Get 93% OFF on Lifetime
Exclusive Deal
Don’t miss out this deal, it comes with Password Manager FREE of cost.
Why Do Governments Prohibit VPNs?
In the majority of countries, VPNs are permitted by law. In the US, UK, and across Europe, you can utilize them without fear of consequences. This is why many people believe that VPNs are ok by default. VPNs protect online privacy, a crucial aspect of a free and open society.
VPNs also allow us to use social media and search engines for work and research without being limited to our location identified by the algorithms. Many businesses want to research their niches online and look for search engine results in countries different from where the search is performed. The same goes for any other type of research, from journalistic to scientific.
Eventually, everyone should be able to check out information online as it is provided for different countries. This is something that most people consider their natural right – to explore the world, including doing this online.
Regrettably, not every government supports internet freedom. This is the reason some countries control VPNs, while others outright prohibit them.
A VPN conceals your IP address and encrypts your internet connection, allowing you to surf with greater privacy. Activists and reporters frequently utilize VPNs to conceal their identities while investigating or covering risky or delicate topics. A VPN can also be used to bypass websites that have been censored by the government, providing unrestricted internet access.
The question of whether a VPN is used to access some illegal content, or to access some content illegally, has not yet been answered. However, from a certain point of view, most people who want to find their way to illegal content will do that, even working around the governmental prohibitions.
Certain governments impose significant fines on individuals who violate anti-VPN regulations. Governments that prohibit VPN usage also frequently tend to apply intense censorship and monitoring to maintain their authority.
They also limit free access to unbiased information and instead, spread propaganda to make citizens perceive the government and its actions favorably.
Authoritarian regimes may restrict foreign news and social media sites since they cannot completely manage shared content. Citizens can utilize VPNs to circumvent governmental restrictions and reach websites and news from abroad.
However, this positions VPNs as a risk to authoritarian regimes, so instead, they ban VPNs to “limit access to illegal and harmful content”, turning citizens into villains.
Are VPNs Really Used For Illegal Activities?
A VPN is just a digital tool and it can be used for versatile purposes. Most often, people use it to hide their IP address to ensure safety on public networks, or to get search engine or social media results other than what they get from their original location, defined by their devices.
A VPN can also assist you in overcoming ISP throttling, allowing you to experience a quicker connection during gaming or streaming.
Actually, many location-focused platforms also ban VPNs to ensure that only eligible users have access to their services. This is often the case with video gaming platforms, streaming and movie platforms, or $1 deposit casinos.
VPNs were mainly created as a means of ensuring security and privacy but certain individuals exploit them to conceal illegal actions. For instance, cybercriminals could utilize them to hide their identity when executing social engineering or malware attacks.
Some people can utilize VPNs to download unlawful torrents or to secure discussions for organizing illegal activities.
On the other hand, journalists or people living in oppressive communities might utilize VPNs to hide their identities and whereabouts. They frequently engage in this when condemning human rights violations by authoritarian governments. Reporters and even popular bloggers frequently face different threats when exposing these violations, making the protection of a VPN essential.
And this is exactly why several governments severely ban VPNs. China and North Korea are only two examples of such governments.
VPNs in China
Few governments limit internet (and overall) freedom as much as China. The government allocates a substantial budget for internal monitoring and control of information. That implies it is consistently taking action against VPNs.
VPNs are not illegal in China, but the government imposes stringent regulations regarding their use. Officially, it requires you to use certain VPNs authorized by the government. These VPNs might help check out information as seen from other countries, do some research, and so on but they for sure do not provide any anonymity and privacy online.
Downloading an independent VPN in China is nearly impossible. Even if you get a VPN abroad, you might discover that it doesn’t function back in the country.
Strict Prohibition in North Korea
North Korea ranks as the most unfree nation globally. Typically, people aren’t allowed to own cars, real estate, or companies. All property is essentially owned by the government and there are few things that a citizen can call their own.
The same works for privacy and anonymity. People can face severe penalties, including death or life imprisonment in a labor camp, for such crimes as failing to worship their leaders correctly or expressing opinions that do not support the policies of the leading party.
Internet censorship isn’t among the top issues that many North Koreans encounter. Most of the time, people are more preoccupied with providing for their families and solving other, very down-to-earth problems. They do not have access to the Internet and unbiased information but they might be even unaware that they lack it.
Unless you’re a top-tier individual approved by the regime, you’ve likely never seen the Google logo. If you are fortunate enough to have access to a computer, you only have a strictly regulated intranet known as “Kwangmyong.” Considering all the above, VPNs are obviously illegal.
Final Thoughts
Around a dozen countries ban or strictly limit the use of VPNs. They give various reasons, from religious and political to “data safety” and protection of their citizens from “harmful content”. However, most of the time, the key reason for prohibiting a VPN is to protect the existing regimes from being exposed, with all their violations of human rights and other crimes.
Take Control of Your Privacy Today! Unblock websites, access streaming platforms, and bypass ISP monitoring.
Get FastestVPN
You May Also Like
Subscribe
0 Comments
