Understanding Geo Restrictions and How You Can Bypass Them

There are many times we see a specific notification saying that the particular site cannot be accessed. Have you ever wondered why this is happening and why you get that pop-up message? The answer is pretty simple-geo-blocking.

What is Geo-Blocking?

The geo-blocking concept is straightforward, as its name suggests- geographical blocking. When a creator of any content or a website or anything that can be accessed via the internet, they get to decide if they want to make it available for the consumers or audience across the world or if they want it to be available to some particular region. There are many reasons why geo-blocking is applied.

Two of the main reasons are licensing agreements and censorship of internet usage. For example, Netflix is not licensed to be used in China. Hence one cannot watch any Netflix content if their IP is in China. Geo-blocking is deemed necessary in some countries, primarily to protect users who are minors from explicit content.

Some Examples of Geo-Blocked Sites

Videos may become inaccessible in some areas due to uploaders. This almost always indicates that a vengeful company has chosen you shouldn’t view a particular video because you are in a specific area.
Despite being a hindrance to affordable urban living, Airbnb is a valuable tool for travelers. However, not everyone can access it. You might be seeking a method to unblock Spotify since the app might be prohibited in your country or because some artists and tracks aren’t available there.

Even while Netflix is accessible in more than 190 countries, each one has a unique Netflix library, and this difference is not merely a result of the amount of locally produced content available. Netflix has license arrangements with the owners of the copyrights to the TV shows and movies it streams, allowing the service to do so in some nations. As a result, a show that is available on Netflix in the US could not be accessible in China. Other entertainment content that contains explicit material that includes violence and foul language also gets censored in many regions.
Check out how to watch US Netflix.

How Do You Get Geo-Blocked?

When your internet is connected to your device, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) provides an IP address that distinguishes a device on a network. So, your ISP is aware of your location, the devices you use, and your internet presence. When you visit a website, your IP is provided to the server, letting it know to which location to send the requested content. Therefore, it is possible to determine the location or region you are operating from; hence the censoring and limitations apply. This is also applicable to different apps. For example, calling apps are not available in the UAE.

Is Bypassing Geo-Blocking Legal?

You might think bypassing geo-block might not be legal, but rest assured that it is very much legal, and you will not be in any trouble trying to bypass restrictions to access content. This is because companies use geo-restrictions to coincide with their copyright and licensing rights. Therefore, bypassing geo-restriction will not result in breaching any legal restrictions, and hence it is not illegal.

How To Bypass Geo-block?

A secure and reliable VPN is the most convenient and popular method to bypass geo-restriction. VPNs have the ability to hide your internet activity. Let’s dive deeper into VPNs so you can get a clear idea.

VPNs are Virtual Private Networks that virtually give your network privacy. Pretty vague? VPNs have a separate and dedicated IP address that replaces your original IP address. The difference between the two is that your general IP address can be noted to find your activity and location, but a VPN IP address is entirely different and obscure. For example, you want to access content from other regions.

In that case, you must connect to a server of that particular region, and your VPN will automatically assign an IP address from that region. So, when the servers or ISP of those platforms want to restrict users from other locations, they won’t be able to because the IP address they detect for location is in the allocated regions.

VPNs are multi-purpose. The internet is a scary place where hacks and data theft are common. You might be next, and you would not even know. VPN protects you from data theft as well. Once connected to your device, VPNs create a separate route for your data to pass through safely. In addition, it encrypts your data so that no one except you and your receiver knows what data is passed through.

How To Use A VPN?

Using a VPN is as simple as it can get. Most VPNs are available for mobile phones, laptops, and TV. A small tutorial is listed down below to help you through.

• Download a VPN of your choice from PlayStore or AppStore, whichever supports your device.
• Install the VPN app and sign in.
• Purchase a Premium VPN subscription to the downloaded VPN. We prefer Premium subscriptions over free ones as they give access to more protocols and servers and are considered safe.
• Log in to your account and choose a server where you want to connect. You are now good to go.

Other Ways to Bypass Geo-Block

There are other ways to bypass geo-restrictions. One of them is using Proxy Servers. A proxy server works as a mediator between you and the server hosting the content you want to access. A proxy server acts in your place to access the information and provide it to you. You can get around geo-blocking if your proxy server is situated in another nation. Different proxy server types offer varying degrees of browsing anonymity; anonymous proxy servers, for instance, conceal your IP address. However, proxy servers cannot encrypt your data, so there is a possibility that your activity is exposed online.

Secondly, Smart DNS can be used. Smart DNS can change your DNS routing through another location, helping you bypass geo-restriction. Since the primary purpose of Smart DNS is to disguise location, all other details about your device and online behaviour remain public.

Conclusion

There is much quality content worldwide, but only a few can be accessible everywhere, as well as applications. In addition, many regions have some essential applications restricted. However, all these can be bypassed using a VPN and legally. So, bypass these restrictions, watch your favourite shows, and download applications you need to use regularly.