In Turkey, a big political moment often comes with a familiar side effect: X, Instagram, YouTube or WhatsApp suddenly stop loading, while the rest of the internet keeps working. This is usually not a full internet shutdown but bandwidth throttling, a targeted slowdown that can last from a few hours to several days.

This explainer covers how throttling works, the legal rule that allows it, the two major episodes of 2025, and what ordinary users can reasonably expect, and prepare for, the next time it happens. It reflects what is publicly documented as of October 2026.

What "throttling" means

Throttling means that traffic to specific platforms is slowed down so much that they become practically unusable. Your mobile data or home connection still works: news sites, banking apps and email load normally, but feeds won't refresh, videos won't play and messages hang on "sending".

For users, this looks very different from a nationwide blackout. Because only some services are affected, many people first assume the app itself is broken, or that their phone has a problem. In practice, if several large platforms fail at the same moment while other sites work, a targeted restriction is the more likely explanation.

Human Rights Watch (HRW), describing the September 2025 episode, called the measure "bandwidth throttling", while also noting that the platforms were in effect inaccessible. Neither the authorities nor providers usually publish technical details, so the exact mechanism in each case is not always clear.

The legal basis: Article 60/10 of Law No. 5809

According to HRW, the key rule is Article 60/10 of Turkey's Electronic Communications Law (Law No. 5809). It allows the Presidency to order the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) to restrict communications without a court order where there is "peril in delay", meaning a situation the authorities consider too urgent to wait for a judge.

The timeline works like this:

  • The restriction can start immediately on the Presidency's order.
  • It must be submitted to a court within 24 hours.
  • The court then has 48 hours to decide.

In total, HRW says, communications can be restricted for up to 72 hours without judicial approval. The provision was added in August 2016 by a State of Emergency decree and made permanent law in November that year.

This is separate from the far larger volume of everyday website blocking. A report by the Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD), summarised by the Stockholm Center for Freedom in June 2026, counted more than 232,000 websites and domain names blocked in 2025 alone, and about 1.5 million since 2018.

What happened in 2025

March 2025: 42 hours

After Istanbul's then-mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, the main opposition party CHP's candidate, was detained in March 2025, X, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Telegram were throttled in Istanbul for 42 hours, according to HRW. Freedom House, in its Freedom on the Net 2025 report, also recorded 42 hours of throttled social media access during the protests that followed the arrest.

September 2025: about 21 hours

From 11:45 p.m. on 7 September 2025, X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal were inaccessible in Istanbul for about 21 hours, HRW reported. This coincided with a police blockade of the CHP's Istanbul headquarters after a court replaced the party's provincial leadership with trustees. Compared with March, the list now included the messaging apps WhatsApp and Signal, which many families and businesses rely on every day.

HRW noted that "no official explanation has been provided for the throttling."

Earlier episodes

These were not the first. HRW lists throttling after a bombing in Istanbul in November 2022 and after the February 2023 earthquakes, when X was slowed for about 12 hours. Freedom House reports that internet access was throttled for a week in July 2024 during protests in Kayseri Province, and that BTK blocked Instagram for nine days in August 2024.

VPN server blocks

Throttling and blocking also affect VPN services. The İFÖD report, as summarised by the Stockholm Center for Freedom, found that 454 server addresses linked to 26 VPN services were blocked in 2025. HRW wrote in September 2025 that most major VPN providers had been blocked for several years and described VPNs as not a reliable alternative during such disruptions.

If you are unsure what a VPN is and what it does, our explainer What is a VPN? covers the basics. Rules on VPN use differ between countries and change over time, so check the current law where you live; our article on whether using a VPN is legal explains what to look for.

Is there a pattern?

Looking at the documented cases, a few things repeat:

  • Timing follows events. Restrictions have coincided with arrests, protests, attacks and disasters.
  • They are often local. Both 2025 episodes were reported in Istanbul specifically.
  • They come without notice. No announcement in advance and, according to HRW, no official explanation afterwards in September 2025.
  • They are short but disruptive. Hours to a couple of days, within the 72-hour window the law allows before a court must rule.
  • The list of platforms grows. Messaging apps were added in September 2025.

As of October 2026, we have not found independently documented platform-wide throttling in Turkey during 2026. That does not mean it cannot happen again; the legal mechanism remains in place.

What users can expect, and how to prepare

Nobody can predict exactly when or how the next restriction will happen, but some calm preparation helps:

  • Know how to recognise it. If several big platforms fail at once while other sites work, it is probably not your phone. Avoid resetting your device or reinstalling apps in a panic.
  • Agree on a backup contact method with family and colleagues: ordinary phone calls, SMS or email, which were not among the services named in the documented 2025 cases.
  • Rely on trusted sources. During disruptions, rumours spread quickly. Check information against established news outlets and official statements before sharing it.
  • Be careful with "quick fix" apps. Unknown apps that promise access during an outage are a common route for malware and data theft. Our guide to fake VPN apps and their warning signs explains what to look out for.
  • Protect your accounts. Turn on two-step verification and keep recovery options up to date, so a confusing few days don't also become a lost account.
  • Keep backups of important chats and photos, in case you need to reinstall an app later.

If you want to see what your connection looks like from the outside, such as your public IP address and network provider, you can use our What is my IP tool.

Key takeaways

  • Turkey's throttling usually slows specific platforms rather than shutting down the whole internet.
  • Article 60/10 of Law No. 5809 allows restrictions for up to 72 hours before a court has ruled, according to HRW.
  • In 2025, Istanbul saw 42 hours of throttling in March and about 21 hours in September, with messaging apps added the second time.
  • A report by İFÖD counted more than 232,000 websites blocked in 2025 and 454 VPN server addresses blocked.
  • Preparation is mostly about communication plans, reliable information and account security, not about any single app.