In this tutorial, we will show you the steps to bypass geo-restricted websites, streaming channels, etc. The World Wide Web is your gateway to unlimited content. Be it games, software, music, or TV show, and there’s an ocean of contents available at your fingerprint. Recently, we have seen quite a spike in streaming services. Be it Hulu, Disney Netflix, or Amazon Prime, and these video streaming services are definitely seeing a surge in their usage. The reason behind this surge is quite simple. During this lockdown period, these streaming services come out to be one of the major stress buster and time-killer. Apart from that, there are also some music and games websites that are witnessing huge traffics.
However, while using these services, you might come across some content that remains inaccessible. The content remains there, but the creators or service providers restrict it for your region. This geo-restriction happens for quite a lot of reasons. It may be that the said service didn’t have licensing rights for that region, or it has been blocked on some grounds.
Whatever the reason may be, it is definitely of everyone’s dislike. In these times, when we have bypassed the physical boundaries in the digital world, facing geo-restriction curtails this internet freedom. Fortunately, there still exist some nifty workarounds through which you easily bypass these geo-restricted websites, streaming channels, etc. So without further ado, let us check them out.
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Bypass Geo-Restrictions Website, Streaming Channel, etc
When you try to access any content, that content provider maps your IP Address and determines your location. Then on the basis of this data, it determines whether you should be allowed to access the contents or not. But what if you camouflage this IP address and tricks the ISP into believing that you are browsing the net from any other location? Yes, it is very much possible, and by doing so, you could also access blocked content. In this guide, we will be sharing four different methods through which you could easily bypass and access geo-restricted contents, be it streaming services, music, or any file.
Use a VPN Service
VPN or Virtual Private Network helps in masking your current IP Address to some other regions from where you could access geo-restricted contents. These VPN services route your device’s internet connection through a there specific private server, rather than going through your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Suppose you reside in India, and the private server that you are using is of the US region. Then any website that you browse will believe that you are actually residing in the US and accessing that site from the said region rather than India. As a result, you could easily access the contents that would have been geo-restricted for your home country.
The only complaint that some of you might have is a reduction in network speed. This happens sometimes but largely depends on the encryption technique that your VPN uses.
Connect to a Proxy Server
Sometimes people end up taking VPN and Proxy as a single entity. Although the end goal is quite similar, however, they work quite differently. The proxy server acts as a middleman to your application (like Chrome browser) and the internet world. These Proxy services allow you to select a server of any particular region like the US, Germany, etc. As a result, the connection will then originate from that proxy server of that country, rather than from your ISP’s.
These proxy services work on an application basis and not system level. For example, if you use a US proxy server while browsing the net via Chrome, then this server change will only be reflected in this browser. If you launch open any other browser, you will still be using your original server.
Furthermore, Proxy servers are less secure than a VPN. This is because, unlike Virtual Private Networks, they aren’t encrypted. Therefore it is always advised to use a proxy for small tasks like watching Youtube videos, downloading contents from other regions, etc.
Use a Smart DNS service
Many users are increasingly using smart DNS to bypass geo-restricted websites. These Smart DNS services work by modifying the real DNS address that has been assigned to you by your ISP. It doesn’t modify your IP address; rather, it deals with those DNS that is responsible for your geo-location. By changing its value, it allows you to access blocked content through a dedicated proxy server.
This would make the website believe that you are actually browsing from a location through which Smart DNS service has routed your traffic. But similar to a proxy, it lacks encryption, so don’t use to carry out any confidential tasks on these services. Furthermore, nowadays, many ISPs could easily block these Smart DNS services using a transparent proxy. So always make a note of this factor before using it.
Use the Tor browser
If you are a privacy freak, then you might have definitely heard of the Tor browser. Using the concept of onion routing, it uses a three-layer of proxy and hence anonymizes your connection. Your data is first transmitted through multiple servers or relays. This creates a multi-layered encryption relays and makes sure you remain anonymous throughout.
Each encrypted layer is then decrypted at each successive relays, and the remaining data is then transferred to any of the random relays. This process is carried out until the data reaches its ultimate destination. However, since the number of layers in Tor is limited and the users not so much, you might face occasion network drops while using the Onion routing service. Still, it is a pretty nifty gateway to access blocked content on the internet.
Conclusion
So this concludes our guide on how to bypass geo-restricted websites and access contents, including blocked websites, streaming channels, and more. We have shared four different methods for the same. Each one has its advantages as well as some caveats. It ultimately depends on the user which one he or she opts for. We would also love to hear from you which one is your preferred mode of the connection while accessing blocked content. Do let us know your views in the comments section below. Before rounding off, do check out our detailed iPhone Tips and Tricks, PC tips and tricks, and Android Tips and Tricks as well.
What do you think about NordVPN right now? I’ve seen a few articles published that their user count has increased exponentially, even I personally started using them last week. Their pricing is great and their service is working as expected.