Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a long history of media censorship, but his latest move — banning Instagram access in all of Turkey for nine days — has still stunned observers. In case this happens again, we’ll show you how to access Instagram in Turkey with the help of the best VPNs and other tricks.
Although Turkey’s Information and Communication Technologies Authority never gave a clear reason for the ban, Erdogan’s comments suggest he was enraged by Instagram censoring posts about Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader recently killed in Iran. Turkish people regained access only after Instagram’s parent company, Meta, agreed to censor posts and comply with Turkish law for posts containing criminal content.2
The good news is that people in Turkey can ensure continuous access to Instagram, one of the most popular social media platforms. If you live in Turkey or plan to visit soon, you can use a virtual private network (VPN) or an alternate method to continue reading, making posts and sending messages.
How to Access Instagram in Turkey: Use a VPN
Using a VPN is by far the easiest way to get back on Instagram in Turkey. The government can block connections that come only from a Turkish IP address. A VPN not only changes your IP address so you appear to be connecting from another country, but it also encrypts all your requests so nobody can see where they originated.
Compared to the other methods we’ll discuss — which involve proxy servers, Tor Browser and changing your DNS settings — VPN services are both easier and more likely to succeed. You can tell they’re effective because Turkey is trying to block VPNs too. For the steps below, we’ll use ExpressVPN, which is our pick for the best VPN for Instagram.
- Download and Install a VPN Client
Visit a good VPN’s website and find the download link for the device you’re using. On mobile, use the Apple app store or the Google Play store instead. Reports suggest that some VPN homepages are blocked in Turkey — if you can’t access your chosen service, use a proxy server or Tor Browser as detailed in the next section.
- Open the VPN App and Connect to a Server Outside Turkey
Follow the onscreen instructions to install and open your VPN app. Once inside, choose a server. The key is to pick one that’s outside Turkey but still close enough to provide good speeds. Common locations include Israel, Greece and Cyprus.
- Activate the Kill Switch and Access Instagram Normally
After connecting to the VPN, use an app or browser to get on Instagram, then view and upload posts just like always. To be extra careful, activate your VPN kill switch to make sure you’ll never be caught connecting to a banned site. You can also use URL-based split tunneling to access Instagram while forgoing the VPN on the rest of the web.
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This same process works well for any nationwide ban you want to surmount, including the WhatsApp ban in Dubai.
Other Ways to Bypass the Instagram Ban in Turkey
If you don’t want to use a VPN for any reason, or if your chosen VPN’s web page is blocked in Turkey, you can try these other methods to get online.
1. Use a Proxy Server
one of the better proxy services.
Pros:
- Free
- Works quickly
- Convenient for one-time use
Cons:
- May log your data
- Vulnerable to hacking
- Unencrypted by default
Proxy servers are a lot like VPN servers. Both change your IP address so you can use the internet with another identity. However, proxy servers aren’t necessarily encrypted, leaving you vulnerable to both hackers and government surveillance. The best use case for proxies is to get onto a blocked VPN page.
2. Use Tor Browser
but it offers unrestricted access to surface websites too.
Pros:
- Free to download
- May unblock VPN sites
- Encrypted & anonymous
Cons:
- Often slow
- Risk from malicious nodes
- Instagram has no onion site
Tor Browser is an open-source privacy tool that conceals internet traffic behind multiple layers of encryption. This is often enough to either crack Instagram itself or unblock a VPN download page. However, as you can read in our Tor review, its relays are run by volunteers who don’t go through any sort of vetting process. Malware is a potential risk from repeated use.
3. Use a Third-Party DNS
than going through a system owned by an ISP.
Pros:
- Free options available
- Improves safety overall
- Prevents DNS poisoning
Cons:
- No encryption
- Doesn’t always work
- Comparatively complex setup
The internet runs on the domain name system (DNS), which connects URLs to the servers that display websites for you. Due to its importance, DNS is often leveraged for government censorship. By manually changing your network settings to always use a private DNS, you might be able to circumvent some blocks.
The 3 Best VPNs to Bypass Instagram Ban in Turkey
Our favorite VPNs for Turkey are ExpressVPN, NordVPN and Surfshark. Not only are all three fast, well-constructed and diligent about security features, but none of them have been successfully blocked in Turkey, at least since the ban went into effect.
When choosing a VPN to unblock Instagram in Turkey, keep a few qualities in mind:
- Speeds: Since you’re connecting outside your country, the VPN should have fast download speeds.
- User Rights: It should also have a history of protecting the rights of its users, such as when ExpressVPN stood against the Turkish government in 2017 (see the story below).
- Server Locations: Look for VPNs with multiple server locations near Turkey.
- Obfuscation: It helps if the provider comes with an obfuscation protocol, which makes the VPN traffic use the same ports as normal HTTPS requests.
- Refunds: Pick a VPN that honors its money-back guarantee, just in case it doesn’t work as intended.
| VPN: | Best Price | Network | Connections | Obfuscation | Refund |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
$6.66 per month (15-months plan) | 164 locations in 105 countries | 8 | Automatic on all servers | 30 days |
 |
$3.09 per month (two-year plan + three months) | 135 locations in 111 countries | 10 | Specific obfuscated servers | 30 days |
 |
$2.19 per month (two-year plan + three months) | 138 locations in 100 countries | Unlimited | OpenVPN only | 30 days |
1. ExpressVPN — Best VPN to Access Instagram in Turkey
it’s proven to be especially suitable for Turkey.
ExpressVPN is the only VPN that has already proven that it’s willing to tangle with the government of Turkey. In 2017, Turkish police investigating the murder of a Russian ambassador charged a suspect with using ExpressVPN to conceal the destruction of key evidence. They confiscated an ExpressVPN server to try and identify the suspect.
However, ExpressVPN uses RAM-only servers, which do not save any record of user activities. The police learned nothing and confirmed ExpressVPN’s privacy policy in the process. Due to its excellent speeds and numerous server locations close to Turkey, ExpressVPN makes the top of our list. Our ExpressVPN review has more information.
- Unlimited GB
- 8
- Yes
2. NordVPN — Fastest VPN for Turkey
When you’re trying to get around government internet blocks, like the Turkey ban or the nationwide censorship in China, it’s helpful to have more than one VPN on your side. Even a service as strong as ExpressVPN may be temporarily stymied by targeted blocks. If you depend on Instagram in Turkey, we recommend NordVPN as a backup.
NordVPN is extremely fast and has plenty of servers near Turkey. It had almost no impact on both download and upload speeds in our tests, so whether you’re reading or posting, you’re set for speeds on Instagram.
It doesn’t have universal obfuscation like ExpressVPN, but the obfuscated servers in the UAE and Italy should do the job. Learn more about it in our NordVPN review.
- *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
- Unlimited GB
- 10
- Yes
- *The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
- Unlimited GB
- 10
- Yes
3. Surfshark — Unlimited Simultaneous Connections in Turkey
unlimited devices under a single subscription.
Surfshark is another top choice for a backup VPN, with speeds and pricing comparable to NordVPN. The monthly plan is costly, but you can always get a refund if you no longer need the service. You can also save money by sharing one connection with unlimited friends. Our Surfshark review has more details.
Surfshark’s features are geared toward making it as easy as possible to slip past large-scale censorship. Camouflage Mode — Surfshark’s term for obfuscation — runs whenever you’re connected to OpenVPN. If NoBorders Mode is active, Surfshark will automatically switch your VPN connection to a server with the right location or settings to get around any restrictions.
- Unlimited GB bandwidth, Unlimited devices, Secure VPN, Ad blocker, Cookie pop-up blocker. Plans renew: $231.75 for one year, $417.15 for two years
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited
- Yes
- Everything in Starter, plus Antivirus protection, Identity protection, Email Breach and Credit Card Alerts, Online Alias Plans renew: $239.25 for one year, $430.65 for two years.
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited
- Everything in One, plus Data removal Plans renew: $269.25 for one year, $404.65 for two years
- Unlimited GB
- Unlimited
Our Methodology: How We Tested the Best VPNs for Accessing Instagram in Turkey
We never recommend a VPN without running it through a rigorous battery of tests. For this article, we focused on features that are critical to getting around a national firewall while keeping you safe and anonymous. Here’s what we prioritized.
- Privacy record: All our recommended providers have dealt with security breaches effectively in the past, and they have never given user information to law enforcement.
- Server network: We looked for server locations near Turkey that provide the VPN protocols necessary for obfuscation.
- Obfuscation: Each VPN needed to have features designed to disguise its use from government surveillance.
- Speed: Scrolling and posting on Instagram requires a lot of download speed, so we made sure to recommend VPNs that don’t impact downloads or uploads too much.
Final Thoughts
The Instagram ban in Turkey is a political stunt, not a true matter of national security. As we expected, the Erdogan government restored access once Meta conceded to its demands — the same thing that’s happened with Facebook, Google and other sites in the past. The fact that these demands are being met means that more censorship is likely on the way for Turkey.
No matter what restrictions they face, Turkish citizens and visitors can still rely on VPNs to regain access to Instagram for both political and personal uses. You also have the support of proxies, Tor and private DNS servers. Free and open communication is a human right, and thanks to modern privacy technology, the people of Turkey will not be silenced.
Have you been affected by Turkey’s ban on Instagram? Did you manage to get around it? If you used a VPN, which one worked best for you? Let us know in the comments, and thanks for reading.
FAQ: Unblock Instagram in Turkey
-
At the time of writing, it’s possible to access Instagram in Turkey without a VPN or similar workaround. However, the rapid and unexpected nature of the recent restriction makes it clear that Turkish Instagram users need to plan for bans to happen again.
-
On Aug. 2, 2024, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered Turkey’s national communications authority — the Turkish Information and Communication Technologies Authority — to ban Instagram. The act was a retaliation against the social media platform’s banning of posts about a slain Hamas commander. Access was officially reinstated over a week later on Aug. 10.
-
Download and install a VPN app, then connect to a server location outside Turkey. If the VPN is working, you should be able to access Instagram as you normally would.
-
Facebook is currently usable in Turkey, though it has been blocked there in the past.
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Sources:
- World Population Review — Instagram Users by Country 2024
- Reuters — Turkey restores access to Instagram after 9-day block
The post How to Access Instagram in Turkey: 4 Ways To Bypass Block in 2024 appeared first on Cloudwards.
