THE MIS SING MANUAL VPNS
Access ALL Websites Blocked In The UK Visit restricted US sites Stay 100% safe & legal Best FREE VPNS Watch BBC iplayer p50 abroad
Is the open web under threat? If the sheer number of websites that are currently unavailable to UK users is anything to go by, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. From news sites to streaming services, the list of content restrictions depending on your location seems to be growing by the day.
Enter the virtual private network (VPN). Previously the sole domain of corporations looking to provide secure and restricted access to their internal networks, VPNS are now hugely popular among home users - not least because they can help overcome blocked websites.
At this point, it’s worth noting that, despite its name, the recent Vpnfilter malware that attacks routers has nothing to do with VPNS nor their security, so don’t let it put you off them. Use Symantec’s Vpnfilter checker to see if you’ve been infected ( www.symantec. com/filtercheck).
Use a VPN to beat restrictions
When you connect your router to the internet, your internet service provider (ISP) gives you an IP address. This is unique to you, can be seen by the sites you visit and indicates the country you’re based in. If a website decides it wants to block UK internet users from accessing certain content, it simply blocks all UK IP addresses.
Connect to a VPN, and your internet activity is sent directly to one of its servers via an encrypted channel (also known as a ‘tunnel’). The VPN server then assigns you a new IP address. Until you disconnect from the VPN, any website you visit will see this IP address instead of the one given to you by your ISP, effectively letting you browse the web anonymously.
Because VPN providers usually have servers based in several countries, you can spoof your location and access websites blocked in your home country.
Connect to a VPN in Australia, for example, and you’ll be given an Australian IP address. Websites you visit while connected to the VPN will see you as being based in Australia.
Not something you’d ever need to do? Think again. In May this year, the European Union introduced new laws designed to give you more control over your personal data (hence those ‘GDPR’ emails clogging up your inbox). Not long after the law came into force, Computeractive readers started getting in touch saying they could no longer access certain Us-based news websites. The new regulations force websites to adhere to strict rules regarding what data they collect from EU citizens, and it seems these US sites weren’t prepared to take any risks (or possibly just wanted to be awkward to make a point).
USA Today ( www.usatoday.com, see screenshot above) started redirecting UK visitors to a stripped-down ‘European Union Experience’ version. Although some Us-based users looked on in envy at the simplified layout, uncluttered by adverts, the amount of news stories on offer was significantly reduced.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune ( www.chicagotribune.com, see screenshot above) simply blocked all access to users in the UK. Not exactly a free and open web, and all because of a reaction to an EU law you had no say in.
At the time of writing, these blocks were still in place. They may be resolved by the time you read this, but it highlights a major problem: at any point, you may find access to your favourite websites is blocked.
Location, location, location
Blocked or restricted access to UK residents is by no means limited to news websites. From foreign versions of shopping sites offering the same products for less, to overseas video-streaming services that provide extra content, it’s not hard to find examples where your physical location can determine what you can and can’t do online.
It’s a similar story when you try to access UK sites while abroad. Try using the BBC iplayer on holiday, for example, and you’ll hit a brick wall. Many argue that paying the licence fee should allow you to view BBC content no matter where you are. But the BBC says there are “complex technical issues to resolve” before this is possible - in other words, don’t hold your breath.
And it’s not just website owners that block you. Some ISPS and public Wi-fi hotspots block access to sites they deem unsuitable. We recently encountered this when a free Wi-fi hotspot on the Gatwick Express blocked access to the websites of VPNS and even any websites merely relating to using a VPN. The train company’s hotspot provider, Icomera, states on its website ( www.icomera.com/ friendly-wifi) that it blocks access to “inappropriate and harmful” sites. We were left bemused as to how a VPN’S website meets these criteria, but we beat the restriction by connecting to a VPN we’d already installed.
Successful location spoofing
Whether you can successfully spoof your location depends on two factors: your choice of VPN and how determined the site is to block you.
Netflix, for example, goes to extreme lengths to stop Uk-based customers accessing content available to its customers in the US. In fairness to Netflix, it buys licences to stream content, and the copyright owners want to make sure it’s only being watched in locations permitted by the licence. To do this, Netflix and other Tv-streaming services often block IP addresses known to be used by VPNS. VPN services adapt to dodge these measures, so it’s a constant game of cat and mouse.