All You Need To Know About IP blocking

Have you ever tried in vain to access a particular website? Well, you’ve probably been blocked from accessing that website. Almost everybody experiences this several times in their lifetime of Internet usage. Surely, you’ve already heard about it and probably had to deal with the issue in the past.

IP Blocking. Yes, IP blocking, that is what happens when you experience this situation. Although it usually seems more frustrating for you, the user, IP Blocking is vital to the internet, which should pique your interest.

Whenever your IP gets blocked, either of two things might have happened: the first is that the website does not approve something you have done, such as using bots, and the second covers external factors that are usually out of your control, such as your location.

Now let’s focus on the possible reasons for IP Blocking, what it is, and how you can unblock your IP with the aid of a proxy.

The Reason the Internet Needs IP Blocking?

As said earlier, IP Blocking is vital to the internet, meaning that it can’t function properly without it. You can see it as an added security protocol used to pick who to access a website’s content.

There is more to the internet than music, fun, and games. Somebody will always attempt to make some malicious moves, and blocking such IP addresses is an excellent way to keep everything under control.

Here are some examples of the reasons why website block IP addresses:

Protection of sensitive data and confidential information
Academic institutions, security agencies, the government, and their likes often have data that are meant exclusively for their students or workers. Therefore, blocking all external IP addresses reduces the chances of a leak or easy access of hackers to information that is sensitive or classified.

Block spam and bots with IP Blocking
Various forms of botting is an issue a lot of online sites have suffered from, especially E-commerce websites; these are often stormed with bots that purchase in bulk then resell to legit customers at inflated prices.

Also, websites get spam comments. If they are not blocked, these different disturbances lead to slow online service, and, in the end, the website can crash.
Localization of contents (e.g., Youtube, Netflix content)

An IP address is like a traditional address. It can signify your location; this feature helps create a route on the net from where you are to the website that is being accessed. And to keep your route on the internet direct, your IP is blocked from other websites or contents of the same websites that aren’t specific to your location.

All the big companies have their content tailored to suit every location. Hence, a US user will not have to see content meant for a user in France.

Fraudulent and mischievous transactions
Similar to botting for e-commerce sites, a lot of online businesses, inevitably, have to deal with fraudulent transactions. IP Blocking comes to the rescue, and IPs from particular market regions and countries can be blocked if any mischievous move is noticed.

To control traffic surges
Traffic is a good thing, but when it becomes too much, it can crash a website in the blink of an eye. And to prevent this, IPs are blocked, but it is a loss for the website if a significant percentage of a traffic surge were bots as legit customers might be blocked alongside.

Socio-political issues
Countries like China and Russia that limit the freedom of speech have censorship and regulations on their internet. These censorships or regulations made to limit conversations and sharing of social and political issues involve Blocking the IPs of their citizens from some websites, businesses, and regions or countries vis a vis.

How do I Unblock my IP?

Now that you have seen different reasons for the need to block IPs, there is a chance you still want to unblock yourself due to reasons. Maybe you want to listen to a podcast, and your country has been restricted; all you have to do is easy.

Since an IP address is like a traditional address that makes your location, all you need to do is change your location. You can change your location by changing your IP address. With this, be sure you’ll be allowed to listen to that podcast.

To answer the “how do I change my IP address?” which should be in your mind right now, we use proxies and VPNs. These do alter your IP address to look to a website, like another IP in an entirely different location.

A proxy will do this trick if you are dealing with bots, an e-commerce site, and other localized content on the web with a restriction, while a VPN is better to secure an entirely static connection.

It really doesn’t look different than your real IP address, but it won’t get restricted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here, let’s discuss answers to some frequently asked questions on IP blocking
1. How does IP blocking work?
A website uses IP blocks to limit unwanted actions, and that might have adverse effects on it. IP Blocking is specific as blocked IPs do not have access to particular websites and contents.
2. How do I unblock my IP?
All you have to do is change your IP address through a VPN or a proxy.
3. Why is my IP banned?
There are numerous reasons for this, but more often than not, it is one of these: boy and spam blocks, data protection content localization, regulations, or censorship in socio-political issues.