Saudi Arabia is considered to be among the countries that exercise tight control on the internet using very strong filtering systems. All international internet traffic are directed through a proxy farm based in King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology. The DNS structure in Saudi Arabic has been under the control of the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) since October 2006.
Websites filtered by Saudi Arabia
Internet censorship in Saudi Arabia is ever growing like it is the case in many countries, such as: China and Iran, as as a strategy to exert control over the people’s political and religious thinking. The government of Saudi Arabia has filtered over 400,000 sites and most restrictions are applied to websites promoting pornography or “morally reprehensible” content, gambling in addition to some social networking and news websites. Not only that, but VoIP services are also banned in Saudi Arabia, including: Viber. Furthermore, sites discussing religious or human rights issues, or those that are in opposition to the political and religious atmosphere in the kingdom are also blocked.
Youtube has also been targeted by the Saudi Arabian authorities because of the controversial success of a feminist campaign calling for permitting Saudi Arabian women to drive just like men, in addition to a the parody of Bob Marley’s hit song video “No Woman, No Drive” created by Hisham Fageeh.
The Solution?
In spite of the country’s efforts to censor popular websites and services on the internet, a lot of Saudi Arabian internet surfers have found the means to bypass internet filtering systems. One easy and effective way is to use VPNs for Saudi Arabia.
What is VPN?
VPN stands for a virtual private network that is used by internet surfers in Saudi Arabia to bypass the government’s geo-blocking policy in order to unblock banned websites.VPN operates by creating a visual network tunnel that is highly secured and encrypted within the internet for your data traffic to travel through until it reaches the specified destination. The Saudi internet service provider (ISP) can detect that you are trying to access blocked web content through your IP address because your IP address indicates your geographical location. However, by using a VPN, your real IP address is masked with another one (e.g: a U.S IP address) so that it would appear to the ISP that you’re surfing from the U.S instead of Saudi Arabia. In this way, you will be able to gain access to any web content that is banned by your internet service provider (ISP) in absolute anonymity, without being detected.
Top VPNs for Saudi Arabia in 2015
Here is our pick for the best VPNs for Saudi Arabia that have proven to be effective in unblocked web content:
1) WASEL Pro
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Pros:
• Free VPN trial
• Easy installation
• Several VPN protocols
• Multiple payment methods
• Simultaneous VPN connections
• Full compatibility
• Extremely fast servers
• Friendly and well-trained live support
• No logging policy
• Discounts and special offers
Cons: none
This is one of the best and recommended VPNs for Saudi Arabia. WASEL Pro, is a popular VPN service provider that was established in 2012 and has been growing to branch out its services around the world with its main focus on the Middle East and Asia.
Wasel Pro VPN runs a high speed stable network of servers in many parts of the worlds including USA and Europe. It also supports OpenVPN and L2TP VPN protocols and is also compatible with all operating systems and devices; such as: Windows, Mac OS, iOS and Android. Through simultaneous VPN connections, WASEL Pro can be used on two different devices at once with the same VPN account. This feature makes it stand out among its peers as one of the best VPNs for Saudi Arabia.
WASEL Pro VPN tops the list of the VPNs for Saudi Arabia in 2015 as it gives its users a 30-day free VPN trial and comes with coupons as well as discounts for its paid subscribers. Moreover, WASEL Pro VPN offers its users full internet protection and optimal anonymity that also comes with unlimited bandwidth through its highly encrypted and widely branched global network of servers which makes it for video addicts in Saudi Arabia to watch videos without buffering or interruptions. Thanks to their no logging policy, all of your online activities and personal information are utterly hidden from hackers and data snoopers.
2. ExpressVPN
Pros:
• Easy setup
• Clear instructions
• 30-day Money back guarantee
• Simple registration form
• Android and iOS applications
• OpenVPN, L2TP and PPTP protocols
Cons:
• Pricy
• A little slow
• Different codes for each device
• Keeps some logs
ExpressVPN is popular among its users for its wallet-friendly subscription plans. This fierce VPN service has ranked among the best VPNs for Saudi Arabia as it offers 3 packages to fully enjoy its renowned top-quality service. ExpressVPN is one of the best VPNs for Saudi Arabia users in terms of speed. This super fast service has its network of servers spreading out to 97 cites in 78 countries. In other words, you can bypass any geo-restricted web content from 78 different locations making it climb to the top of the list of VPNs for Saudi Arabia. It offers 30 days money back guarantee as an alternative for a free trial period. However, they only downside is that it tends to keep some logs and requires different codes for every device, which makes it not very ideal to be used in countries that use Data Packet Inspection system, such as: Iran and China.
3. Private Internet Access
Another service considered among the best VPNs for Saudi Arabia is Private Internet Access. A VPN service that is based in the US; however it is unique because the mandatory data retention laws prevailing in the US do not apply to them. For this reason they are able to offer guaranteed anonymity to their customers. Private Internet Access offers unbeatable connection speeds, an easy to use VPN service, a compatible user’s privacy concept and of course competitive pricing. All these aspects make it a tough contender.
Although it is one of the best VPNs for Saudi Arabia, there are a few glitches, however; for instance it uses 256-bit OpenVPN encryption and has no money back or free trial offer for the first time customers. Nonetheless, the price and speeds with which it is available, still makes it a really good choice.
