Geo-location Restrictions occurs when you try to access a website or page and get a warning saying the content isn’t available in your location. This in-depth 10-minute article will help you understand geo-restriction tech, how to avoid it, if it’s legal, and why it’s utilized.
Streaming videos are abundant online. Video streaming services are growing in popularity among customers and suppliers, along with other internet-accessible material. In 2017–2023, Digital TV Research predicts 409 million new video streaming subscriptions worldwide, reaching Geo-location Restrictions million. Despite internet expansion and globalization, geography still hurts us. We believe a misconception that the internet has no physical borders and that we may freely share and consume anything regardless of where we reside.
Internet freedom is declining due to geo-restriction in several countries. North America and Australia rigorously enforce geo-restriction. Asia, the Middle East, South America, and Africa lack geo-restrictions regulations. Only the EU is prosecuting geo-blocking. Paid online content providers must provide “roaming” within the EU under EU digital media portability legislation, which went into effect in April 2018.
How Do Geo-location Restrictions Work?
Geo-restrictions are feasible because websites may know your location when you connect. When your device requests a connection, a website only needs to check if it’s whitelisted or blacklisted. If blocked, it will send you to a regional page (as Netflix does to your country’s library). The website can also reject your connection request and tell you the service isn’t accessible in your country.
Geo-location Restrictions —Why does it exist?
Geo-location Restrictions allows organizations to restrict information and services based on geography. Netflix US demonstrates geo-restriction. This platform redirects users from other regions to their local content libraries rather than the US. Your .2. Use a proxyis visible to websites when you view their content. Every internet-connected gadget has an IP address. By determining your IP address, service providers reveal information. It can tell your browsing region but not your specific location.
Because broadcasting content in every country requires license, geo-restrictions are frequently implemented. Content suppliers must pay a lot for country licensing rights. This arrangement made sense for television and radio, when countries had their own channels, audiences, and funds. Recent Rethink Technology Research indicated that SVOD viewing time will climb sufficiently to match broadcast TV viewing time globally.
While most media consumption has moved to video streaming subscriptions, content licensing still follows the old rules, causing issues in the internet ecosystem. With the world so connected, a foreigner should be able to visit a website. Fortunately, there are four techniques to avoid geo-restrictions while streaming anything, notably video:
1. Hide Your IP with a VPN
- VPNs encrypt internet connections between devices and networks.
- It connects your network to a proxy server to hide your IP and location. It then gives you a simulated location.
- VPN tunneling hides web data and makes activities nearly untraceable.
- Virtual private networks work on the browser and system. You can modify the IP address of any app on your PC or phone.
- Every VPN offers different services at different prices. This implies you need the right VPN for your streaming platform.
- Many reliable lists of the top VPN services for streaming platforms exist. There are instructions on what VPN features to look for before giving it your data.
- Simply google “Best VPN for” + “Name of the streaming platform” to find the best VPN for your streaming platform.
- The “Best VPNs for Kodi” search returns multiple web resources, including TheBestVPN’s 2019 list of 12 well-tested Kodi VPNs. The top three Kodi-compatible VPNs are ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and CyberGhost.
- The “Best VPN for Netflix,” “Best VPN for Hulu,” “Best VPN for YoutTube,” and similar searches will also yield a list of tested VPNs that work well with each streaming platform.
Major VPN drawbacks:
- It doesn’t function with Chromecast, Xbox, or Apple TV.You may experience slower browsing. However, VPN protocol and encryption determine this.
- A proxy server connects a client device like a computer or mobile phone to a server that provides the service.
- It uses an IP address to visit the client-requested website.
- Additionally, local caching speeds up website replies by returning previously seen pages without relaying requests to the web.
Major Proxy Server drawbacks:
Some servers overcrowd and have huge downtime. The proxy website blocks Netflix and Hulu content behind the login wall.3.
Use SmartDNS
- Start DNS simply changes your ISP-assigned DNS address.
- It bypasses location-revealing DNS entries instead of modifying the IP address. A dedicated proxy server immediately redirects your connection to the website’s location. This suggests you’re in a country where restricted content is allowed.
- It just reroutes geographically relevant details, so speed isn’t affected. It doesn’t encrypt, so you can use your ISP speed to view geo-restricted content.
Negatives of Smart DNS Services:
The pre-unblocked list doesn’t include all regional websites. Your ISP may block Smart DNS with a transparent proxy.
Tor Browser
- Tor is a free service that hides IP addresses to allow anonymous internet browsing.
- Onion Routing encrypts and transmits data across relay servers. Data is sent through numerous relays, creating multi-layered encryption and hiding your identity.
- The subsequent relay decrypts each encrypted layer and sends the leftover data to any random relay until it reaches its destination.
TOR major drawbacks:
The TOR network has 6000–7000 relays and 2 million users, therefore surfing is slow. Governments can block TOR.
What does geo-blocking aim to achieve?
Geo-blocking may be used for ideological, political, or commercial reasons. Depending on the organization that created it, it differs. Authoritarian regimes aim to regulate what their people view and do on the internet. Because of license agreements and copyrights, entertainment companies attempt to control how content is used.
However, it’s not always clear why a website like Netflix or Hulu is blocking your access. For instance, based on the user’s real location and the applicable local laws, a YouTube video may be blocked for copyright or ideological grounds. Geo-blocking enables content restriction depending on the perceived location of the device, whether it is employed for legal compliance or internet control.
How is geo-blocking implemented?
The way geo-blocking operates is by restricting access to IP addresses that fall inside predetermined IP ranges. These IP ranges are typically consistently linked to certain physical places. This is the most popular and efficient way for websites to allow access to some geographical areas (such Europe, Australia, and the United Kingdom) while preventing access to others.
However, the venom is frequently also the medication. One method that both proxies and virtual private networks (VPNs) offer to get around those bans is IP masking.
Does Netflix have geoblocks?
It is safe to presume that all streaming services, including Netflix, Sling, and BBC iPlayer, are geoblocked. A license agreement established between them and copyright owners, often known as studios, requires them all to negotiate terms and adhere to regulations, including with regard to original work.
How lawful is geo-blocking?
Regarding rules and regulations, geo-blocking is in the gray area. Legal presumptions and interpretations can differ between jurisdictions.
Conclusion
Geo-restriction can be implemented because your IP address is visible online, so hiding your IP while streaming geo-blocked content is recommended. VPNs and Smart DNS services are safer and faster than proxy websites and TOR. Online restrictions are annoying and against the internet’s nature.
If we can’t change the situation, we’ve adapted, and that’s enough for now. This guide will help you overcome any obstacles. However, choose your protection level carefully. All of the above alternatives are workable, but a VPN is preferable for speed and security. Which method worked best? Tell us in comments!