It’s no secret that certain countries do not allow access to websites they consider dangerous. This danger might be based on the government’s fear of political rivals, perceived moral problems, or copyright and distribution issues. Whatever the case, in order to maintain your freedom of information, you need to use a VPN to get around the block.

Did you know that China censors political or international content or that Indonesia condemns and bans pornography sites?

There are some bans that will truly surprise you. If you are using an Android device, you can read more on VPNPros, regarding which VPN services you can use to get across these restrictions.

If you read ahead, you’ll uncover 5 websites that the majority of us never knew needed VPN services to gain access to them.

5 unexpected websites you might need to access with a VPN

Now, before moving ahead, you need to understand that there are certain websites that are accessible to a few countries around the world. However, there are countries that you wouldn’t have guessed fit into the category of “geo-restricted” locations. Here are the platforms:

Reddit

Most countries around the world inherently restrict access to certain websites that pave portals to explicit content. As much as this law is required in some aspects, for reasons such as protection of youth, or violations against religious aspects, it might at the same time restrict access to informational content over the same platform.

Reddit happens to be one of those platforms.

There are countries that have strict anti-pornography laws, and it shouldn’t be of any surprise that they ban access to websites specifically set up to host pornographic or explicit content. There are certain Redditors that actively plague the platform from across the globe with NSFW (Not Safe for Work) content.

However, what will surprise you is that because of it, Reddit as a whole is inaccessible without a VPN in those countries. You’ll find it blocked in locations like Indonesia, China, India, Russia, and many more countries that you least expected.

This means that because of violations of certain laws, access to Reddit, one of the internet’s BIGGEST communities won’t be accessible at all. That’s a shame, since the whole educational sector of Reddit, concerning posts about science, technology, and economics is lost with it.

LGBT Websites

There are countries around the world that might not and do not have any laws against anti-LGBT practices.

But, it’s a bit surprising that websites containing LGBT content or support groups for them are blocked within those very countries.

For instance, let’s talk about the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta. LGBT rights seem to be legal nationwide, but not allowed in a few cities. That means there aren’t any definitive laws against it. But, since 2016, its government, under the influence of religious authorities, has been cracking down on the LGBT community.

LGBT websites like Out.com, which is a platform for LGBT news, fashion, lifestyle, etc. are blocked under the excuse of the anti-pornography laws. It again can only be accessed by using a VPN, making it difficult for young Indonesians to find more information that could help them.

Wikipedia

Wikipedia is the ultimate source of all information. It ranges from weather updates, foreign affairs science, lifestyle, history, religion, language and so much more! It’s often accessed by students for educational purposes or simply a source to verify the information.

But did you know Wikipedia is drastically censored in many countries around the world and banned in a few? You’ll find it censored in countries like Pakistan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and others. The issues even go as far as to impose Wiki blocks entirely in countries like Uzbekistan, Turkey, and China. The reasons collectively align up to religious, anti-terrorism, and political reasons.

Where the platform is censored, it indirectly means that Wiki-content cannot be edited and fixed by local Wikipedia editors.

However, Google did find a way around this ban by indexing all local Wikipedia pages under the secure protocol of HTTPS. This means that people within these regions can once again access Wikipedia content without issues. Although, there are still numerous Wiki pages that are still under the ban, and can only be accessed with the help of the best VPN services.

Skype

Did you ever think that a communication platform like Skype would ever be banned in some parts of the world? Sadly, yes, it is!

There exists a surplus amount of laws in many countries around the globe that actively block not only social media platforms but also communication apps. Skype is added on that list among many others. For example sake, let’s talk about Cuba.

Freedom to access the internet in Cuba is far from guaranteed. Not only are many websites banned within the country, but having access to the internet at all is sometimes out of reach. Blackouts are relatively common and mobile networks unreliable.

Most social media platforms are allowed in Cuba. However, for some strange reason Skype is banned. Skype, of course, does not provide any content of its own, rather serving as a medium to contact people around the world. There is no clear explanation as to why Skype is banned while similar services are not.

But, you know the drill. To gain access to them, you’re going to need to connect to reliable VPN.

Netflix

Now, coming to the biggest streaming platform in the world, Netflix. This isn’t much of a surprise considering the fact that Netflix on its own isn’t aired in many countries around the world. Keeping censorship aside, the Netflix copyright laws are against users trying to gain access to its platform from anywhere out of the provided territorial regions.

Now, apart from that, you’ll find that although the service is accessible in a certain country, for instance, Indonesia, the government imposes strict bans on it.

Netflix is considered legal in Indonesia, and in fact you can sign up for an account if you wanted. There’s even specific content added to the local library.

However, because of the range of content on Netflix, some of which goes against the government’s views, it is inaccessible through government-owned telecoms companies.

In other words, use a Netflix VPN!

To conclude

After going through the entire blog, what do you think is the most suitable VPN to access all of the above, or better yet, how would you choose one?

There are only a few that can give you access to platforms like Netflix, Skype, Wikipedia, and more, but it has to be accessed through a VPN that also offers the best security features. Online privacy and encrypted tunnels are the main focus. So, to conclude, I’d recommend only the best (Surfshark, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, IPVanish, and CyberGhost).

They all possess the best features, maximum server coverage, DNS and IP leak protection, and great speeds to heighten the experience, and support more than 2 device connections! Plus, these providers are offering the best VPN deals right now!