Have you tried to access certain websites or services on the internet, but were unsuccessful because of your age, country, region, school, or work? It is truly an annoying experience.
Each device that accesses the internet has a unique identity or footprint called the “Internet Protocol” (IP) address. While your IP address identifies your device on the internet, it also reveals your physical location. Network administrators or content providers use signals from your IP address to determine whether your device is or is not allowed to access or view certain services or sites on the internet.
Fortunately, you can easily bypass these restrictions if you use a virtual private network (VPN). In this article, learn how to use a VPN to unblock websites, access web services, and defeat censorship.
Why Do Websites or Services Get Blocked?
There are many reasons you can be restricted from accessing or viewing a particular site or service, such as:
- Work and school restrictions
- Geo-restricted content
- Censorship
Work and School Restrictions
Your workplace or school might restrict access to certain content for a number of reasons. Perhaps the network is configured to block “adult” content or work. School sites and services may be restricted to particular computers. Sometimes, they could be preventing you from streaming videos or music. Your school or work is often only worried about bandwidth and productivity, or adult content at school.
Geo-restricted Content
Online-contents are not similar in different regions. This is referred to as geo-restricted content. Online streaming services and sites, such as Spotify, Netflix, and Disney+, have licensing agreements for the content they provide, which specify where to deliver the content. For example, Netflix in the US has a different collection of content compared to other countries. People living abroad (outside the US) can use VPNs to mask their location or set their location preference to appear as though they’re in the US.
The same happens for other services and countries with restricted content.
Censorship
Some governments censor what their citizens can view within their borders. For instance, in China, you’ll not be able to access Twitter and Facebook. People in such countries, where online content is censored, can resort to a VPN service to unblock censored services and websites.
How Does a VPN Unblock Websites and Services?
If an online site or service is restricted, you can use a private Internet to easily and reliably outsmart content blocks, and view what you want. A VPN will:
- Hide your IP address, device, browser history, and internet activities
- Masks your true location
- Reroute your traffic through an encrypted, remote server, so it can’t be manipulated, inspected, or censored
- Allow you to choose a virtual location
- Encrypt your connection (web traffic) to unblocks the restricted content you want
When a VPN encrypts your traffic, it prevents snoopers – such as government, ISP, school, or workplace network administrators – from reading your online content or internet activities. This allows you to access restricted sites and services successfully, including the geo-restricted ones.
How to Use VPN To Unblock Websites and Services?
A VPN is easy to use, and setting up one will take you only a few minutes. Nowadays there are many VPN’s to choose from, which is why it’s important to shop around before choosing one. For example, the private internet access vpn provider is a popular option, which is easy to see on their review page. Here’s how to use a VPN to unblock websites services:
- Choose your preferred VPN. Ensure it is a suitable VPN from a reputable service provider such as ExpressVPN, NordVPN, or CyberGhost.
- Download the VPN and install the software in your device. Ensure it is the right version from the official site.
- Connect your PC or device to the internet.
- Ensure the VPN is switched on and select a server location to browse from. If you aim to access a geo-restricted service, configure your VPN server to the location where the content you want is available. If you’re only seeking to hide your IP address and secure your traffic, you can select a worldwide or optimal location to experience the fastest speeds.
- Now anonymous, try accessing the restricted site or app. You should be able to view it normally
- If you can view the site normally, try clearing your cache and cookies, then refresh your browser before trying again
You can now get unlimited access to the sites you wanted to access. With VPN, your data cannot be seen or censored because your device remains absolutely anonymous while online.
What More Does a VPN Do?
A VPN does more than just blocking your IP address or encrypting your traffic. Other ways that a VPN can help you include:
- Stop password and data theft
- Protecting your online privacy
- Preventing speed throttling
Conclusion
Perhaps your school or workplace uses a very keen web-filtering software application, or your streaming site is only available in a particular region. Maybe your government doesn’t want you to view some content, use a given service, or read some information online. When all these happen, resort to using a VPN to unblock websites and servers.
We’ve shown you have to use a VPN to unblock websites and services and bypass restrictions, and we believe this information is valuable to you.
