Always wondered what people from abroad are watching, the websites they shop from, or the latest news in other countries? Now you can get access to all these things as well.
Watching content from a different country can be a really unique experience. It can allow you to see how the issues in another country are seen, what type of entertainment the people living there like, what they shop for online, and so on. In other words, you get the chance to gain a lot of insights into a different nation.
Yet, the only thing stopping you from accessing content from abroad is the geo-blocking restrictions. A system that limits access to certain websites based on one’s geographical location. So, from Sweden, you can’t, for example, access all content that, say, US citizens have.
But, now there’s a way to bypass these geo-restrictions and have the opportunity to access content from all around the world, despite never living in Sweden.
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Geo-restrictions, explained
First things first, let’s make sure you understand what geo-blocking is and how it works.
As the name might suggest, geo-blocking is a system that blocks certain websites based on the location. More precisely, for example, if you are in Sweden, you may not be able to access certain websites from, say, the US or the UK if the websites block their content for Internet users from other countries.
Now, you may be wondering why websites block their content for users from abroad to see. Well, they do so because they want to keep it blocked from people who aren’t their target market. This also helps companies with a website from having to deal with content that may affect their product’s or service’s outlook.
How geo-blocking works?
Now you know what geo-blocking is but let’s also learn how it works.
The way websites restrict their content from users from abroad is based on a system that recognizes the user’s location of the IP address. In other words, when you surf the web from Sweden, and you try to access a website that is restricted to US users only, the system recognizes that your IP address comes from Sweden. Therefore, the website won’t allow you to see its content and will show you an error message saying that the content is blocked for users outside of the US.
What type of content from abroad can you access?
If you’ve come across a website blocked in your region before, you likely know how frustrating this can be when you really want to access a certain piece of content. There are many things you can miss out on because of these location-related restrictions.
Here’s the type of content you could access if it wasn’t for the geo-blocking restrictions:
TV channels
If you’re interested in seeing the news or certain TV shows from other countries, being able to watch TV channels that are available there would be the solution. Maybe you would want to see how things are going on in that country, such as the political or economic situation, to get an idea from a really relevant source. However, due to the location-related restrictions, you can’t access various TV channels from abroad when you live in Sweden.
Streaming services
You already probably know that streaming services like Amazon Prime, Netflix, or Disney Plus are not available anywhere. Or even if they are available in most countries, they don’t show the exact same content to users from different countries. So, if you’d want to watch a certain show on, say, Netflix that isn’t available in Sweden, you’ll need to find a way to bypass the geo-blocking restrictions. We have a way for that, and we’ll talk about it later.
News websites
Heard about a significant event in a certain country, and you want to read more? Can’t you find any information about it online? There’s likely more information about what happened on a big news website from that country. But… the website shows you an error message related to your location.
If you live in Sweden and want to access news websites from other countries, you may not be able to see their content. We’ve already talked about why this happens and why these websites don’t allow users from around the world to see their content. So, once again, if you’d want to be able to read the news on these websites, you’d have to “fool” the geo-blocking system.
Shopping websites
Maybe you’re looking for a very specific product that isn’t available to buy in Sweden. You know that a certain seller from abroad sells it. But, when you try to enter their website to look for it, you’re not allowed to see anything on the platform. That also has to do with the country-related restrictions.
If you could bypass the location restrictions, you’d be able to buy from sellers from abroad who sell products you can’t find in your country.
How do you access content from abroad? With a VPN!
Now you know what you may be missing out on due to the geo-blocking restrictions. But, this doesn’t have to be the case anymore. The solution to your problem: a VPN.
A VPN what?
VPN stands for a virtual private network. This is a way of “fooling” the geo-restrictions of websites by keeping your actual location a secret and fooling the website into thinking that you’re accessing it from that country.
As mentioned above, the geo-restriction system knows where you are based on your IP address. So, to fool it, you have to show a different IP address to it. That’s precisely what a VPN does.
You can read more at vpnportalen.se, a website that constantly tests and updates the best VPNs for Swedish citizens to provide support on how to efficiently bypass the geo-blocking restrictions and access all the content you want from abroad.
Being unable to access content from abroad when you live in Sweden can be really frustrating. But, this isn’t going to be a problem anymore as a VPN is the perfect tool to get around country-related restrictions. With a VPN, your computer will be more protected from hackers. You’ll be able to watch your favorite shows anytime you want, stay informed on other country’s issues and news, and shop from sellers that don’t typically sell in Sweden.
