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Glossary · Circumvention

Geo-block

Also calledgeoblockinggeographic restrictionregion lock
Definition

A geo-block is a restriction set by the website or service itself: it checks where your connection appears to come from and refuses or changes what it shows.

Explanation

In depth

The service reads your IP address, maps it to a country with a location database, then serves a local version, a different catalogue or price, or a refusal. The reason is usually licensing or the company's own market choices, not government censorship. The difference matters: censorship is your network refusing a site; a geo-block is the site refusing your location, so changing DNS does nothing. Three examples we checked on 15 October 2026. BBC iPlayer, opened through AnyProxy's Singapore server, said 'Sorry, BBC iPlayer isn't available in your region' and asked proxy or VPN users to switch off. Disney+ has never launched in Vietnam: disneyplus.com/vi-vn returned 'page cannot be found', while our Singapore and Frankfurt servers got Disney+ storefronts priced in Singapore dollars and euros. Spotify is not offered at all in some countries, including Russia, where it suspended service in April 2022. Policy writing calls the practice geoblocking; an EU regulation in force since 3 December 2018 limits unjustified geoblocking in online shopping, but it does not cover audiovisual streaming. An IP from another country changes only the IP check. Payment country, account region and DRM licence checks still apply, and the service's terms may forbid it.

In practice

Geo-block in the real world

What a proxy changes is only the country the service sees, and the results on 15 October 2026 showed both sides. Disney+ simply followed our exit: Singapore storefront in S$, German storefront in euros. BBC iPlayer refused, because it serves only the UK and AnyProxy has no UK server. Spotify's web player loaded through Singapore, but pressing play logged out brought up a sign-up prompt. None of these tests involved an account or payment.

Sources: Disney+ press - Asia-Pacific launch markets (12 Aug 2021) · Axios - Spotify suspends service in Russia (25 Mar 2022) · EUR-Lex - Regulation (EU) 2018/302 on unjustified geo-blocking · Disney+ in Vietnam - AnyProxy guide

We checked

Geo-blocks seen through AnyProxy (15 Oct 2026)

BBC iPlayer 'Sorry, BBC iPlayer isn't available in your region' page reached through AnyProxy Singapore

Open BBC iPlayer live (BBC One)

Did not work · SG exit · 2026-10-15

BBC page: 'Sorry, BBC iPlayer isn't available in your region. It looks like you're outside of the UK... If you are using a proxy or VPN, please turn off any of these services.' AnyProxy has no UK server.

Disney+ Singapore landing page through AnyProxy Singapore showing plans in Singapore dollars

Open disneyplus.com

Worked · SG exit · 2026-10-15

Redirected to /en-sg: the Disney+ Singapore storefront with plans in Singapore dollars. Storefront only; no video was played.

Disney+ Germany landing page through AnyProxy Frankfurt with prices in euros

Open disneyplus.com

Worked · FR exit · 2026-10-15

Redirected to /en-de: the Disney+ Germany page, 'From EUR 5.99 a month'. The storefront follows the proxy exit's country.

Disney+ 'page cannot be found' error for disneyplus.com/vi-vn through AnyProxy Singapore

Open the Vietnamese storefront path disneyplus.com/vi-vn

Did not work · SG exit · 2026-10-15

Disney+ showed 'The page you were looking for cannot be found.' There is no Vietnam storefront to reach.

Questions about Geo-block

Is a geo-block the same as censorship?
No. Censorship is your network or government refusing the service; a geo-block is the service refusing your region. A proxy can change what either sees, but a geo-block often also checks your account and payment country.
Can AnyProxy unlock BBC iPlayer?
No. iPlayer serves only the UK, and AnyProxy has no UK server: free regions are Singapore, Frankfurt and Virginia, and Pro adds Tokyo and Los Angeles. On 15 October 2026 iPlayer refused our Singapore server.
Why does Disney+ show another country's prices through a proxy?
Disney+ picks its storefront from your connection's location: Singapore dollars through Singapore, euros through Frankfurt. Subscribing would mean that country's currency and terms. There is no Vietnam storefront to reach.

Related terms

IP addressAn IP address is the number that identifies a device or server on a network, so packets know where to go; every website you visit sees one for you.DRM (Digital Rights Management)DRM (digital rights management) encrypts video or music so that only an approved player component can decrypt it, and only after the service's licence server agrees.ProxyA proxy is a server that makes network requests for you and passes the answers back, so the site you reach deals with the proxy instead of your device.VPNA VPN (virtual private network) is software that sends all of a device's network traffic through an encrypted connection to a provider's server, which then contacts websites on the device's behalf.

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