Gone are the days when people relied on messengers and other traditional methods to access information. Nowadays, it seems easy to access and reach a wide array of information, regardless of your geographical location, thanks to technological advancement. However, you can still run into certain restrictions when accessing content and information from specific sites.
There are several reasons why some sites are restricted or blocked for certain user groups. The government may be censoring content and sites to prevent certain users from accessing information such as pornography, abuse, and other unfavorable content. Another reason why you might be unable to access certain content is due to your location. The site owners may be restricting access from your particular area; thus, you won’t be able to view their content.
Apart from the site owners, the government may use your geographic location to limit access to internet content for political and economic purposes. For instance, a government may restrict content access to certain sites in their country to comply with sanction policies. As a business or company owner, it’s important to comply with the set rules and regulations surrounding these policies to avoid falling under the implemented restrictions.
The following article discusses easy ways to bypass censorship to access restricted sites and content. These easy-to-use and effective techniques include the use of VPN, proxy websites, and more. Keep reading.
1. Use Of VPN
As mentioned above, it’s common nowadays to run into restrictions when accessing content from specific sites. While this may help protect the general public from certain threats, it could prevent you from watching your favorite shows, for example. A virtual private network (VPN) may help you bypass such restrictions, making it easier to access your preferred content.
A VPN helps you bypass site restrictions by changing your internet protocol (IP) address. An IP address is used by most services to determine your location and provide a customized experience such as adverts. Changing your IP address will make you appear in a different location on most sites; hence you can unblock their content if it’s allowed in that area.
There are several ways you can get a VPN to bypass restricted content and sites. Over the last few years, there have been several free VPN services you can choose from. However, it’s important to understand that some of these service providers may sell you data to make a profit. For this reason, it’s important to conduct extensive research to determine the reputation of a vendor to save your data from dishonest vendors out there.
Take your time to go through the provided testimonials to gauge the reputation and credibility of the service provider. If the vendor has many negative reviews, that might be your cue to move to the next free service provider.
On the other hand, you might decide to pay for a secure VPN service. These providers require you to pay upfront before you can access their services. With so many service providers you can choose from, it can be overwhelming to choose the right VPN for your activities. You may visit EarthWeb to learn more about reputable service providers you can consider reaching out to. However, ensure you conduct your own background checks to understand their pricing and services to avoid paying more for similar services.
2. Use A Proxy Server
Source: lydra.frThis is another way you can use to access restricted sites and content. Proxy servers act as a middleman between the user and the destination site. First, the user will connect to the proxy server and direct it to connect with the server of the destination site. The proxy server connects to the site’s server on behalf of the user.
Since it’s the proxy server that connects to the site’s server, the destination site won’t know it’s the user who made the request and is trying to access its content. In other words, the user is hiding behind the proxy server to access a site. Thus, the site cannot confirm which country the user is from, thereby allowing you to bypass geographical and even government restrictions.
The major difference between VPN and proxy is that the latter tends to only work with specific applications, for instance, your web browser, instead of your whole connection. Also, it doesn’t encrypt all web traffic; instead, it changes your IP address to a location where you can access a site’s content. While this might be ideal if you want to visit a site quickly, you should be extra cautious when using a proxy to avoid issues concerning safety and security.
One of the easiest ways to use proxies is browser extensions. However, this also means that only traffic from your browser will be routed to the specific IP address and not from any other app or service. Also, if you want to protect your data, you might consider getting one that uses Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) encryption to ensure your traffic is encrypted.
Just like VPN, there are several free proxies you can choose from. However, it would be best if you understood that some of these service providers might sell your data to make a profit. For this reason, you might consider getting a paid service to protect your data.
3. Try The IP Address
Source: windowsreport.comSome site blocking software may target only the domain name and not the site’s IP address. Thus, using the IP address may allow you to access restricted sites and contents. Over the years, there have been several tools you can use to find an IP address. You can simply type in the domain you would like to know the IP address for. Next, copy the IP address and paste it into your browser. Then, you’ll be directed to the site and access its content even if the domain name has been blocked.
Bottom Line
As mentioned above, you might encounter restrictions when you’re trying to access content from specific sites. While this may be caused by your geographic location, government and site owners may restrict content to certain user groups. However, there are ways you can use to bypass this censorship and access your preferred content. But you should be extra cautious to avoid breaking the restriction policies.
