It would be naive of us to think that the internet is free. That it is accessible to all and everything present on the internet is one hundred percent true. We may be from the privileged section of society who has access to what we consider unlimited information on the world wide web. Even in modern technologically advanced countries or with an unrestricted supply of information or data, a lot of content on the internet still remains highly censored. The extent of censorship may be higher in some regions than others, but one thing is sure, the internet is not a free space. Powerful authorities can manipulate the data available on the web. One such app or webpage is the YouTube page and today we will talk about how to unblock YouTube to access a sea of unexplored videos.
So what exactly is YouTube?
It is one of the largest video-streaming web pages available for entertainment or knowledge purposes. There is no denying that it has managed to enter the smart devices of people who are still new to internet technology. They may not be aware of any other video streaming platform apart from YouTube. That is how popular the webpage and its corresponding app are. It should not come as a shock if we told you that it is also one of the most regulated websites. The company’s Terms of Service do not allow the posting of videos that depict pornography copyright violations, illegal acts, hate speech, promotion of racism, and gratuitous violence.
Reading this, one may wonder if YouTube is right to censor the kind of videos mentioned above. However, there is more to this. The webpage itself may be blocked in certain areas due to various factors like licensing issues, geo-blocking, restrictions set by employers or schools, and age-related limitations.
In some cases, the regional government itself blocks either some segments on YouTube or the entire web page itself.
For instance, let’s take North Korea as a quintessential example of how the general population lacks basic ways of gaining knowledge about situations beyond the country’s borders. The North Korean regime has blocked all access to the website. It is not the only country to do so. China, one of the leading economies in the world, does not allow browsers to access YouTube. The Chinese government runs its own version of YouTube called Youku Tudou. Other countries like South Korea have not entirely blocked the webpage but the content is censored for the general population to consume.
Now that we have learned that there is more on YouTube that one may have explored until now, let’s learn some ways to unblock YouTube to access a sea of unexplored videos.
1- VPN:
The first option has to be the easiest and most used method to access not just YouTube but any site that is blocked. You will understand why VPN is so popular by just reading the full form of VPN which stands for Virtual Private Network. Just like the name suggests, with a VPN you can practically create your own private network which means that it is also the most secure way to access blocked sites like YouTube. VPN directly encrypts the internet connection and hides the IP address of the user.
VPN masks the actual location by routing internet traffic which makes it suitable to manage geo-restrictions and unblock YouTube if it is banned in your area. VPN is the best bet if you want to attain the desired freedom online along with privacy and security. The only drawback is VPN cannot be downloaded on a work or school computer. It can only be used on personal electronic devices.
2- Using Proxy:
They are like VPNs but not quite like them. Using a proxy server, you can connect to the internet through an intermediary and most of the proxy servers present in the market can block your IP address, which means you can jump different firewalls without being caught. However, unlike VPN, proxy servers are unable to encrypt connections and hence the device may become vulnerable to data breaches alongside other online threats.
One of the major areas of concern using proxy servers is that some service providers sell user information to third parties. Connecting proxy servers is very easy. All you need to use is the in-built proxy setting on your smart device.
3- SafeShare:
If you are unable to download a VPN, or proxy server on a work or school device, SafeShare is the best option to opt for. The best news of it all, it is currently the most preferred choice amongst teachers to share videos with no advertisements. SafeShare, due to its default setting, filters out inappropriate videos which mean that restrictions set for age groups cannot be unblocked. However, schools systems are smart and in some cases, they may actually add extra filters to block the downloading of SafeShare
3- Tor:
It is a web browser that can help you unblock YouTube. The web extension works by anonymizing web traffic. It directs the traffic through its nodes or servers and hides the location of the visitors and the hosts. It is one of the ways one can access the dark web, the unindexed part of the internet, and is highly controversial. However, we do not recommend using Tor as the complications associated with the use of an extension are not worth it.
For instance, the entire encryption process is extremely complicated as it relies on different types of volunteer networks. Streaming videos on Tor is a slow process and the quality may not be great as well. There are other options present that will work even better and Tor is generally one the last resorts to access blocked content on the internet.
Conclusion
With this, we come to the end of understanding how to unblock YouTube to access a sea of unexplored videos. The Internet was meant to be free. But with growing information, there is also a need to filter the data available to the general masses. Each coin has two sides. Some may argue that filtering content on YouTube directly contradicts the right to information whereas some may be of the view that filtering content on the internet or YouTube is for our own benefit.
