Germany warns travelers on VPN use in Turkey

Foreigners could face legal action for using VPNs in the country...

Turkey

Germany’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs has warned its citizens traveling to Turkey they could face legal action for using VPNs in the country. The Ministry also cautioned that the digital networks were strictly monitored by the Turkish government to control the flow of information.

What makes this significant is the fact that this is the first-ever formal warning on the issue from such a high government level. In that sense, the alert could prompt travelers from other countries to be aware of the potential legal consequences of using VPNs.

VPNs are thriving in Turkey…

As I’m writing this, hundreds of thousands of websites are inaccessible in Turkey, with citizens and foreigners turning to VPNs to access the Western media as well as some of the popular social media sites that have been banned in the country.

The problem is that the use of a VPN can turn some people into a “person of interest” in the eyes of law enforcement agencies. However, it is worth adding that nobody had so far been punished just for using VPNs, but the use of such internet tools had been among the political reasons for going after some foreigners — according to digital rights activist Isik Mater.

Nevertheless, the German ministry advised citizens not to sign any documents that they do not understand and to request a lawyer when the situation with the authorities starts escalating.

Mater, who is also the research director at media freedom watchdog Turkey Blocks, said ISPs were able to detect the moment a person connected to a VPN, but could not reach the website the person clicked on.

“The only way the public authorities obtain personal information about people using the VPNs is through contacting the company which provides VPN services. But again, this means there is a political motive behind it,” she added.

Turkey Blocks regularly monitors internet censorship and blackout cases in Turkey. The group also reveals signs of interference and cyberattacks on critical infrastructure using real-time measurement techniques.

In addition to warning citizens of the potential harm of VPN usage, Turkey’s recent military incursion into northern Syria also prompted Germany to update its travel safety advice on eastern and southeastern regions of Turkey, while cautioning against visiting the country’s major cities where potential terror group attacks could target foreign nationals.

The warning coincided with the latest row between Berlin and Ankara over the detention of a lawyer who had been working on asylum cases in the German Embassy in the Turkish capital.