Under the “advanced settings” tab, you can choose which country you want to appear to be browsing from. The simplest way to use a proxy is to visit the mildly-NSFW-named VPN provider Hide My Ass (HMA), which allows you to simply paste a URL into its Web Proxy tool and start browsing under a different IP address.
By using a proxy, you actually change the IP address that your browser transmits to the Web. This is why region blocks work - they simply forbid any computer with an IP address outside a particular geographic region from accessing content. Your IP address, which is transmitted to every website you visit through your browser, tells these sites what your physical location is. (If you already know all about proxies and how to use them, feel free to move along - this one isn’t for you.) Proxy basicsīefore we get into the how-to bit, some background: Each time you go online, your computer is assigned an IP address. I’m talking about using a proxy, and it’s surprisingly simple to use. And this is a fine option, but does involve downloading and getting to know additional software.įortunately for those of us who are not technical wizards, there is a quick and easy way to bypass region blocks in less than a minute, for free. There are also options like Tor, the anonymization software that masks your identity. Unfortunately, the most user-friendly options, like a Virtual Private Network (VPN), usually cost money (not a lot, but some), or are complicated to use if the most technical thing you’ve ever done with your PC is install Firefox. Now, there are quite a few solutions to the problem of region restrictions. cannot use BBC iPlayer, or, in the case of “Downton Abbey” fans, iTV Player.
This is also true of music services like Spotify, and a wide range of other sites and services across the Web. Hulu, ABC, NBC, and even “The Daily Show” are blocked in many countries not called the United States. Such is the dilemma of many Web users who try to access U.S.-made content from their respective international homes. Impatient, we frantically began searching for a way around this useless (to us) hurdle - but we weren’t willing to start downloading things illegally. Problem is, the show is currently only available to viewers in the U.K., and won’t make its way stateside until January 6, 2013. So when season three debuted in September, we could hardly wait to start watching. I’m not going to lie to you: My girlfriend and I are big, sappy, aristocrat-loving “Downton Abbey” fans.
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