Miscellaneous 2 min. read

Wikipedia still blocked in Turkey? Access with Hotspot Shield

Wikipedia still blocked in Turkey? Access with Hotspot Shield

The Best Security VPN

Last month, the Turkish government blocked access to Wikipedia in Turkey to prevent it from being used as a propaganda tool. The website is just the latest addition to the growing list of online resources that are prohibited from being accessed by the country’s citizens. If you live in Turkey and are finding it difficult to access Wikipedia where you are, using Hotspot Shield, the best security VPN, is the perfect solution to your problem.

The reason for the ban

According to various sources including The Guardian, CNN, Reuters, the user-generated online encyclopedia website was banned by the country’s communications and technology department after deeming it a threat to the country’s national security.

This transpired when authorities asked Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales via Twitter to remove certain sections of the site’s content claiming that the country was coordinating with terrorist organizations. Wales declined by saying that access to information is a fundamental human right, after which the authorities proceeded to block the page in the morning of April 29, 2017.

This was not the first time that the country blocked an online resource for fear of it being used for terrorism purposes or to smear the country’s reputation. In November 2016, authorities blocked social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and instant messaging apps like Skype and WhatsApp for security purposes in connection with the arrest and detention of several leaders of the opposition party they said were involved in terrorist activities, part of the government’s crackdown on terrorism as a result of the July 2016 coup.

Youtube also experienced being blocked several times since 2007. In March 2007, authorities blocked the site for a day due to a video that allegedly insulted the founder of the Republic of Turkey Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. In 2014, the site again faced restrictions after a corruption scandal involving several government officials. In December 23, the site was again blocked for a few hours after videos depicting jihadists killing Turkish personnel surfaced on the site.

As of this writing, all mentioned sites except Wikipedia are accessible in Turkey.

Access blocked sites in Turkey using the best security VPN

Wikipedia is a valuable source of information online. Social media sites, streaming platforms and instant messaging apps are also valuable in that they are excellent sources of news and information relevant to a well-informed society. If you live in Turkey and you wish to access blocked content, the best solution is installing Hotspot Shield on your device.

Hotspot Shield is the best security VPN for the task if you want to bypass online restrictions set by your government or even by your local network administrator. It allows you to access restricted content by providing you with an IP address from another virtual location. This effectively masks your IP address and makes it seem like you’re browsing from that virtual location, preventing government and local area servers from blocking you.

Aside from this, Hotspot Shield also has other features that make your Internet sessions much more enjoyable, including added malware protection, anonymous browsing and data encryption. Learn more about these by visiting our website.

Access Wikipedia and other blocked sites in Turkey by downloading the best security VPN now!

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