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Let’s set the scene. Your favorite TV show just returned for its next season. You’ve been waiting months — if not years — to find out what happens to your favorite characters and to see that twist pay off. You’re also getting ready for an international trip.
Perfect, you think. You’ll have something to watch while you recover from jetlag in your hotel or wait for trains and flight transfers. Then, you arrive at your international destination, open up your reliable streaming platform, and press play, only to receive a notification that the content isn’t available in your country.
Congratulations/our condolences. You’ve encountered a geo-block.
What Is Geo-Blocking?
Geo-blocking is a practice that restricts your access to content depending on your location. Generally, geo-blocks are related to international borders. You’re not as likely to encounter one when crossing over from, say, California to Oregon. That said, geo-blocks sometimes still apply to local newspapers and publications on smaller scales like state lines.
When you try to access content or a website that is blocked for one of several reasons in any given location, you’ll receive a notification that you don’t have access.
How Does Geo-Blocking Work?
As the name implies, geo-blocking works through geo-location. The location where you’re accessing a platform or website is identified through your IP address. Unless you’re intentionally blocking or redirecting your IP address (more on that later!), it will tie you to a fairly specific location.
If your location isn’t in an approved region, you’ll be blocked from the content and refused access to the site or content.
When Are You Likely To Encounter Geo-Blocking?
Geo-blocking is very common. Here are some of the main places and reasons you’ll encounter a geo-block.
- Streaming platforms. Streamers like Netflix and Amazon license content to make it available on their platforms. These licensing deals vary from country to country, so different content is available depending on where you’re accessing the platform from.
- Online financial services. Some financial institutions impose geo-blocks on their services, whether it’s as simple as a credit card account or as complex as trading stocks or bonds for your retirement account. These geo-blocks may be an attempt to avoid fraud, or they may be connected to legal restrictions.
- Countries with different privacy laws. Different countries have different privacy laws. If a particular website or service doesn’t comply with the local privacy requirements, for instance, it may be geo-blocked, even if you’re able to use it in your home country.
- Countries with different content restrictions. There are also countries with more restrictive regimes that dictate what content is and is not appropriate. So, a movie or even a website that you access regularly at home could be off-limits while abroad.
- Local news and research. If you have a job or a personal interest that requires research, relevant news articles or publications may limit access outside a certain region. This type of geo-blocking is the main one you’re likely to encounter even if you don’t travel abroad; sometimes, local newspapers will geo-block users from out of state.
- Your device’s app store. When you register for your phone’s app store, you register your country. Different apps are licensed in different countries, so if you’re abroad, you can lose access to apps. Even if you never uninstall the app, knowing your new region geo-blocks it, required updates can prevent you from logging in or using its usual functions.
Why Is Geo-Blocking a Problem?
Geo-blocking can be hugely annoying. It impacts our ability to share culture, news, and information. Of course, it’s important to respect local laws and regulations, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating. On top of that, it can cause legitimate issues if you’re traveling for a long period or if you relocate permanently to a foreign country.
For instance, your credit card information is stolen while you’re away from your home country. The app — where you could easily lock or cancel your card to prevent someone from using it — is geo-locked.
You now have to wait for business hours, possibly with a substantial time difference, to call the credit card company directly to make your request. If you’re lucky, they have a toll-free number. If not, you’re not only losing valuable time to protect yourself and being seriously inconvenienced. You’re also spending money you could’ve fixed at home for free.
Getting a temporary phone number while abroad for an extended period is one thing. Needing to get local credit cards to avoid safety concerns that arise due to geo-blocking is a whole other level of inconvenience.
Can You Bypass a Geo-Block?
This is the good news: it is possible to bypass geo-blocks.
The best way to do so depends on the type of geo-block and your personal ethics. There are situations where bypassing a block is necessary and others where you may be more comfortable shrugging and abiding by a region’s restrictions.
It’s also worth noting that, by definition and design, geo-blocks are using personal, identifiable information to impose the block. If internet privacy is important to you, you’ll probably want to bypass geo-blocks regardless of a specific instance because you’ll want to ensure third parties can’t access your IP address.
VPNs
If your priority is masking your IP address, it’s time to get to know Virtual Private Networks or VPNs.
VPNs route your internet traffic through a server in another part of the world and encrypt your connection. Things like browsing data and cookies are obscured by the encryption, and basic information like your location are hidden by the rerouting.
VPNs are useful in professional environments where you need to access sensitive or proprietary data from a satellite office or while working remotely. And they can be incredibly simple to install with Burner VPN.
Once you’ve upgraded your Burner line to a Premium line, just follow these steps:
- Open the Burner app.
- Tap VPN at the bottom of the inbox.
- Tap the middle start button to connect.
Couldn’t be easier! Plus, Burner VPN has a strict no-logging policy, ensuring your online activity is never tracked or recorded. Your internet traffic is encrypted and routed through secure VPN servers, making it difficult for anyone to monitor your online behavior.
Proxy Servers
If you want something cheaper and simpler than a VPN, try a proxy server. Proxy servers access the information you’re looking for on your behalf, acting as a — surprise — proxy. So, if your proxy server is located in another country, it can help evade a geo-block.
Similar to VPNs, proxy servers also hide your IP address due to how they re-route your usage.
There are many free proxy servers out there. There are also web-based proxy servers, where you simply input the website you’re trying to access into a secondary address bar. They’re accessible and easy to use, but be careful.
Proxy servers aren’t intended for encryption or security in the same way VPNs are. While good ones may protect you, be sure to do a little research on the proxy you’re using before accessing private or sensitive data.
Local Phone Number
It’s not a geo-block, strictly speaking, but it’s common for some websites, apps, and even online stores and restaurant reservation services to refuse to accept foreign phone numbers. If you’ve permanently moved to a new country, you’ll want to get a new number anyway. But if you’re traveling temporarily or are only away for a set time for work, it can be a huge hassle.
Instead of getting a second phone or dealing with a new wireless plan, set yourself up with a custom phone number in the local area and country code. That way, you can access what you need unrestricted from an app on your phone. It’s also a great way to protect your privacy and peace of mind generally.
No more endless spam texts from that club promoter you used one time in Vegas. Instead, set up a new phone number with Burner when you need it and mute or deactivate it when you don’t.
Digital Borders in a Global World
Geo-blocks can be a frustrating interruption — and when it comes to dealing with finances or professional matters while traveling, they create safety and productivity complications … which are only some of the issues that arise when your IP address is accessible to third parties.
Protecting your information is key to online safety and general privacy. When it comes to geo-blocks, putting as much distance as possible between identifiable data and your internet use offers even more advantages.
If you’re looking to take control of your digital life, let Burner be your passport to browse how you want, where you want.
Sources:
Virtual Private Networks | National Cyber Security Centre
Proxy Server | National Computer Security Resource Center
What Is Geo-Blocking and How Can You Get Around It | The Business Standards
