Have you ever encountered a situation when you heard about a show on social media, looked it up on the respective platform, but could not find it? But how is it possible that a friend of yours living in another part of the world can watch it on the same platform? Welcome to the concept of geo-blocking.
The USP of any streaming platform is the content it holds. And for every region of the world, they reserve content rights. Hence it can be said that geo-blocking is a crucial asset used by platforms, internet providers, and the government to create a parameter of what can be accessed in a certain region.
Now to understand how geo-blocking is implemented and why the concept of it exists, you’ll have to read this article. It also answers the question that most of you might have, i.e., how to bypass geo-blocking.
Let’s begin!
What is Geo-Blocking?
Geo-blocking is the process that helps website owners segregate their content and services based on the user’s region. It mainly keeps an internet user away from three issues –
- Accessing the content from anywhere else in the world.
- Ability to identify a particular service outside its serviceable area.
- Understanding of pricing for the same goods across the globe.
If we look at this concept from the perspective of a service provider or a platform, it is a great way to leverage regional differences. For instance, a product on Amazon might appear expensive in the US, while the same product may be cheap in a country where it is being mass manufactured.
The same goes for content as well. Rights for shows and movies are expensive in a particular region (mostly where they are created) and cheaper in countries where people aren’t aware of it. Streaming partners buy the content to expand their library and take the rights for other countries.
But that means a user who wants to watch something or access a service on priority has to pay more than someone who is not aware of it properly. This is the reason why a user must be concerned about geographical restrictions.
Read Also: Free Vs Paid VPN – Is the Risk Worth the Price?
How Does Geo-Blocking Work? Why does it Exist?
Now that you know the concept, let us take a deeper dive into how it works.
The technology behind geo-blocking, however, is becoming more and more obsolete. The key player here is your IP address. When you visit their website, companies and service providers can access your IP address. Your IP address is the online home address that lets an individual know much about you.
Once a website understands where you reside, you are shown a feed specifically curated for your country or region.
Gambling and fantasy sports applications are the best examples of this concept. You can easily access thousands of such apps from the Play Store as long as these are legal in your country. If you want to use these applications in your country where they are not legal, you might not be able to use them.
At the end of the day, it is all about licensing what you do online. And to license or make anything profitable, you need to find a clientele. Geo-blocking helps a business do exactly that. The key factor to pay attention to here is that your IP address plays a crucial role in helping brands and services curate the content you have access to.
How to Bypass Geo-Blocking?
So far, what we have understood about geo-blocking is that –
- It is a process that helps businesses, service providers, and jurisdictions to manage what type of information, data, and content is available for users based on their region.
- The idea is to leverage content demand and unavailability based on the user’s location.
- It allows a service provider to segregate pricing and services as required.
- It restricts a user from accessing a completely open internet as many things become out of limits when geographically restricted.
- The entire concept of geo-blocking strongly depends on the IP-identifying process, as every website you visit identifies your IP to limit your experience accordingly.
Knowing all of it, we know that the main source of geographical information about a user is the IP address. Hence, you need to change your IP address or hide it to bypass the same.
Here are 2 Ways you Can Bypass Geo-Blocking –
1. Use a VPN
A virtual private network has been around for a while now. The concept is an old one. However, it has surely gained much popularity over the past few years. That is because more and more people now understand exactly how services and websites are using geographical restrictions to their benefit.
Since changing or spoofing your IP address can help you appear from a different part of the world, using a VPN is an ideal solution. You can easily change your IP and use a different server to unlock access to the internet from a different country.
We recommend using Systweak VPN. The tool is easy to use, and the best part is its many features. To use the VPN client simply –
Step 1 – Download the VPN client.
Step 2 – Create an account using your email address.
Step 3 – Choose the server of your choice and connect!
It takes minutes to finish the process and is one of the best ways to use an unbiased and balanced internet.
Read Also: Top Features to Look for in a VPN
2. Setup a Proxy
A proxy server is a free substitute for VPN but with very limited features compared to a full-fledged VPN. You can manually set it up on your PC, provided you know the values related to setting up the proxy IP.
Take a look at the below steps to realize if you can do so or not –
Step 1 – Press Windows + I to bring up Settings.
Step 2 – Open the option from the left panel of the Window.
Step 3 – Find the Proxy option after scrolling down to Network & Security.
Step 4 – In the opened options, you will find an option that says Use a Proxy Server. Click on Setup to start configuring your proxy server.
Step 5 – You will find a dialog box once you click setup. Simply fill in the desired values and set up a proxy for your PC.
Besides these 2 ways, you can use third-party browsers, services, and applications. However, those are not as effective and as safe as the two that we have mentioned above.
Read Also: Block Third-Party Cookies on All Browsers
Geo-Blocking: Defeat Internet Censorship with Systweak VPN
At the end of the day, geo-blocking is just another way to control and limit the extent of internet use. We believe the internet is a free space, which should remain the same. If you want to use the internet in a raw manner with no restrictions, download Systweak VPN today.
With that being said, we have reached the end of this post. We have covered all the aspects that you might have required to understand the concept behind geo-logical restrictions. Feel free to drop your queries in the comments section in case you have any.
Thanks for reading. Good luck!
Next Read: Unblock YouTube Videos – 6 Ways to Bypass Regional Restrictions
