Of course, free and open access to Internet It is not something that happens globally. Many of them practice all kinds of activities, from censorship to site blocking, search results shaping, surveillance and much more.
That’s why a VPN can help you bypass these blocks; however, not all server locations offer the same level of Internet freedom.
While some countries have excellent internet infrastructure and a great reputation for data protection, others fail to preserve privacy. privacy of the users. And it is that, connecting to a bad server location will break all your securityit will reduce your internet speed or even land you in jail in some countries.
It is for all this that we leave you the 5 countries where it is better to avoid VPN and additional precautions are required to protect your privacy.
5 Server Locations to Avoid When Using a VPN
1. North Korea
It is quite obvious that North Korea is anything but an open and free nation. And it is that, so that you are aware of the level of confinement to which the population is subjected, only a small part, which includes government officials, researchers and students from elite universities, has access to a global Internet .
the rest of the citizens you can only use a very restrictive intranet service called “Kwangmyong”, where absolutely all information and foreign access is barred. Of course VPNs don’t work here.
Also, good luck if you’re able to find a Korean server that doesn’t crash the Connection or does not allow you to connect to social networks. It’s really hard to get information about Internet speed there, but Comparitech did a study and found that it had an average speed of 2 Mbps.
2.Chinese
China is famous for its Great Firewall, the government censorship filter placed on the country’s Internet that prevents anyone from searching for certain content.
The government decides what is visible and what is not, and as you may have guessed, it is largely related to anti-government sentiments, foreign news sites, social media posts, and other suspicious material.
More of 18,000 websites are specifically blocked from the mainland, forcing citizens to use the few VPNs that still work in the country to access anything of value outside of China.
However, beware as in 2018, the government increased censorship by banning unlicensed VPNs. This means that only state-approved VPN services can operate within the country. Of course, you will not be able to access most social networks such as Facebook and YouTube, international news websites and foreign magazines with a Chinese IP address.
3. Russia
When it comes to cybersecurity, Russia is always in the lead, even if it is even negative. And it is that, it is not something new to know that the Russian government does everything possible to control the use of the Internet within its borders. And as if that were not enough, their efforts are effective.
Since 2017, the government has prohibited the use of unapproved VPNs. VPN service providers that still operate in Russia must agree to certain terms, and it is noteworthy that most of the reliable VPNs, such as ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and IPVanish, do not have any servers in Russia to preserve users’ privacy.
4. Syria
Before the Syrian civil war, Internet access in Syria was generally moving towards greater freedom for the people. Later, however, the Syrian Ministry of Communications blocked access with some of the strictest measures in the world, going so far as to shut down the internet entirely for periods of time.
Censorship is one of the biggest blockades in Syria. Within the country, access to controversial political or social content is not allowed without suffering harassment or arrest by the local government. VoIP is completely blocked, and even Internet cafes are required to keep track of the browsing habits of their users.
5. Ethiopia
A measly 15% of the Ethiopian population has access to the Internet, and those who have it are under strict surveillance. Censorship is pervasive within the country’s borders, especially when it comes to political content that conflicts with the government.
VoIP connections such as Skype are blocked, forcing locals to use expensive and government-monitored telecommunications programs in the country.
6. Iran
Iran was the second country in the Middle East to join the Internet revolution. Almost 62% of households have access to the network, but the Connection The one they enjoy is possibly the most restrictive in the world.
This is common, as well as bandwidth limitations. Any objectionable political content is monitored or removed entirely, and everyone accessing the web is monitored through covert surveillance. Additionally, all data is subjected to deep inspection, which breaks most encryption methods, such as VPNs.