Are VPNs legal?

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) has gained immense popularity as a tool to protect personal data, bypass geo-restrictions, and maintain anonymity while browsing the internet.

However, the legality of VPNs varies from country to country. In the United States and the United Kingdom, VPN usage is generally legal and widely accepted as a tool for safeguarding online privacy. Yet, a global perspective reveals a more complex landscape, as some countries (e.g. China, Russia, Iran) have chosen to restrict or even outright ban VPN services. These countries, driven by censorship, surveillance, or national security, impose strict regulations on VPN usage, creating a stark contrast in the global approach to VPNs.

In this article, we will delve into the legal status of VPNs, exploring their restrictions and outright bans across different countries.

Is using a VPN legal?

Yes, using a VPN is legal in most countries, including the US, UK, and Europe region. These countries generally allow the use of VPNs as tools to protect online privacy and security. However, it's important to note that some countries, such as North Korea or Iraq, have banned VPN usage, and engaging in such activities could result in severe penalties, including heavy fines or imprisonment. In other countries, VPN usage has restrictions, and it highly varies depending on the laws in place.

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While the act of using a VPN is not illegal, many activities done using a VPN might be illegal. Here’s what you should avoid:

• Pirate copyrighted content. Although copyright law is rarely enforced against individual citizens who pirate content, it’s still illegal – and there might be repercussions from your Internet service provider (ISP) in case your VPN leaks or logs data.
• Buy or sell on dark web marketplaces. Dark web marketplaces are usually accessed through Tor, but VPNs with Tor over VPN functions have become increasingly popular as well. Buying weapons, drugs, and hitman services on the black market is just as illegal as it would be to do that anywhere else, with or without a VPN.
• Hack, stalk, or cyberbully someone. VPNs provide some amount of privacy and anonymity, but in case the VPN keeps logs, you still are at risk of getting caught. Besides, hacking, stalking, or cyberbullying is simply awful.

In essence, using a VPN doesn’t change the legal status of any online activity you might perform. If it’s legal without a VPN, it’s legal with a VPN – and if it’s illegal normally, it’s still illegal with a VPN.

Other countries have different laws surrounding VPN use, copyright, and other areas, so read on to learn more about the restrictions in different countries.

Where are VPNs Illegal?

While it’s perfectly legal to use a VPN in most of the world, some countries have specific bans or restrictions. Countries with heavily-restricted network access generally don’t want their citizens accessing the open internet with a VPN.

Here's the summary of where VPNs are illegal or restricted (at the time of this writing):

These are just a few of the many world jurisdictions with some kind of restriction on VPN usage. Most countries don’t explicitly restrict VPN usage, but a significant number do, so check before you assume it’s legal even if you’re just trying to change your IP address to watch Netflix series.

How do countries enforce VPN bans?

Countries enforce VPN bans through various measures to restrict and monitor VPN usage, including:

• ISP cooperation. Governments collaborate with ISPs to identify and block VPN protocols and servers, requiring ISPs to implement filtering mechanisms.
• Deep Packet Inspection (DPI). Authorities use DPI technology to detect and block VPN traffic by examining and monitoring the internet traffic.
• Legal penalties. Individuals caught using VPNs may face fines or imprisonment, while businesses using VPNs without permission can also face legal consequences.
• Domain and IP address blocking. Governments maintain lists of VPN-related websites, IP addresses, and domains to prevent access.
• Surveillance and monitoring. Advanced surveillance tools track individuals suspected of using VPNs, leading to a potential investigation.
• National firewall enhancements. Continual upgrades to national firewalls enable governments to effectively detect and block VPN traffic and counter evasion techniques.

These VPN ban methods vary between countries, with some implementing more strict measures than others.

What could happen if you use a VPN illegally?

While committing copyright violations is illegal in most parts of the world, lots of people do it anyway. Some people figure that they’re unlikely to see consequences for their “victimless crime." The same mindset can apply to using VPNs where they’re prohibited.

Some countries enforce restrictions on VPN usage – like other internet censorship laws – more strongly than others. Using a VPN illegally could land you in jail, or there might be no punishment at all. Regardless, it’s generally not a good idea to break the law, even if you consider the law unethical.

If a country blocks VPN applications, it’s a safe assumption that they have the means to enforce this ban. Attempting to use a VPN illegally on your private connection or public Wi-Fi is risky in any of these countries.

Even in countries where VPNs aren’t explicitly banned, like China, police occasionally demand that citizens and visitors remove VPN applications from their devices. And even the internet provider might complain about VPN usage. This might not carry a direct penalty (like jail time or a fine), but it does discourage people from using VPNs.

Internet censorship: Is it legal to use a VPN to access blocked content?

Depends on the jurisdiction. You might want to use a VPN to access blocked content. If you’re getting around blocked content on your work or school network, you’re probably not going to face legal consequences. That said, you might be punished in some fashion by your employer or school.

In most countries, blocked content generally falls into one of two categories:

• Geo-blocked content (blocking on the side of content providers, such as Netflix)
• Illegal content blocked by the government using technical means

Accessing content that falls under the first category using a VPN is generally permissible, while accessing blatantly illegal content is still illegal. However, even if you’re accessing legal blocked content with a VPN, there may still be repercussions, such as cancelled subscriptions.

Is streaming with a VPN illegal?

No. One of the most common uses for virtual private networks is accessing region-locked content from other countries. Some movies and TV shows are locked to particular countries. A VPN can bypass these restrictions, so you can watch Formula 1, the Major Baseball League games, or favorite series from anywhere in the world.

While using a VPN in this manner is generally legal, it might violate the terms of service of the streaming provider. In this case, you can expect that your account might be restricted or closed.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act in the US created a legal framework for punishing people who get around digital rights management (DRM) software. This law could theoretically be used against people avoiding region locks with VPNs, although it hasn’t been tested.

It’s perfectly legal to use a VPN for Netflix, so you shouldn’t worry too much about this use case.

Which VPNs are legal to use?

VPN legality has little to do with the products themselves and everything to do with how they are used. As a tool, it just allows you to pass your connection through an intermediary, which doesn't make you a criminal.

The legality questions arise when you look into how the VPN connections are used and where. Most likely, if an action is illegal without a VPN, it will still be an illegal activity with a VPN (i.e. downloading copyrighted materials). In other cases, countries like Russia, Belarus, China, Turkey, and Iran have imposed some restrictions on such networks. Though they're not necessarily outlawing the technology, they want to have the backdoor into your browsing activity.

In those countries, some VPN providers will be readily accessible and available. Usually, they will be government-controlled. Meanwhile, the likes such as NordVPN, Surfshark, and other services will be much harder to get ahold of as they are independent and defend your online privacy. The government is trying to push them out, as they aren't collaborative with their data requests.

Wrapping up

NordVPN emerges as the top legal VPN for us, offering unparalleled privacy measures, robust security, and a vast server network. With advanced encryption and fast speeds, it ensures privacy, accessibility, and a superior online experience.

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Bottom line

VPNs are a powerful technology that can be used for both good and bad. As a result, their legal status can be confusing. Every country has slightly different regulations on the use of VPNs.

In most of the world, standard uses for VPNs are above board. However, it pays to check whether there are any restrictions in your particular country before doing anything potentially questionable. Check if you're not violating any terms of service agreement if you don't want your account to be suspended.

And remember: if it’s illegal without a VPN, it’s illegal with one.

Thinking of trying out a VPN service? Read one of our VPN guides or reviews

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