How to Read a Blocked Site
We often think of the Internet as an open source of limitless information, but that’s not always the case, depending on where you live or what network you’re connected to. In many places, certain web activity or content will be completely blocked, and we’re not just talking about pesky paywall websites. For example, your work or school network may block certain sites so as not to distract you, while some online content is highly regulated or restricted by local governments. However, you can bypass these blocks if you have the right tools.
These tools can help you get around most content blocks, although we strongly recommend that you make sure you’re not breaking any laws before using them. While everything we review below is legal in the US, using these tools in other countries or using them to access illegal content can lead to serious problems. For example, years in prison or huge fines, the level of trouble. Do your research and use them at your own risk.
The easiest way to read blocked websites is to hide your real IP address with a proxy connection. By connecting to a proxy server in another region, you can access region-specific content on streaming sites such as Netflix, YouTube, or Spotify. The website you connect to recognizes the proxy’s IP address, not yours. Free and paid services are available, with paid options offering better privacy features and more reliable connections, but free proxies work fine as long as you check professional reviews to make sure they’re safe.
Proxies increase your online privacy by making it harder for companies (or governments) to track your online activity, but they’re not perfect. Proxies are best for accessing region-blocked streaming content rather than violating local laws or other high-level restrictions, as many organizations use sophisticated tracking or blocking technologies that cannot be bypassed with a simple proxy connection. In such cases, it is better to use a VPN.
Our guide to VPNs and how to find the best and most secure option for you and your devices is a great introduction to the technology, but the quickest explanation is this: VPNs are like proxies, but with even more protection (like encrypted connections). They can protect all online activity on your devices (or even your entire home network), not just your internet browser, making them more effective if you’re torrenting or accessing sensitive content where you live. The best VPNs are paid products and we strongly discourage free VPNs as they are either poor quality or outright malware scams.
However, VPNs aren’t perfect either, and even the best paid services have issues or can stop working unexpectedly ( make sure your VPN has a kill switch !), and some firewalls recognize and block VPN connections. There are specialized VPNs called “decentralized” VPNs (dVPNs) that solve this problem by spreading your connection across the decentralized network and creating more plausible fake IP addresses that bypass super stringent filters, but this is not an option for most people. as they require crypto payments (check out the dVPN How-To Geek guide if you’re interested).
Instead, you should try using TOR. TOR (or The Onion Browser) is essentially a standalone browser built for anonymity, combining layers of (get it?) privacy technologies into a simple tool that most internet users can set up on their own. Check out our guides on TOR and how to use it for more information, but if you’ve been using a desktop browser, TOR will speak for itself.
TOR has its caveats, such as slow connection speeds and weak malware protection , which limit its usability (it’s best to use a proxy or VPN for streaming, downloading, or P2P file transfers), but the main advantages of TOR are that websites and anyone who monitors your online activity, such as your ISP, advertisers, or government organizations, will not be able to track you. Or at least it will be very difficult for them to find out who you are and where you live. This makes it a great choice for general web browsing or even accessing the dark web .
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