With billions of people accessing the internet today, you can never be so sure about your safety and privacy when browsing your favorite sites or streaming stuff online. Moreover, geo-blocking is a common challenge to folks who love streaming content online, so they can’t access their favorite streaming services when they are out of town. Well, VPNs came to remove such barriers, allowing you to access any site or service online privately and securely without having to worry about geographic restrictions or prying eyes.
By concealing and masking your IP address, they also help enhance online security to keep cybercriminals and bullies at bay. But since not all VPNs can be trusted these days, what if you don’t have a reliable VPN? Does it mean you can’t enjoy some of these benefits?
DNS Proxy
If you love traveling, you could have visited countries where some sites are blocked. These could be social media sites or streaming sites like Netflix, Hulu, and ABC. When you try to access these blocked sites, they often give you a “sorry” message telling you how they regret that their services are not provided in that country or region yet. In this case, Smart DNS can make a great solution. The Smart Domain Name Server can disguise your location, giving you access you the restricted sites without rerouting your entire web traffic (as is the case with VPNs). It simply masks your location, which makes a huge difference especially to gamers and avid media streamers.
Psiphon
If you are more concerned about your security whilst browsing the internet, Psiphon can be a great alternative to VPNs. It employs a combination of secure obfuscation and communication technologies, including VPN, HTTP, and SSH. In this case, VPN fails to evade blocking; the other technologies will take over. The additional security and privacy layers make Psiphon one of the most reliable and frequented servers used in places like Iraq and Turkey besides China.
Nonetheless, privacy is not a strong suit for this proxy server because it is limited to browser traffic. As you browse, Psiphon also collects some information from its browsers. When granting apps and programs permissions, be careful about what you allow and what to block. Lest you forget, cookies and cache should be the first thing you clear before accessing sites.
Lantern
We thank God for all the gurus who burn the midnight oil to make sure that we can access the inaccessible with symbols and codes. It is not a new thing where certain sites have been blocked from access. Let us refer back to China, where internet censorship and restrictions have been a major issue, especially for foreigners. Lantern is the most popular site in China, and it uses peer-to-peer connections when other servers are crippled. This service automatically activates when you access a site from an area where it has been blocked.
Despite having auto access for strength, however, it does not seem to provide solid online anonymity and privacy when browsing. This US-based service provider uses a China’s server in this social media era. Could it be because China is focused on being the leading country in exports and transactions? Let us assume that China’s government is centered and focused on making money that they do not want its workforce to waste time double-tapping on photos and commenting unnecessarily.
Tor
If you cannot go an hour without the internet, this is the ideal service. It protects your identity, and it allows you to evade the blockages of social media and the internet in general. One thing about this service is, communication cannot be traced. You wonder how? Its connection is directly connected to a website. It bounces between the Tor network, computers, or multiple nodes. See how difficult it can be to trace the history of the browser?
While at it, in case there is blocking, be sure to keep browsing because your location will be unknown and you will escape the censorship. It is not a perfect network, but you are safe from the spies and hackers of the internet. Other technologies similar to Tor in functionality include Yandex, Freenet, and 12P Browser, just to name a few.
There are so many reasons why you would need a VPN or a similar service. Perhaps you want to access blocked sites, or you need to mask your location for one reason or the other. Maybe you need to enhance your browsing speed, security, and privacy. Depending on your specific needs, the above are just a few of the many alternatives to using VPN services.