Have you ever tried to access a given website but all you could see was that one information that the platform is unavailable at your location? If yes, you must have been wondering why certain web pages are blocked for some part of the Internet users while not for others. It’s all about geo-blocking, and in this article, we will focus on ways to get around this type of restriction.
What is geo-blocking?
The main goal of geo-blocking is restricting the access to certain content online to users from a given location. It might be imposed either by the company that owns a website or a government of a country. It uses the location of your devices, traceable through your IP address. The reasons for geo-blocking may vary, as this kind of restriction can appear on different platforms, from YouTube to AirBnB or Spotify. Either some elements of a platform or the whole idea it’s based on might be banned in your region, for example, due to the binding laws.
The way geo-blocking works is, in fact, really simple. As your device connects to the Internet, it acquires its own IP address that can be traced with high accuracy. Whenever you enter a website, your IP address is sent to a given server. If you are in the region where the content you wish to see is unavailable, the website will know it and will block the content. It’s not possible to use the Internet without this IP address that, in a way, gives you away, however, this does not mean that you will never be able to access certain content. You don’t even have to move to another location, as there are much easier tools to achieve the same result.
How to get around geo-blocking?
There are a few ways to go around geo-blocking. The most popular one is the use of a VPN service. Every year, this type of technology is getting more and more popular as it has numerous benefits for various users. It ensures safety and anonymity, which means that it allows bypassing geo-blocking on any website.
A VPN service creates a sort of tunnel and connects you with a server, usually located in another country. This creates a closed connection that prevents hackers from stealing your data and infecting your devices, and, at the same time, the servers of all websites are unable to precisely locate your device. It does not mean that you do not have an IP address anymore, but simply that it’s not leading back to your real location.
Another option to bypass geo-blocking is to use proxy servers, which were highly popular before the era of VPN. They operate as a sort of intermediary that steps between you and the Internet service. Proxy servers transfer your traffic through some remote servers, which means that a given website cannot precisely localize your device and block the content.
Some websites work the other way, instead of blocking their content, they give access to it to the users from the regions that restrict certain forms of entertainment. An example might be an online casino that is not legal in every place in the world. However, the players from all countries can access a given platform, for example, the best online casinos in India, because they mostly operate outside these countries. However, it’s important to choose only safe, tried-and-tested, secure websites, such as Asiabet, to make sure that you and your money are protected when playing online. Once you choose a safe casino from the ones listed on the already mentioned platform, you can have fun from any place in the world.
Is it worth getting around geo-blocking?
Bypassing geo-blocking through the use of available methods, like a VPN service, has a lot of advantages, not only because you can access the content you wouldn’t be able to see otherwise. Sometimes, geo-blocking proves to be useful when you are trying to get the best offer for flight tickets or hotel rooms. Quite often, when you visit the same website for the second time, the price goes up. If you avoid geo-tracking, you might still take advantage of the previous offer as the website does not know that you already visited it before.
