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How ISPs Block Websites & How to Get Through
Have you ever tried opening a website and been shown an error message, or that the content isn’t currently available? There’s nothing we hate more than wanting to open a particular website and not being able to access it.
Now, the reason why you may not be able to view such websites may either be because it is geo-restricted or blocked in your region. Or it could simply be because your ISP has blocked traffic on that particular website.
What is an ISP?
An ISP short for an internet service provider; it is an organization that provides you or grants you access or the services to participate in the internet. In easier terms, your ISP is in most cases your Wi-Fi provider.
How Does an ISP Work?
An Internet Service Provider connects you to a network which has the required equipment in order to connect you to the internet. They are responsible for your connectivity, routing the internet traffic and overall managing the entire system.
However, ISPs may not always be considered as working in favor of the user. Since they do route your internet traffic, they are also given the ability to manage your traffic and the general availability to certain websites.
Can ISPs Block Internet Traffic?
Unfortunately, the answer to this is yes. Your ISP can prevent you from viewing certain content or place a blockade on particular websites. If you are shown an error notification whenever you try to access a website, it is most likely that your ISP is blocking it.
In order to confirm whether the website is down or just not available to you, you can always Google the question, there are several websites that will let you know if your website in question is free and available- if it appears to be free and available, this proves that your ISP is blocking the website.
Why ISPs Block Websites?
Moreover, ISP blocking in some ways is justified with the reasoning of online censorship. Websites which are considered to be torrent indexers that are famous for downloading media and software are the most targeted for this.
Many countries like China and the UK have set up forms of online censorship through which they block websites by restricting domains or content.
How Do ISPs Block?
The techniques that are used are usually fairly simple. A smaller and less complicated ISP will use the basic simple techniques to restrict access. However, stronger ISPs make sure to integrate the framework and make it impossible for the user to gain access. This is a good reason to do some research before selecting an ISP, be sure to check whether or not the ISP in question resorts to excessive website blocking.
Methods of ISP Blocking
There is no need to panic because we’ve got a way for you to get past the ISP blocks. Although, in order to do so, it is crucial to find out what method your ISP is using.
- IP Blocking: IP blocking works in such a way that it denies access to specific websites from certain IP addresses. This technique is usually employed in order to protect the website from hacking attempts, or to only allow a particular amount of traffic onto a private network. However, ISPs usually use this method for online censorship. This can also be done country-wide. It is simply unjust for your ISP to restrict you from access to legitimate websites.
- DNS Blocking: Domain Name System works in a somewhat different way than IP blocking, it works by filtering or blocking access to a particular website by restricting that site’s IP address instead of the users. DNS blocking is rather straightforward and easy to surpass, in most cases it could just be your firewall protecting you from malicious content. Although, if you have reason to believe it is your ISP then this is a pretty common method adopted by smaller ISPs.
- Deep Packet Inspection: Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) is a method which is known for inspecting the data or information transmitted between networks. This is obviously a clear violation of privacy and internet security since all your content is being watched over without your consent. Normally it is used within antivirus programs to detect malicious content but it is also employed from the bigger ISPs to ensure thorough online censorship.
The Solution to ISP Blocking
There are several ways you can surpass ISP blocking, here we will be listing the most efficient.
DNS Resolver
If you’re looking to bypass DNS blocking, you can always opt to use a DNS resolver, if not VPN. You may notice that often times you cannot open certain websites on your browser. A DNS functions by converting web links into IP addresses and granting you access, however, if your ISP has blocked a certain IP address its DNS will not grant access to it.
Which is where changing the DNS resolver comes in. It works in such a way that when a user connects to a resolver of its choosing, it will bypass the ISP’s DNS resolver. It will give you access to the websites that you otherwise cannot.
VPN
A VPN is your most reliable option in this case, as it will solve most of your problems for you. We believe having a VPN is essential, whether or not you experience ISP blocking in order to ensure maximum internet security. It is important to choose an efficient VPN, and there is no better choice than FastestVPN!
With FastestVPN and its countless international and local servers, it provides you with the anonymity and protection you need to visit these blocked websites. The technique is fairly easy, if a user if acing IP blocking, FastestVPN simply generates a new IP address for the user as soon as they connect to a server. Similarly, if a site is under DNS blocking, our VPN will assist by fixing it through our private DNS.
However, bypassing a DPI blocking is rather tricky; it requires several advanced algorithms and intense techniques in order to restrict this invasion of privacy.
We believe that a VPN is the wiser choice when choosing whether to use a DNS resolver or a VPN, due to its multiple functions- it only provides you with access to restricted content but it also gives you an additional layer of security and masks your online browsing activities.
Conclusion
We understand that online censorship and ISP blocking can be such a buzz kill. However, it may sound complicated and difficult to get through but the methods are usually fairly simple and have similarly easy ways to surpass such blockades.
So don’t worry, whenever you face this problem don’t forget to connect to a DNS Resolver or FastestVPN.
