There was a minor problem with the VPN service I use on my Windows PC, so I contacted the VPN provider who suggested I uninstall and reinstall. So I uninstalled, and tried to go to the service’s website.
However, the VPN provider’s website wouldn’t come up in the Chrome browser. Odd, because other sites would come up without a problem. So I tried the Edge browser, and this time the web page had a message from our cable ISP saying the site was blocked because it allowed access to porn and/or gun and/or drug sites or something like that. Again, other sites came up without a problem.
I checked downforeveryoneorjustme which said there was no problem at their end. I tried a few other VPN providers’ websites and those too were inaccessible. Oh, I thought, yes of course, the ISP is blocking all VPN providers.
No problem, I thought — I’ll just tether via my phone and download the installer via the mobile phone network. However, my PC STILL would not connect to the VPN provider’s site. WTF? My phone is on entirely different network from the ISP (and I did check my laptop was tethered to my phone).
It’s as if the UK is blocked from accessing VPN providers.
Edit: I then tried Tor, and bizarrely I was allowed to access the Tor download page from my PC. So I installed Tor, through which I was now able to access my usual VPN provider’s site, and reinstalled the VPN software.
Edit 2: I should have thought about whether the UK bans VPNs. It looks like the top ISPs here do indeed block VPN providers. But it’s bizarre they don’t block Tor.
Banning VPN connections is pretty draconian, the UK shares this authoritarian characteristic with the worst on the planet…
As someone who works in the vpn industry, I can confirm that virgin media has been known to cause difficulties for VPN’s and it’s not the only one. The strange thing is that it’s not consistent and there are users with no issues and others that are clearly blocked. The block however is pretty basic and some vpn providers found a way to bypass this… I’d recommend you test a few out. (especially ones that support openvpn). Good luck!
Adding a comment for anyone looking at this more recently.
Had a similar issue, and the best way around it is to use Tor Browser, or Brave’s Tor feature to get around any VM blocks, and download your desired VPN that way.
The UK doesn’t block VPN’s. This is just plain wrong.
Didn’t realise the UK was doing this! Thanks.
Just using another DNS resolver doesn’t work?
I am somewhat surprised by how draconian filtering in the UK is. Here in the Netherlands there is only very limited filtering by default.
My ISP is Virgin Media. Or rather, it’s not my ISP, but belongs to the place I’m staying at, so I can’t fiddle with the settings to get past whatever “children’s filter” there might be. The irony is, I’m only using a VPN here because it’s not my WiFi.
I think it really is because of automatic child filters placed on the account. They are there to stop Virgin accounts having access to porn etc (until the child filter is lifted by an adult). As VPNs can be used to get around child filters (and access porn etc) VPN websites also fall into the deadzone created by the child filter on the account.
They absolutely do lol.
Been traveling in Ireland and Scotland and I wanted to watch hulu while I was out here so I was going to install a VPN and every site is blocked
You know UK is part of Five Eyes?
I didn’t try that, I just used Tor as my first and last option as that seemed quicker than anything else.
Yes, the UK is being a terrible place for expression under Keir Jong Un!
So is the USA, and I’m never blocked, even though I use a variety of public wifis to connect.