VPN Demand Spikes Over 10,000% in Turkey After Internet Restrictions

vpnMentor’s team observed a whopping 10.000% surge in VPN demand in Turkey amidst the controversial detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. Following his arrest, authorities restricted access to social media and messaging platforms across the country.

Key facts:

• On the morning of March 19th, Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Mayor of Istanbul, was detained.
• Warrants were also issued for around 100 people — including other politicians, journalists, and businessmen — as part of an alleged investigation into corruption.
• Invoking a 2020 law that permits the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) to reduce bandwidth capabilities for up to 10 hours without a court order, authorities have enforced a ban on public demonstrations in Istanbul for four days to prevent potential protests after the mayor's arrest.

Following the arrests, major social media networks (such as YouTube, Instagram, X, and TikTok) as well as messaging apps (like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal) have undergone bandwidth reductions that severely slow down access or cut it off entirely. NetBlocks, a global internet censorship watchdog, has confirmed the restrictions.

In response to this incident, users seem to be seeking alternate browsing solutions to access the now restricted platforms. vpnMentor’s Research Team observed that demand for VPN services in Turkey skyrocketed by 10,104% within the first hours of the day.

According to user reports, these social media and messaging platforms continue to experience the slowest speeds on record in Turkey. Moreover, despite the four-day restrictions imposed by the authorities, opposition leaders are calling for public demonstrations.

vpnMentor is closely monitoring this situation and anticipates that VPN demand will continue to rise significantly in Turkey, as the situation could spiral into full-blown countrywide protests.

Past VPN Demand Growths

vpnMentor’s Research Team has identified and documented various instances of surges in VPN demand linked to protests, social media bans, and limited access to specific applications or websites.

In a recent case, following age verification restrictions applied in some states in the USA, we observed a countrywide spike in VPN demand. This serves as a prime example of individuals leveraging VPNs to bypass government-imposed restrictions and safeguard their online privacy.

vpnMentor neither encourages nor condones using VPNs for illegal activities, such as bypassing laws or regulations.