Which Countries Have Banned Using VPNs?

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have become a popular tool because of the digital freedom that it offers. Whether you use it to protect your online privacy, to use public Wi-Fi networks safely or to stream content unavailable in your country, it’s a pretty powerful thing to have.

However, not every country tends to agree with that freedom. Some governments have restricted the use of VPNs or banned it entirely. But why? Each country has its own reasons. Most recently, the UK introduced the controversial Online Safety Bill, which requires more potential online censorship that ever before in the UK, with age verification and identity checks now required for numerous websites and even in some cases, the likes of Spotify, causing much controversy.

So which countries have banned VPNs, which countries restrict their use and what happen if you did get caught using a VPN in any of these countries?

 

 

Why Would A VPN Be Banned In Some Countries?

 

Millions of people use VPNs every day so it’s not like it isn’t a common thing. It is, but some governments don’t want their residents accessing foreign content, others don’t want citizens bypassing their censorship laws.

Here are a few of the reasons why the use of VPNs are restricted or prohibited in some regions.

Information control: In areas with stringent political controls, information is power. The less information people have, the more power the people at the top and the governments ultimately have. To maintain this, the news, social media and certain websites would all be controlled to monitor the information coming out of these outlets. Since VPNs can allow you to get around this and access the restricted content, it would pose a problem for those in control.

Limit access to foreign media: Similarly, some international content may be blocked because it could be in conflict with government-approved views or messaging. Again, it all comes down to being in control and deciding what people can or can’t see.

Restricts surveillance: When you use a VPN, it makes it difficult for governments to keep track of your online activity. Some will see that as a threat to national security.

 

Countries That Have Restricted Or Banned VPNs

 

Here are countries that have either restricted or completely banned the use of VPNs. If you intend on visiting any of these soon, going incognito could land you in some hot water.

 

China

 

China is well-known for its intense Internet censorship. It has a system called the “Great Firewall” which blocks thousands of websites including news sites, Google and most social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube.

There, VPNs aren’t illegal but you can only use those that are approved by the government. These are monitored by the state so in terms of privacy, it’s rather contradictory.

If you try to use an un-approved VPN, it will be blocked by the firewall. If it does happen to work and you get caught, you’ll either face fines or detention. In most cases with regular users, you’ll just find that your VPN is disabled and can’t connect.

 

Iran

 

Iran also has a long history of censorship, blocking many of the international news outlets and most social media platforms.

VPNs are not fully banned however only government-licensed VPNs are actually legal to use. If you use an unlicensed VPN or distribute them, you are most likely to be fined or arrested in severe cases. Despite this, most Iranians still do use regular VPNs as a means of connecting with the outside world.

 

Using a VPN In The United Arab Emirates

 

The UAE stands out as having one of the strongest digital infrastructures in the Middle East but it also has very strict cyber laws.

Using a VPN itself is not illegal but it becomes an issue if you try to use it to commit a crime or access content that has been banned. This even includes making Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls using platforms like WhatsApp which are blocked.

If you are caught, you face a hefty fine or potentially even imprisonment, depending on what you were using the VPN to access. So while you can use it, it’s a very grey area.

 

 

VPNs in Russia

 

Russia banned the use of VPNs back in 2017 to prevent citizens from accessing websites that were banned. Similarly to China, only government-approved VPNs are allowed and service providers have to block access to content that the state deems inappropriate.

In 2021, the country ramped up their enforcement and completely blocked access to major VPN providers.

 

North Korea

 

North Korea has the most restricted Internet in the world. In fact, only a handful of elite government officials actually have access to the global Internet. For everyone else, no such luck.

VPNs are completely banned and there is no public access to them at all. It’s almost as if they don’t exist there so they aren’t just illegal but almost impossible to use.

 

Belarus

 

Belarus banned the use of VPNs in 2015. Even today, the government is actively involved with helping Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block access to any VPN. The government has done this in an effort to control protests and elections by eliminating outside opinions and perspectives.

 

Turkey

 

Following a lot of political unrest, Turkey’s hostility towards digital freedom has heightened. In the past, VPNs were temporarily blocked when there was a crisis to prevent access to social media or international news.

Today, some VPNs are actively blocked and even though they aren’t completely illegal to use, the government is able to monitor and block usage. You may not end up in jail if you are found to be using one but you would certainly become a target for surveillance.

 

Do Any Other Countries Have VPN Restrictions?

 

Some other countries haven’t outright banned VPNs but they are either blocked, restricted or heavily monitored if you do happen to use one.

• Pakistan: Users have to register with the government to use a VPN otherwise their access is blocked
• Egypt: A lot of VPN providers are blocked especially during political unrest
• India: VPN providers have to store user data for five years, which has resulted in a lot of them pulling their servers from the region
• Turkmenistan: Government-approved VPNs are allowed but all others are blocked