Blocked Websites Abroad

Why sites suddenly stop loading when you travel, how to check a block, and the legal ways around it.

  1. 01

    How to bypass country blocked sites?

    The most reliable way to bypass a country block is to route your traffic through a server in a country where the site is available, usually with a VPN.
  2. 02

    Why am I suddenly being blocked from certain websites?

    You're usually blocked because something about your connection changed: your IP address now points to a different country, you're on a filtered network, or you're...
  3. 03

    Does a VPN get around blocked sites?

    Yes, in most cases. A VPN gets around blocks based on your location or your local network, but it's less dependable against heavy government censorship, and some...
  4. 04

    How to open blocked sites without VPN?

    You can open many blocked sites without a VPN by using Tor Browser, switching to encrypted DNS, or going through a web proxy.
  5. 05

    How to check if a site is blocked in a country?

    The quickest way to check is to search the site's domain in OONI Explorer, a free database of censorship tests run by volunteers in more than 200 countries.
  6. 06

    How to bypass region locked content?

    To bypass region-locked content, connect to a VPN server in the country where that content is licensed, then reload the service so it sees the new location.
  7. 07

    Is geoblocking illegal?

    Geoblocking is legal in the US and most of the world. The main exception is the European Union, where the Geo-blocking Regulation (EU) 2018/302 has banned unjustified...