One of the internet exquisiteness is the freedom to access any content you wish. However, website censorship is significantly on the rise these days. That’s why the majority of people have turned to virtual private network services. But there is one problem as well; VPN blocks, which many platforms deploy today. So internet censorship is the procedure of making specific sites and contents inaccessible to users in a particular region or country. The government, alongside private corporations, censor the internet today. However, censorship is a challenge to internet freedom. No matter the reasons for it.
Censorship significantly reduces access to data on the internet which may be irritating. The irony is that sometimes, businesses and authorities block virtual private networks as these tools help bypass censorship. So what do you do when your virtual private network is blocked?
Virtual Private Network services work hard to keep you safe and anonymous every time you go online. But what happens when the thing that is designed to keep you safe is detected and blocked itself? This is known as VPN blocking, and it is a big issue. Some sites, governments, and even internet service providers actively search for VPN services and block their connections. TechNinjaPro has great news for you.
If you are worried about network censorship and virtual private network block, TechNinjaPro will show you how to bypass VPN blocks and benefit from your most wanted content on the internet.
Using a VPN is used to beat internet censorship in normal circumstances. All you want is to install a VPN and connect to a server located in a region where the content is not blocked. But that is not possible with every virtual private network out there. Content censorship deploys a top-notch anti-VPN system that can quickly detect your virtual private network and block it out. That is accurately how big corporations worldwide are blocking and banning virtual private networks in their regions.
Some regions have made the use of VPN illegal. If you have been using a virtual private network to access blocked content and suddenly know that it is no longer working, a virtual private network ban or block may be the reason.
- Why Are Some Sites and VPNs Blocked in Your Country?
- What are the Types of VPN Blocks?
- How to Bypass VPN Blocks?
- Best VPNs to Bypass VPN Blocks
Why Are Some Sites and VPNs Blocked in Your Country?
From copyright to censorship, there are numerous reasons why sites and VPNs might get blocked. To help you understand this problem in an inclusive way, TechNinjaPro will list the most common causes.
Government Censorship
In some regions or countries, governments impose strict internet censorship. Sites and VPNs can be blocked for many reasons, and sometimes these reasons are political. If the government feels that a website displays content that goes against the values of that country hold, they will ban it.
The government may block sites and VPNs that do not support the culture and value of their region so that residents cannot digest info that is contrary to a particular cause. Worse, these countries also regulate the use of virtual private networks, blocking vendor websites and app stores so you cannot download these services.
The most evident example of strict government censorship in China. Its firewall restricts all kinds of websites, including social media apps, Google, YouTube, and even some news sites. China also blocks some VPN services so that you cannot get around its rigid control. Some regions with digital restrictions include Iran, Turkey, and the UAE. Many social media platforms and streaming websites are banned in these countries, as are virtual private network services.
Countries or regions can ban VPN services and apps because of obvious reasons. Either the information available on site was against the government or hurting the sentiments of a particular segment of society. For example, Bangladesh and Pakistan have banned TikTok, Facebook-related content, from time to time because this type of content goes against the religious ideologies of the people living there.
Copyrights
Hulu, HBO, Netflix, and other streaming sites are unintentionally responsible for a vast amount of the world’s VPN sales. And the reason behind this drive for virtual private network services is geographical licensing restrictions. Some internet service providers limit virtual private network use to stop copyright infringement. While various virtual private network users engage in P2P haring to send and receive files like videos or images, other use torrenting for illegal piracy.
For example, you might have noticed that your region’s Netflix library does not include specific movies available in other regions of the world. That is because the platform did not buy the license to distribute these shows in your country or region. As a result, streaming platforms have to make sure that their content can be accessed only in the licensed regions. Unluckily, this simply means blocking virtual private network services and proxies.
Limiting virtual private network use blocks all VPN users, regardless of what they do online. But if your virtual private network can stop your internet service provider from seeing that you are using a VPN service, the internet service provider cannot interfere with your internet activities.
Colleges and Schools Restrictions
Internet censorship is common among educational institutions. It is no secret that some colleges, schools, or even offices block specific platforms like Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube for productivity reasons. A VPN is one of the premium ways to bypass these bans. Another reason for banning virtual private network services at schools or offices is the possibility of supervising network traffic, as VPNs make it impossible for internet service providers and network admins to access your browsing history.
Your network admin or ISP can use firewalls or other network filtering measures to stop you from using a virtual private network to access blocked sites. Censorship in educational institutions is ironic and bad for internet freedom. These educational institutions block content and VPN services, making it more tough for students to access the services and apps they need.
What are the Types of VPN Blocks?
Unluckily, there are different ways to block unwanted VPN traffic. TechNinjaPro described the most common ones below.
IP Blocks
When you connect to your virtual private network, it covers your real IP address and instead displays the server’s IP address. Blocklisting is one of the simplest VPN blocking. This means that when to head over to Netflix US while connected to a US server, Netflix will see a US IP address. Supposedly, this means any geo-restriction should be easy to get around. Many websites keep a log of identified virtual private network IP addresses. You are blocked straight away if you hop onto a server that uses an IP address on that list. This is why many VPN services cannot access websites with tough geo-blocks, like BBC iPlayer and Netflix.
Deep Packet Inspection
To impose censorship, some countries might use a method called Deep Packet Inspection. But how does it work? Well, first of all, you should be familiar with that all the information you transfer online is divided into data units called packets. A packet consists of two parts: the payload and the header.
Regular packet filtering examines only the header. However, deep packet filtering is a more advanced method that can examine the payload, detecting VPN traffic.
Port blocking
Some internet networks may try to block virtual private network connections by blocking regular connection ports used by VPN protocols. For example, OpenVPN uses either TCP port 443 or 1194 by default and blocking these ports will stop a VPN from connecting to a server.
How to Bypass VPN Blocks?
Now, you know a bit about why VPN services are blocked and how this blocking works. In this blog, TechNinjaPro will talk about possible solutions to bypass VPN blocks.
1. Try a Different Server
Businesses and sites can block groups of IP addresses of more popular virtual private network services, but no one has the time or the energy to block all VPN services. If the virtual private network you are using gets blocked, try switching to a different, well-known VPN. Even if the IP address you are using gets blocked, you can change to a different IP of the same VPN service by merely connecting to a different server.
To see the virtual private networks with the highest number of servers, ensure to click on the provided link. Having many servers, these VPN services tend to have sizeable pools of IP addresses. It means that you will get a chance to switch between different IP addresses easily.
2. Create Your Own VPN Server
If you like to mess with software and hardware, you should consider creating your own VPN server. There are various tutorials available about creating custom VPN servers. As you can guess, TechNinjaPro is all about VPN-related privacy and security.
3. Use a Different VPN Protocol
These days many VPN services come with a broad range of security protocols created for many purposes. While some of these are putting your security and privacy first, others bring a compromise and deliver excellent performance. TechNinjaPro is talking about a complete slate of VPN protocols such as PPTO, L2TP, OpenVPN, PPTP, SSTP, and more.
Depending on which VPN service you use, you will get to switch to new protocols. It is done by visiting the VPN settings panel and selecting a protocol.
4. Use a Different Type of Software
Aside from using a virtual private network to bypass any blocks, there is much available software to consider. All of these softwares are designed to grant you anonymity, and they manage to do that via different types of technology.
- Tor Browser: The Tor Browser is a browser that allows users to browse the internet anonymously. Tor nodes can simply be blocked, but you can bypass IP blocks on them through Tor bridges. The Tor browser can also avoid deep packet inspection through a technique called Onion Routing. It bounces communications through a network of relays that volunteers control.
- Shadowsocks: This software is actually common in China. Shadowsocks is an open-source proxy software used in this country to access geo-censored sites. TechNinjaPro is talking about an anti-GFW server and a Socks5 proxy developed by a Chinese developer.
- Psiphon: Psiphon is another open-source application used for bypassing VPN blocks. It is an amalgamation of different SSH, SSH+, VPNs, and HTTP proxy technologies.
Best VPNs to Bypass VPN Blocks
If your virtual private network got blocked, you might need to try another one. Here are some of the best VPN services that are known for bypassing VPN blocks.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is one of the high-speed VPN services that comes with 256-bit military-grade encryption and security measures. It provides a reliable and super-fast connection. ExpressVPN boasts high-speed connection rates, offers ample security, and helps users avoid a VPN ban on every portal online, including Netflix’s aggressive anti-VPN system.
Many people all over the world trust ExpressVPN because it guarantees access to websites with difficult geo-blocks, even if you are in Russia or China.
NordVPN
NordVPN is another great VPN service that provides more than 5000 servers in around 50 countries. Browsing the internet does not have to expose you to malicious programs and VPN blocks. It would keep you safe, whether you are accessing blocked content, shopping online, using a public network. This excellent VPN hides your IP address and uses obfuscated servers to maneuver VPN blocks worldwide.
Surfshark VPN
Surfshark is one of the VPN services offering a one-click installation and secure mechanism for users. You can use Surfshark on every device for maximum security and encryption against anti-VPN blocks as it provides unlimited simultaneous connections. It comes with a kill switch to remove your internet activity traces in case the connection drops.
Surfshark offers a massive number of servers so that you can use it to bypass VPN blocks, stream online content, or safely make online transactions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, High-quality VPN services are optimized to work on a range of different devices, so you can avoid blocks however you prefer to browse. They have extra features such as dedicated IP available to make sure that you can stay ahead of the blocks.
Yes, by using a quality VPN service, you will be able to watch titles available in any other country. When you connect to a server in another country, your location is hidden from your internet service provider. Then, when you connect to a streaming website such as Netflix, it will believe that you are in the same state as the server and allow you to watch that country’s titles.
Yes, A high-quality virtual private network will be able to get around blocks that the likes of proxies would not. Yet, TechNinjaPro would not recommend doing this without permission as you may run into unforeseen problems.
Conclusion
Although there are many techniques to block VPN traffic, do not get disheartened from getting a virtual private network if you still do not have one. Using high-quality and reliable VPN service will help users mitigate the risk of getting blocked in the first place. And if you get the alarming proxy error while watching Netflix or any other platform, you can try one of these suggested ways to bypass VPN blocks and set things right.
