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Can VPN get you banned? Is VPN safe to use?

5 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

VPNsare excellent privacy tools that can help you bypass a lot of connectivity and censorship issues. Aside from their obvious role in safekeeping your privacy from various third-party agents,VPNscan also handle other issues.

For instance, you can useVPNsif you want tocircumvent geoblocking.

More so, if you notice sudden slowdowns on your connection, it might be due to your ISP throttling your bandwidth.VPNscan help youcurb packet lossandimprove in-game pingwithout a hiccup.

However, flying off the radar can make you feel a bit rebellious. Thus, regularVPNusers started to ponder whether it’s 100% safe to use aVPN?

World-class 24/7 support with 83% for a 3 years plan and 3 months free.

Amazing connection speed with 35% off and 3 months free for the 1-year plan.

Best security protocols with 83% off and 2 months free for a 2-year plan.

Is it safe to use a VPN?

Essentially, there’s nothing wrong with using aVPN. Sure, some regions have banned non-government-approvedVPNs, and in those certain regions, you must be more cautious.

But merely using aVPNisn’t unsafe. It’s your fundamental right, after all, to benefit from a private, secure, and censor-free connection. So, as long as you obey the laws and regulations of your country, you should be alright.

As far as government-approvedVPNsgo, you should look out for those. There’s a reason why the government approved only a select few services, and that’s because they’re easy to monitor.

Even if aVPNshould safeguard your privacy, there are certain providers that have been coerced to install backdoors on their service.

Thus, even if you think your connection is private, your ISP (or any other party that has clearance) can easily see your online whereabouts.

Can VPN get you banned?

Can VPN get you banned?

1. If you engage in unlawful behavior

This is unfortunately the most common situation. Users see the advertisements and believe that aVPNcan help them get away with anything. So they download the product and begin the series of wrongdoings.

Piracy, hacking, accessing or distributing forbidden content, terrorism, you name it.

Truth be told, some really do get away with it, as most reputableVPNsenforce zero-logging policies, and don’t monitor their customers. This, in turn, may encourage unlawful behavior, while also boosting the trust of the provider at the same time.

However, you should know thatVPNservices have other means to monitor activity without tying it to a certain individual. So if you get caught on the wrong side of the law, yourVPNmight turn a blind eye, or things might go the other way.

Your account might be suspended indefinitely and you might be even banned from using aVPN.

2. If you’re in a VPN-restricted region

As we’ve said a bit earlier, not all regions in the world are keen onVPNs. Thus, to counter them, they’ve enforced strict laws against using non-government-approved services.

As a result, many trustworthyVPNservices have been removed and/or banned from those areas, and people who are caught using them might even be sanctioned.

ExpressVPN, for instance, is not a government-approvedVPNservice in China. However, if you manage to create an account, purchase a subscription, and download the client,ExpressVPN still works great in China.

ExpressVPN

On the downside, if you get caught using ExpressVPN in China, or get reported, you might get in trouble.

3. Getting the VPN’s IP blacklisted

There’s also the chance that you’ll upset a certain website or service while behind aVPN. In this case, yourVPN-assigned IP address might get banned, and you won’t be able to use it anymore on that specific website.

For instance, you might try to use aDDOSattack on a website. The website picks up on your current IP address and blacklists it. If you’re using aVPN, the website will (most likely)blockthe IP address of theVPNserver.

Subsequently, this might lead to two events:

Note that DOS and DDOS attacks are pretty much still illegal. You shouldn’t, under any circumstances, attempt to replicate the scenario mentioned above, unless you’re authorized, certified, and in a controlled environment.

Yes, you can still get banned with a VPN

Either way, you should steer away from unlawful behavior, even if you’re under the false impression that aVPNwill shield you. While aVPNcan successfully anonymize your connection, you shouldn’t use it for any wrongdoings.

Keep in mind thatVPNproviders can still see what websites you access or files you download.

If they choose to turn a blind eye on you downloading a pirated movie for once, it doesn’t mean will work every time, or that you’ll get away with just about anything.

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Vlad Constantinescu

Vlad might have a degree in Animal Husbandry and Livestock Management, but he’s currently rocking anything software related, ranging from testing programs to writing in-depth reviews about them.

He spent 3-4 years as a software editor at Softpedia and another year as a VPN specialist before he landed his current job as an author at Windows Report.

In his free time, Vlad enjoys playing guitar, doing jigsaw puzzles, researching cybersecurity, and even having a good read on rainy days.

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