Are VPNs Legal In Your Country?

1. China: Only government-approved VPNs are allowed to use

When: March 2018

Why: In order to regulate VPNs which unlawfully conduct cross-border operational activities. Any foreign companies that want to set up a cross-border operation for private use will need to set up a dedicated line for that purpose. They will be able to lease such a line or network legally from the telecommunications import and export bureau. (source)

What does it mean: VPN service providers are required to first gain approval from the Chinese government (and potentially agree to terms that defeat the purpose of a VPN – logging).

Individuals who “access international network privately or via “illegal channels,” or offer related services without authorization” can only be fined for the amount up to 15,000 yuan (approximately $2200). At the current state of legislation, no additional punishment can be imposed. (source)

2. Russia: Only government-approved VPNs are allowed to use

When: November 2017

Why: In order to prevent the spreading of “extremist materials” on the Internet. The law is meant to block access only to “unlawful content” and is not intended to impose restrictions on law-abiding citizens. (source)

What does it mean: If you use a VPN which isn’t sanctioned by the government and get caught there are specific penalties: 300,000 RUB ($5,100) for the user 700,000 RUB ($12,000) for the service provider. (source)

3. Iran: Only government-approved VPNs are allowed to use

When: 2013

Why: To prosecute users who are violating state laws and take offenders to national courts under the supervision of judiciary service. Use of VPNs approved by the government reportedly led to surveillance and inspection of private data. (source)

What does it mean: Using non-government sanctioned VPNs are not allowed. Using a VPN that is not compliant with Iranian law can cause 91 days up to 1 year of incarceration.

However, despite the vast amount of illegal VPN users in Iran, actual arrests are extremely rare. Why? Because, just like we have explained earlier, Iranian government only uses this law to prosecute its opposers, not regular netizens for, say, browsing Facebook. (source)

4. United Arab Emirates: Restricted for Individuals

When: 2012

Why: One of the big reasons was people using Skype, WhatsApp, Viber or other free VOIP services, leaving out the big Telecom companies of UAE. (source)

What does it mean: Anyone uses a fraudulent IP address to commit a crime or prevent its discovery shall be punished by imprisonment or a fine of up to $544,000, and a potential custodial sentence, depending on the nature of the crime. Using a VPN to use Skype might cause penalties, too. Worth mentioning that banks, companies, and institutions can use VPN’s freely, it is only individuals who are prohibited from it. (source)

5. Oman: Only government-approved VPNs are allowed to use

When: 2010

Why: It’s easy to understand why the TRA is prohibiting the use of VPNs as their primary use in this country is to bypass ISP censorship and the prohibition of the use of VOIP. A few also use VPN service to fake their IP location in order to use services offered in a region only

What does it mean: The proposed law imposes a fine of 500 Omani Rial ($1,300) on individuals and 1,000 ($2,600) Omani Rial on companies without the proper permit.” If you use government approved VPN, all of your logs will be kept. Institutional use of VPNs is legal in Oman if permission is granted by the government. (source & source)

6. Turkey: Restricted

When: 2016

Why: Prevent circumvention of government-imposed censorship via VPN services. (source)

What does it mean: Using a VPN can probably cause some problems, but there are still some VPNs that are able to bypass Turkey’s block. (source)

7. Iraq: Fully Banned

When: June 2014

Why: Iraq banned VPNs to restrict and stop ISIS manipulating social media. Using the pretext of stopping ISIS, Iraq has done a series of things from banning VPNs to blocking social media and chat apps. It hasn’t stopped government officials and government-owned institutions from breaking the law and using these tools, though. (source)

What does it mean: VPN services are banned in Iraq to monitor the activity of terrorists online. This affects to all people living in the country.

8. Turkmenistan: Fully Banned

When: 2015

Why: To censor foreign media. It’s all about politics with this one. There is only one ISP in Turkmenistan and it belongs to the government. It is a subject to total censorship.

What does it mean: Attempts to use proxy servers and VPN are detected and blocked; their users are subjected to administrative penalties and summoned for “preventive conversations” to the Ministry of National Security, where they face intimidation.” (source)

9. Belarus: Fully Banned

When: 2015

Why: The Belarusian government sees Tor and VPN as a service forwarding traffic to bypass any restriction politicians may put in place. Belarus have also blocked most of the foreign websites for their own citizens. Even though there is an abundance of legitimate Tor/VPN use cases, the government feels blocking the service is the best way to go. (source)

What does it mean: Using a VPN to bypass geo-restrictions can cause possible fines.

10. North-Korea: Fully Banned

It’s hard to find information about North Korea on this subject.

Why: Locals can only use the country’s own version of the Internet called “Kwangmyong”. Use of VPNs is definitely banned for locals since they don’t allow any foreign media at all.

What does it mean: As a tourist, you can access the Internet via 3G but this access is monitored and VPN usage is prohibited. (source)

11. Uganda: ISPs block VPN services

When: 2018

Why: Last year, Uganda made social media use taxable. Ugandan citizens started to use VPNs to circumvent this new tax.

What does it mean: As a result of its citizens’ actions, the Ugandan government mandated local ISPs to block all VPN services.