GEO-restrictions: features of the problem and ways to solve it

Recently, the situation when certain sites, social networks, and gaming platforms have become inaccessible to users from certain regions has already become the norm. And it's not just that users are now unable to access the entertainment or information content they want. The restrictions that are in force today have caused serious harm to many business representatives, people who work on the Internet, in particular marketers, arbitrage specialists, software testers, bloggers, and many others. Moreover, many have simply lost the opportunity to habitually communicate with loved ones living abroad due to the blocking of one or another messenger or social network.

That is, problems associated with GEO restrictions have affected a fairly large number of people. And here the following question arises in itself: what to do in this situation? Are there ways to solve the problems that have arisen? Which one should you choose to get maximum functionality and convenience when working on the Internet? Let's look at all these issues in more detail.

What principle does GEO blocking work on?

The very possibility of organizing access restrictions by geolocation has appeared and is being implemented thanks to the IP-address. IP-address — This is a unique code consisting of a set of numbers that is assigned to absolutely every device automatically when it is connected to the network. It is issued by the Internet provider to its users. With its help, data exchange between the server and the user device is ensured. That is, the response to the request that you send to the network is sent back by the system to your IP-address. This is a kind of user identifier on the Internet.

But in parallel with this, the system collects information about each user through the IP-address. The type of device, the operating system on which it runs, as well as a number of other parameters are determined. One of the most important here will be determining the location within a particular country or region. Alternatively, thanks to this solution, the system can show users contextual advertising that is relevant to them, which has significant benefits for business.

By the way, IP-addresses are also assigned to all subscribers of cellular networks by their operators. But the main difference here is that such IP-addresses are dynamic, that is, they change every time you connect to the network. Moreover, a large number of users are simultaneously connected to one such address: hundreds, thousands in some cases, and tens of thousands. This is due to the fact that the provider physically cannot allocate a sufficient number of addresses for each individual smartphone owner due to the fact that there are simply very, very many of them.

It turns out that regardless of who provides the IP address, an Internet provider or a cellular network operator, the system can identify it and impose appropriate restrictions on access to sites from a particular region or country. That is, this is exactly how blocking by GEO works.

Is this legal? Yes, unfortunately, it is legal. Similar restrictions are currently in force at the legislative level in many countries around the world. Providers simply execute legal contracts that are currently in force in the country they are in and block users by IP-addresses.

Most often, such a solution is used for commercial purposes, in particular to prevent the distribution and broadcast of films in a particular country. That is, blocking by GEO in the media space — This is already the norm today. In addition, very often sites are blocked in those countries where it has been decided at the legislative level to restrict access to information.

To understand this issue, let’s take a closer look at the most common examples of geolocation blocking today.

Top 5 examples of blocking by GEO

Unfortunately, today a huge number of blockings from Internet users based on the identification of their geolocation have already been implemented in practice. Here are the 5 most common solutions:

1. YouTube. The policy of this video hosting is such that content creators here can independently set certain regional restrictions, thereby indicating to the service in which regions users from which regions should be given access to their material, and which ones — close. At the same time, the service itself can also block videos that will be uploaded by users who do not have confirmed copyrights. This is done in order to protect site users from all kinds of legal proceedings. That is, deleting content or limiting it in a particular region, country — This is the norm for this video hosting.
2. Amazon Prime. Here, it is also a fairly common practice to restrict access to streaming content and other products based on the definition of user geolocation. Copyright and license blocks apply to all kinds of films and TV series, e-books, games, various applications, services, and many other digital products.
3. Netflix. One of the largest global platforms today, containing a huge amount of all kinds of video content. These are films, TV series, television shows and much more. Today this platform is available in more than 190 countries around the world. For each of them, Netflix offers its own unique library of products. This solution was implemented thanks to the availability of special license agreements. It is on their basis that the display of this or that material is blocked. That is, it turns out that a film that is offered by the platform for viewing in North American countries may well be inaccessible to Russian viewers.
4. Compliance with data protection laws. We have already said above that today in a number of countries there are special regional laws established at the legislative level for the purpose of data protection. If it turns out that this or that site violates it, providers will immediately block it. Many Russian Internet users have probably already been able to appreciate how this law works in practice: recently, many resources in the country have stopped working.
5. Online broadcast of sporting events in real time. In some countries, users cannot access live sports broadcasts. They are forced to wait until someone else's online version of the event appears and only then view it. This is mainly due to the fact that copyrights are violated in advertising that is shown during such matches. In addition, in order to conduct online broadcasts, the service must have the appropriate licenses. Their absence or a problem with copyright in advertising — this is the main reason for restricting access by geolocation.

Why is blocking by GEO such an unpleasant phenomenon?

Blocking by geolocation, as well as any other restriction, causes a lot of complaints from users and this is not surprising, because everyone would like to get the widest possible functionality together when working on the Internet.

The presence of such restrictions — this:

• lack of access to your favorite series, shows, programs, news, streaming services;
• inconvenience in work and doing business, which is especially important in the case of cooperation with international companies;
• inability to take advantage of certain attractive offers that apply exclusively to users from certain regions of the country.

This list can be continued for quite a long time, since access restrictions — This is the problem that millions of Internet users around the world are facing today. Thus, marketers cannot study the work of competing companies from other countries in order to assess current global trends and implement them into their production process. Also, they will not have access to target audiences from other countries, and they will not be able to perform a full market analysis. Many other specialists also face similar restrictions, which negatively affects the quality of their work and its effectiveness.

And here we come to the question: what to do? Are there ways to bypass regional restrictions? Eat! It is enough to simply bypass these blocking data. And to solve this problem, a tool such as a proxy server is used.

What are proxy servers?

Proxy server — This is a special device that is included in the chain of interaction between the user device and the target server as an additional link. It will pass the entire data stream through itself, simultaneously replacing the real IP-address of your computer or laptop with its own technical parameters. In parallel with changing the IP-address, a change in geolocation is also provided. It turns out that through proxy servers you will be able to connect to the network through other GEOs, thereby bypassing certain other blocking by location. This means that you are guaranteed to have access to the resource or service you need.

The proxy server will pass through the data flow both in the forward and in the reverse direction, which means that the system will see its parameters, and not your device, and accordingly, it will not be able to identify you as the end user. This ensures:

• stable access to sites from the country and region that are your priority at the moment;
• high level of protection of personal data: users are guaranteed confidentiality of their work on the Internet;
• security: you should not be afraid of any third-party unauthorized access, including hacker attacks, since attackers will not be able to identify your real IP address, that is, they simply will not find your devices on the network;
• the ability to use various services that automate online actions without fear of being banned by search engines;
• simultaneous work with multiple accounts on social networks, message boards, bookmakers without various blocking.

That is, by connecting a proxy server to your work, you will significantly expand your functionality for working on the network. Alternatively, you will be able to find the most attractive offers for the price of certain goods in different countries of the world, buy air tickets and book hotels at the maximum benefit. You will open up completely new opportunities in launching advertising, you will be able to easily and simply monitor its effectiveness in each region, make appropriate adjustments in order to increase the effectiveness of ongoing events.

That is, the benefits from using proxy servers are very, very many, especially in modern realities, when GEO blocking affects more and more areas of activity of a modern person. The only thing that needs to be thought through to the smallest detail is choosing the most suitable proxy server for yourself. It is the correctness of the decision that determines how effective, convenient and functional your product will be in use.

We’ll talk further about the types of proxy servers available on the modern market.

Main types of proxy servers to bypass regional restrictions

The modern market offers users a fairly large selection of proxy servers, using which you can bypass certain regional restrictions and gain access to sites blocked in your region at the legislative level. But now we will highlight the most common solutions:

1. Server proxies.
2. Resident proxies.
3. Mobile proxies.

Let's look at each of these solutions in more detail.

Features of server proxies

The operation of such intermediary servers is implemented on the technical capabilities of data processing centers, that is, it is their technical equipment that is used in the work. One of the key features of this solution is that sites can see the IP addresses allocated by the data center, but cannot link them to a real user.

A distinctive feature of this solution is that server proxies allocate static IP addresses to users. That is, you receive one address for the entire duration of your purchase agreement. And here one of the most significant disadvantages of this solution emerges: the high probability of blocking. If in practice it turns out that the system identifies the IP address of your proxy in the event of a particular violation, it will immediately block it, and you will have to buy another address, because you will no longer be able to use this one in the future.

Similar restrictions await you when multi-account, using services , automating actions on the network and any other multi-threaded actions. In addition, when choosing server proxies, you initially need to understand what geolocation they should be tailored for. You will not be able to change it in subsequent work. That is, if you have to work with different countries or regions, you will need to purchase several separate server proxies and configure each of them accordingly for your upcoming actions.

In some cases, specialists need hundreds of addresses to organize multi-threaded actions. Accordingly, you should take this number of servers for your use. In terms of money, this solution will be inexpensive, especially when purchasing package proxies, but the ease of use here will be questionable for a number of specialists.

Main advantages of server proxies:

• high speed of work, since only you will work at one address;
• price availability: literally tens of rubles for one address;
• no restrictions on traffic volume;
• the ability to choose public, general, private and dedicated addresses for work: they will differ in both functionality and price.

But the shortcomings here are quite significant. And the most significant of them — easy to detect by the system. We have already said that if the system notices the use of a proxy, it will immediately block it. There may also be problems with available GEO locations: their choice is often very limited. Disadvantages also include inconvenience to use. You will need to initially connect all these addresses, and this is already a considerable effort. If one of the addresses is blocked, you will have to look for a replacement, additionally spending not only money, but also time.

Features of residential proxies

Resident proxies use IP-addresses of real users in their work. That is, there is a category of people who give their Internet provider permission for their address to be provided to third parties. Thanks to this, the system sees that real people are connecting to it, which in itself increases their level of trust. That is, one of the most significant advantages of such a solution is ensuring a high level of anonymity and minimal risks of blocking.

Using residential proxies in practice, you can choose a specific location, up to the country, city, and mark the most suitable provider for yourself. That is, all your subsequent work will be carried out as a person who is geographically located in this region.

Unlike the previous option, resident proxies can be of 2 types:

1. Static. Here the same IP-address is allocated for the entire duration of your cooperation agreement with the service provider.
2. Rotational. This is a more popular and in-demand solution that allows you to maintain the same IP-address for half an hour. After this time, the system will automatically change your IP. This solution is quite popular among specialists who check the effectiveness of advertising, engage in web scraping, digital advertising, monitor market prices, check access to sites with railway or air tickets, work with social networks, etc.

The advantages of residential proxies also include access to a fairly large pool of IP addresses and geolocations, a wide variety of subnets, and ease of management. They provide a good level of anonymity, and the system treats them more loyally, which reduces the risk of blocking and other restrictions.

But this solution also has a number of disadvantages:

• slower work even in comparison with server analogues: one more element is added to the connection chain, namely the actual computer through which the work will be carried out;
• problems with connection stability: the user who has given the provider permission to use his IP-address can simply disconnect his device at any time, thereby losing the connection;
• the ability to obtain at your own disposal only common IP addresses that are allocated to all users from the same pool: there is a possibility that several people will be working on the same address at the same time.

The price of residential proxies will be higher than their server counterparts, since the fee here is often charged not for a specific IP address, as in the previous option, but for the amount of traffic used.

Features of mobile proxies

Let us immediately note that mobile proxies — this is one of the most technologically advanced, advanced and effective solutions today in the field of ensuring unhindered access to websites from any country and region of the world, organizing confidential and secure work on the Internet. The technological capabilities of cellular network operators are already used here, in particular the IP-addresses that they issue to their real users.

That is, when using mobile proxies, the system does not identify them at all. For her, your actions will look as if a person is connecting to the Internet from his smartphone. Accordingly, no restrictions, bans or other sanctions. In addition, we already said at the beginning of the article that cellular operators tie up a huge number of users at one address, since they cannot allocate separate addresses to them. And it turns out that if the system decides to block one such IP, then hundreds, or even thousands of people will be banned. This cannot be allowed to happen in practice, because a huge number of people will suffer from it. This means that mobile proxies — are not blocked. And it doesn’t matter what kind of work you do through them: connection stability is guaranteed.

It is the absence of blocking — This is one of the most significant advantages of mobile proxies. With their help, you can organize reliable, functional work on the Internet, bypass all kinds of restrictions, introduce multi-threaded actions, without fear of running into a block.

In addition, such proxies allow you to change both IP-addresses and geolocation, choosing the most effective solution for yourself. That is, you receive only one address, and then adjust your work in a way that is convenient for you. You can connect to sites from the USA, France, Italy, India, China and any other country in the world in just a couple of clicks.

That is, by relying on mobile proxy servers, you will get a truly functional solution that does not have any drawbacks. This is what will be the best way to bypass all sorts of GEO restrictions for any specialist and ordinary user. The only thing is that you need to be well versed in the variety of available solutions and choose the one that is most convenient for you.

Why are mobile proxies from the MobileProxy.Space service the best?

Mobile proxies from the MobileProxy.Space service — This is the best solution that the market currently offers to users. By choosing them for your work, you get a reliable, stable and functional solution that will not let you down in any job. This is ensured:

• simultaneous operation on the HTTP(S) and Socks5 protocols, which is implemented by connecting to parallel ports;
• providing each client with a separately dedicated channel with unlimited traffic;
• access to an almost two million pool of IP-addresses, which can be changed by a timer in the interval from 2 minutes to 1 hour or via a link from your personal account forcibly;
• a huge variety of available geolocations: over 30 countries and hundreds of regions, which you can change directly in the workflow;
• availability of a 24-hour technical support service that instantly responds to requests, solving any difficulties encountered in user work.

Follow the link https://mobileproxy.space/en/user.html?buyproxy to learn more about the features mobile proxies, current tariffs, additional free services. Also, before purchasing a server, you will have the opportunity to test it for 2 hours without paying. This is what will allow you to make sure that the decision you made is correct.

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