Freedom House |date=2024 |access-date=3 June 2025}}</ref> | ||
==Controversies== | ==Controversies== | ||
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===PPPoE/WAN Password Restrictions=== | ===PPPoE/WAN Password Restrictions=== | ||
Turkcell Superonline does not disclose the PPPoE/WAN username and password of its users. This restricts the freedom of users to use their own modems instead of the modems provided by Superonline. Although some users try to obtain this password through various methods, it is reported to be very difficult or impossible to obtain, especially for some modem models (e.g. HG255s). It is stated by users that even if the PPPoE username and password are known, the internet service provider (ISP) must register the MAC address of the new modem in its system, otherwise the modem cannot be used. This can be bypassed by cloning | Turkcell Superonline does not disclose the PPPoE/WAN username and password of its users. This restricts the freedom of users to use their own modems instead of the modems provided by Superonline. Although some users try to obtain this password through various methods, it is reported to be very difficult or impossible to obtain, especially for some modem models (e.g. HG255s). It is stated by users that even if the PPPoE username and password are known, the internet service provider (ISP) must register the MAC address of the new modem in its system, otherwise the modem cannot be used. This can be bypassed by cloning rented modems MAC addresses.<ref>[https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/network/wan/isp-configurations OpenWrt Wiki - ISP Configurations]</ref> | ||
===Disabling Root Accounts and Firmware Restrictions=== | ===Disabling Root Accounts and Firmware Restrictions=== | ||
Turkcell Superonline's decision to restrict or completely disable access to the root account on the modems it rents to its users has sparked controversy among users. Superonline does not allow the use third party modems. The firmware of the modems provided by Superonline is often customized and restricted, preventing users from gaining root access via web interface, telnet or ssh. One of the main reasons for this is that modem firmware updates and management are centralized by Superonline. It is argued that this centralized management may become more difficult if users have root access. While some users have stated that they need root access to configure their modem's settings in more detail, to install alternative firmware (like OpenWRT or Asus Merlin Firmware), or to enable/disable certain features, they have encountered this restriction by Superonline. In particular, some modem models are reported to disable features such as | Turkcell Superonline's decision to restrict or completely disable access to the root account on the modems it rents to its users has sparked controversy among users. Superonline does not allow the use of third party modems. The firmware of the modems provided by Superonline is often customized and restricted, preventing users from gaining root access via web interface, telnet or ssh. One of the main reasons for this is that modem firmware updates and management are centralized by Superonline. It is argued that this centralized management may become more difficult if users have root access. While some users have stated that they need root access to configure their modem's settings in more detail, to install alternative firmware (like OpenWRT or Asus Merlin Firmware), or to enable/disable certain features, they have encountered this restriction by Superonline. In particular, some modem models are reported to disable features such as backups and manual updates via files in order to make it more difficult to obtain the root password. Some modem models have also been reported to disable the ability to change the main DNS server.<ref>[https://wf.lavatech.top/ave/router-misadventures Router Misadventures: Dumping Superonline's ISP Fiber Router]</ref> | ||
===Censorship Using Deep Packet Inspection=== | ===Censorship Using Deep Packet Inspection=== | ||
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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), 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) and constantly tightens its DPI-based scanning systems. | 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), 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) and constantly tightens its DPI-based scanning systems. | ||
The implementation of laws imposing prison sentences of up to three years for individuals deemed to promote false information on social media has created additional pressure on ISPs like Superonline to implement stringent content filtering measures.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/turkey/freedom-world/2023 |title=Turkey: Freedom in the World 2023 |website=Freedom House |publisher=Freedom House |date=4 November 2023 |access-date=3 June 2025}}</ref> | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||