Home Business Insights & Advice Social media geo-restrictions and how proxies solve them

Social media geo-restrictions and how proxies solve them

by Sarah Dunsby
26th Sep 23 10:00 am

Social media is an essential part of our society, used not only to connect people globally but also for business marketing. However, a few restrictions come with these platforms, including geo-restrictions. Your geolocation is an important concept, and many people don’t even know they fall victim to geo-blocks. However, tools like residential proxies from Smartproxy can help you bypass these restrictions.

What’s geo-restriction?

Your geolocation refers to the actual location your device is located in. Your IP address will give this location to any website or app you access. As such, it’s impossible to hide where you are. However, this means the information or content you see can also be geo-restricted to a specific location.

Geo-restriction is when content is only accessible to a specific market. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Youtube, and Netflix are known for having content restricted to a location. Governmental bodies can also restrict information to a specific area. This restriction can be that residents can’t post news about the country to other countries.

Why do social platforms use it?

Social platforms can restrict content due to the user’s settings, government laws, licensing, or copyright issues. It happens for several reasons, but it can be a disadvantage if you’re trying to access the bigger picture or gather market information.

Proxies to the rescue

However, despite the relative problem it can become for marketers, social media managers, businesses, and individuals, there’s an easy solution. Proxies can help you bypass geo-restriction by making it look like you’re in the appropriate location.

Best proxy servers for social media

Proxies are servers that reroute your online traffic so that your device doesn’t have to make a request or connection directly with a platform or website. There are a few different types, with residential proxies being ideal for bypassing geo-restrictions.

A residential proxy server gets its IP address from a home device located in the area you want to access. A local ISP assigns that home device IP address so you look exactly like a natural person to any website or social media platform. It means the website or platform is unlikely to block your access because you’re using a proxy.

Another option is mobile proxies, which use an IP address assigned by a mobile 4G ISP. It looks like the changing proxies mobile devices are known for and are a secure way to access another market. These secure and reliable proxies are required when accessing social media platforms with sophisticated detection software, like Instagram and TikTok. We don’t simply expect you to take our word for it, so we’ll explore the advantages and disadvantages of proxies when using them to access any restricted content.

Pros of using proxies

There are various pros to using proxies. The most obvious one is that you’ll have access to any content. You can now get the required market-specific information for your campaign or decide whether opening a branch in another location is worthwhile.

Other benefits are that it makes automation easier, and you can employ targeted marketing strategies. You can also avoid IP bans from social media platforms that believe your actions or requests are suspicious. Another excellent feature of proxies is that you experience a secure and private connection. It protects your online privacy while ensuring you don’t leave behind a digital footprint hackers can track.

Lastly, proxies help you make a faster connection, as it reduces the bandwidth. They stabilize your internet connection by running the requests and traffic through large servers, making browsing the platforms in the market you want to access easier.

Cons of using proxies

However, you should consider a few cons before jumping in headfirst. Free proxies aren’t reliable, so using proxies will require an initial investment. High-quality proxies will cost you something, so you must work it into your budget.

Further, it’ll often require knowledge to use proxies. It might not be on the level of coding, but you must have some technical knowledge of how it works to use it. Even if that knowledge is only to the point of installing it and understanding how to change your location or circumvent IP bans.

Solve your media restrictions

Social media platforms are becoming more sophisticated, implementing bans, geo-restrictions, and software to detect when you’re using tools to circumvent it. That’s why quality residential proxies are crucial, which help you access the geo-restricted content while making it look like an actual person is connecting with the site or platform. However, before you use a proxy, consider its pros and cons, and ensure to purchase a reliable one from a trustworthy brand.

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