What is region-blocked content (and how to get around it)

When it comes to content access, the internet was intended to be the last word: you can search for whatever you want, whenever you want to. But one of these days, you may find that a video you want to see or a site you want to visit shows that it’s not available in your country.

You’ve just had your first encounter with region-locked content. This refer to content that, for whatever reason, is locked out from the rest of the world and is only accessible through that region’s servers or IP addresses.

Why?

Sometimes the reason for encountering region-locked content isn’t that bad – different content will have different kinds of publishers that are often under a licensing agreement that doesn’t let them publish content outside a specific region. This can be commonly attributed to translation issues and similar other concerns – all you really need to do is either wait for a translated version or find a third party that can get you the content you want to see.

Other times it’s this exact maze of archaic and unclear licensing rules that locks you out of this content, either due to mismanaging contracts or competitive clauses. Either way, as a consumer, you don’t get to see what you want to see, even if there’s really no valid reason behind why you’re locked out.

There are two possible ways to bypass these restriction via a region unblocker: proxies and VPNs.

Proxies

Proxies are the easiest way to bypass geo-restrictions when it comes to viewing locked content. There are many public proxy tools located online that you can easily use to mask your IP address or change it to something else that can get through the block.

You may even set your own browsers to use a proxy when it comes to browsing online. However, the biggest disadvantage of this approach is that it’s often not secured, and most proxy services don’t allow video streaming.

VPNs

On the other hand, Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs, can not only mask your IP address in order to unblock sites and change your country of origin, but their private networks can also adds a second layer of security by securing and encrypting your data.

While some VPNs aren’t free, there are others that provide the range of services that you need in order to bypass region locks and access the content you want. And of those free VPNs, several can even have add ons that further enhance your browsing experience while keeping your information and data secure.

Region locks may be a bummer, but they aren’t the last word when it comes to content you want to see. With a little research and help from the many tools available on the internet, you can enjoy the content you want to see without any restrictions at all.

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Download Hotspot Shield today through this link, or visit our website to learn more about the program and what it offers. For more blogs like this, you may read through all our blogs here.