Using a VPN to unblock Google

If you think that Google is freely available to anyone anywhere for searching the web, you are sadly mistaken. Just look at countries such as China, Iran and Congo where Google Search is not available and Google owned YouTube is banned.

Google is at the forefront of the open internet industry that is pushing for ever greater access to information across the globe. Google is the biggest internet services company in the world, having made its name as a popular search engine with powerful capabilities and the most user friendly search experience. Did you know that there approximately 40,000 Google search queries are made every single second?

However, not everyone is happy with this situation. Google is seen as a threat by some governments who are seeking to control the flow of data and reduce the information made available to their citizens. Consequently, Google services are (or were) blocked in the following countries:

China Google Search, Google Sites, Gmail, YouTube (blocked)

Congo Google Search (blocked)

Cuba Blogger (blocked)

Ethiopia YouTube (temporarily blocked)

India Blogger (blocked)

Iran Google Search, Google Sites, YouTube (blocked)

Pakistan YouTube (temporarily blocked)

Russia Blogger (blocked)

Syria YouTube (temporarily blocked)

Tajikistan YouTube (blocked)

Turkey Blogger (blocked)

Vietnam Blogger (blocked)

Google Search is not available in Iran or Congo, while Chinese citizens get Google China Search, a much slower and heavily censored service.

Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) makes it possible to mask your identity and your location, so that you can bypass the geo restrictions and access the open internet. Select a reliable VPN provider who will give you high levels of encryption, DNS leak protection and a ‘no logging’ policy for maximum security and the highest privacy benefits.

Once you’ve signed up to your chosen VPN service, all you need to do is install the software on your computer or mobile device. Then simply connect to a VPN server located in a country where Google services are not blocked, and unencumbered browsing is yours for the taking!

YouTube is not available to citizens of China, Iran and Tajikistan, while this popular video sharing platform was temporarily blocked in Ethiopia, Pakistan and Syria. There are also copyright laws and various regional restrictions, usually involving content such as TV clips and music videos.

Using a VPN will give you a workaround to the geo restrictions, so that you can enjoy YouTube content wherever you are. One word of advice if you’re planning to use VPN for YouTube: fast connection speeds and available VPN servers will be critical if you want to stream video.

Google’s blogging platform, Blogger, is not available in several countries, including Cuba, Russia, India, Turkey and Vietnam. Luckily, if you connect to a VPN server in a nearby country where Blogger is available, you can cleverly circumnavigate the problem, and blog away to your heart’s content, sharing your pearls of wisdom with the rest of the world.

The Android equivalent of Apple’s App Store, Google Play Store has numerous free and paid apps that you can download to your mobile devices. These include popular apps such as Netflix, Sling TV and Pokemon Go which are restricted in some regions.

Again, the Google geo block can be sidestepped by using a VPN and connecting to a server in a different region, where Google Play Store can be freely accessed.