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VPN protocols like OpenVPN often run on the same default ports: 443 for TCP and 1194 for UDP traffic. These are the tools you’ll see most often: Port Blocking Network admins use multiple techniques to block VPNs and other encrypted traffic. Fortunately, there are several techniques you can use to disguise VPN traffic, making it almost unblockable. Payment processors – Stripe, Paypal, Braintreeīlocking VPN traffic requires identifying VPN traffic.They use the anonymity and database of IP addresses to commit crimes.Įven though this is a tiny minority of VPN users, many financial and e-commerce sites have taken steps to block VPN connections, especially for users that aren’t logged in.Įxamples of sites that have (or currently do) limit VPN traffic: Fraud & Abuseīad actors use proxies & VPNs for DDOS attacks, fraudulent credit card purchases, online theft and other forms of fraud.
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Others like Turkey, China, UAE and Venezuela are using firewalls and blocking technologies instead. Russia, Belarus, Iran, Iraq and Turkmenistan are a few examples of countries that have declared VPN usage illegal. This extends to VPN blocking, which can be used to circumvent firewalls.Ĭhina isn’t the only country doing this.
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Numerous authoritarian regimes around the world attempt to limit access to information as a form of control. You’ve no doubt heard of the ‘Great Firewall of China’. Government censorship is widespread outside of western democracies. Even better, such usage isn’t likely to be illegal, merely a terms of service violation. This is something Netflix is cracking down on recently, asking account holders to pay for their shared accounts.įortunately, many VPNs have built workarounds that evade Netflix’s detection technology. VPNs may also be used to evade restrictions on account sharing by people that don’t live in the same location. Because VPNs let you access content from multiple regions, they’re often targeted by streaming platforms. Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ are a few examples of streaming apps with anti-VPN technology.Ĭontent licensing is incredibly complicated and usually has different contracts for each geographic region. Many streaming services try to detect and block VPN usage.
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Schools, universities and employers often block VPN traffic. There are several reasons VPN traffic might be blocked on a network, service, or website.
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