The website Can't Be Reached: Here Are Some Methods to Bypass Through a Blocked Website

The technological advancements over the span of a few decades have given us the ultimate tool in the form of the internet. Add that up with the convenience of utilizing its infinite resource using a modern smartphone or a laptop, and voila! You have the ultimate ingredient to chill out on your couch and enjoy browsing through whatever website you require.

However, if you're more into downloading "stuff" on the internet, you will realize that not everything is always too optimistic. There are certain websites that do not allow all users to openly utilize their service, especially if those websites deal with free movies or music downloads. Movies and music albums have certain copyright permission issues which means they cannot be duplicated or sold via a third party without the proper authorized permission from the concerned authorities.

However, there is a vast number of websites on the internet that deal with such unauthorized content and file downloads. Such websites that illegally replicate the contents of the original file and sell them at a lower price or even free are termed as piracy websites. One of the classic examples of such scandalous websites is The Pirate Bay or simply TPB, offering free downloads for all the latest movies, music, applications, and many more. 

As a result of the unethical replication and selling of copyright products, these websites are often blocked or banned by the legal cyber authorities.

However, there are a handful of methods you can incorporate to ensure you stay away from the radar of your cyber authorities and also gain access to such websites as well.

1.    Use a free proxy server

It would be rather fair on your part to assume that the techniques involved in obtaining access to a blocked website would be complicated, and for the most part, this may be partially true. However, using a free proxy server is as easy and straightforward as it gets. It may not be the best option if you're looking for a complete security-proof technique, but it lets you open a blocked website without tweaking through any elaborate procedure.

A free proxy server works by simply “disguising” your genuine server where the website is currently blocked. A free proxy server works as a middleman between you and the website you’re trying to gain access. The proxy server takes your request and forwards that the target website through its dedicated private server, and returns the response from the website back to you via the same proxy server. The primary advantage of using piratebay service is that it hides away your IP address to protect your current computer network location.

2.    Download a VPN

A VPN or simply Virtual Private Network is probably the most common and accepted mechanism of bypassing through a blocked website. This is essentially due to the level of security if it offers when you're browsing/ downloading from a piracy website. A VPN's most prominent feature is that it allows you to open a certain website using the IP address of a completely new country. You might as well be in the States, but the VPN will redirect you traffics to another country's server, allowing you to download the files from the website without violating the blocked website law of your country. 

All these exchanges of request data on VPN take place on an encrypted platform, which means all your private computer network details obtain an incognito status and unavailable for access to any external interference including the Government as well.

The only downside is that you may need to spend some cash if you want to utilize the optimum security features of a genuine VPN service.

3.    Use a DNS Server

Using a DNS server is another mechanism through which you can open blocked websites. A DNS or Domain Name System is a computing system that stores maintains and processes all the data related to the domain names of different websites on the internet. Some of the piracy websites are not blocked conventionally but are rather tweaked on a domain level to redirect the visitors to an alternate website. Using a DNS server will help your computer to identify the genuine address of the blocked website and enable you to obtain access to the website without getting redirected to other webpages.

However, a DNS server cannot hide your actual IP address unlike in VPN or proxy server’s case, so your computer’s network location will remain exposed and traceable as well. Hence, if you’re dealing with some serious offensive websites, a DNS server is not recommended.

4.    Use Tor browser

If you’re familiar with the dark web, the name Tor might not be a foreign word. However, in addition to helping you browse through the dark side of the internet, it can also help you gain access to the blocked website. This is primarily because the basic function of the Tor browser is to create an anonymous status so you cannot be traced down while using the dark web. This unknown network status can help you open the blocked websites with optimum security.

However, using a Tor browser slows down your browsing/ downloading speed by a significant figure, and also the various risk aspects related to its anonymous status is something you should avoid as long as it’s not extremely mandatory.