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Not everyone enjoys the freedom to surf the internet at ease without any fear of wrongdoing. Many regimes around the world don’t allow their people to post on or even view Facebook for instance. In Cuba, only about 2% of the population has access to the internet. The rest must use local cafes and hotels where they can be monitored more easily..
Just accessing the internet illegally can result in a 5-year jail term in Cuba. The US, however, is somewhat freer. Freedom House rates countries around the world on their Freedom on the Net map. America is rated free for internet privileges and lack of government censorship, and has a score of 75 out of 100.
By and large, the US is a very open place to use the internet without fear of being monitored or arrested for speaking your mind. And, it is home to some of the more popular online services and entertainment sites. This can mean some individuals from overseas wish to access these sites but are restricted from doing so. Some people in the US would also like to see some websites that their own state laws prohibit too.
So, how can you access all the US websites no matter where you might be?
Is the US a safe place to use the internet?
It may be worth pointing out that the Freedom on the Net study was sponsored by the US government, and that in 2014, Reporters Without Borders added the US to its list of Enemies of the Internet.
However, the US is a safe place to use the internet. The biggest concern should be hackers and people trying to steal your sensitive data rather than government snoops.
Yet, some states in the US do prohibit certain activities online. Federal law states that sports betting is illegal, however, the Supreme Court overturned this in 2018, and now most states let their inhabitants enjoy this activity in some form. Yet, Utah and Hawaii have stated that even if Federal law changes, they will still ban sports betting.
Therefore, anyone in Hawaii who wants to bet on any sport could get a New Jersey IP address through a VPN. This would allow them to access a legal website based in New Jersey. But, the Aloha State’s legislation forbids accessing any online gambling site within Hawaii, or any of the US states, so to do so legally means choosing an off-shore operator.
How would someone overseas need to access a US website?
So, the majority of US citizens are free to view websites based in their country, except for certain states which prohibit some activities including betting online. But for inhabitants of other countries, the story is different.
Someone in Indonesia will be starting to discover the new limits put in place by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. Steam, Yahoo, and PayPal have all been blocked by the government.
Other countries have banned or restricted social networking platforms. Sri Lanka, China, Iran, Russia, Turkmenistan, India, and Belarus, have put controls in place to limit the use of Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms. Recently, a Saudi court gave a woman 45-years jail for using social media.
Other countries such as Cuba restrict news and contact with the outside world. Reporters in Burma, Mexico, and China, put their liberty and lives on the line to send communications out through the internet. Connecting with news agencies in the US and other parts of the globe is crucial for these reporters.
How does someone overseas access a US website?
There are many grounds for wanting to gain access to a US website from overseas. Some may want to understand what is going on in the outside world if the user has limited freedoms. Or, it may be for journalism or activism. Yet, it could also be simply for entertainment. Someone might just wish to access Apple TV for instance.
There are a few ways that this access can happen. One is through a VPN. This will let the user select the US as their location and fool any website into believing they are using a device in the states.
If this doesn’t work, then an open proxy can be used, or access the website directly through their IP instead of a URL. Proxies can provide the user with a legitimate IP address, And, if a specific URL has been blocked, the IP might be a simple way to bypass this restriction.
Is it legal to access US sites from overseas?
Legality is something that anyone who is trying to view banned websites should consider. Some countries have strict laws against this, and China punishes citizens for social media usage.
The use of VPNs is prohibited in some countries, but in many, it is what the user does with them that is the problem. Using a VPN provides anonymity and safety online. But, if it is used to access a site that is listed as banned by a particular government, then a crime may have occurred.
Therefore, anyone overseas using a VPN to access US websites should be aware of their local laws and do so with caution.
Summary
There are many myths about internet performance, and one is that a VPN can make your connection faster. Although this may be possible if your ISP is throttling your bandwidth, it is unlikely.
What it will do though is let you access overseas websites that may be limited to certain regions. This can mean inhabitants of China being able to view Facebook without restrictions, or someone in Indonesia being able to get into their PayPal account and withdraw their funds.
It won’t be able to circumvent the laws though, so in countries with strict internet censorship, a VPN should be used with care.