Discord is banned in Turkey and Russia – users claim they ‘just lost their entire community’.

Russia banned Discord, and Turkey followed shortly after, claiming the app violated the law by failing to remove illegal content from its platform and refusing to help authorities.

The ban on the popular instant messaging platform has left countless people cut off from their online communities. However, as unfortunate as it is, this is not the first time that Russia (or Turkey) has banned Western platforms: YouTube was also recently restricted in Russia.

The good news is that it is possible to regain access to Discord (and other blocked sites) in Russia and Turkey with the help of a VPN. Read on to find out why these countries banned Discord and how you can use today’s best VPNs to unblock government-restricted content.

Why is Discord banned?

The ban is a result of Discord “violating Russian law” and came after Discord refused to remove flagged items deemed illegal. Roskomnadzor, Russia’s internet regulator, last week ordered Discord to remove about 1,000 channels and pages from its platform.

Basically, any content that criticizes the Russia-Ukraine war or any Russian official, supports LGBT activism, or promotes Kremlin opposition content is considered illegal under Russian law. Discord couldn’t remove all of this content from its platform, so it did. banned throughout the country.

Roskomnadzor stated that the ban was enforced to prevent the platform from being used for, among other things, extremist purposes, selling drugs and publishing illegal information. It’s also worth noting that Discord was fined by a Moscow court last month for “failing to remove prohibited information.”

Discord was also fined by a Moscow court last month for “failing to remove prohibited information.”

Interestingly, however, the Russian government, by banning Discord, has angered the Russian military, which has been using the app to coordinate troops on the battlefield in the country’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine. According to reports, the sudden ban on Discord caught the Russian military off guard and as a result they were left without proper communications.

Discord isn’t the first Western app Russia has banned. Popular platforms such as Facebook, X and Instagram are also restricted, making it difficult for people in Russia to stay in touch and stay up-to-date with news from around the world.

Banning Discord in Turkey
Turkey banned Discord after the company failed to hand over requested user data to the government. Authorities claimed to have evidence that the platform was being used by bad actors to commit crimes of obscenity and child sexual abuse. One such case includes the glorification of the murder of two women in Istanbul earlier this month.

Turkish authorities said that Discord refused to share any IP addresses and content with them to allow them to monitor and prevent crimes and illegal activities, which is why it has been banned.

Note that Discord has said that it is aware that the service is “inaccessible” in Russia and Turkey and is investigating the matter.

How to access Discord

If you’re currently in Russia or Turkey, or plan to travel there soon, and want to continue using Discord, a secure VPN is the answer.

All you need to do is open the VPN app and connect to a server outside Russia or Turkey. A virtual private network (VPN) spoofs your real IP address and tricks ISPs into thinking you’re physically on the same VPN server. This helps you bypass geo-restrictions and government-imposed bans on all kinds of sites, including platforms like Discord, Instagram and X, independent news channels and even streaming services like Netflix and BBC iPlayer.

A VPN also encrypts your web traffic by routing it through an end-to-end encrypted tunnel on one of its own servers and not your ISP. This will keep your messages and the data you share on the Internet private. Also, we recommend connecting to VPN servers in privacy havens like Switzerland for even better privacy and security from prying eyes.

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