Indonesia is a beautiful Islamic country with a population of over 260 million people. Indonesia boasts of over 17,000 islands with scenic beaches, volcanoes, and temples – a good destination for an exotic holiday. Unfortunately, living in Indonesia is a different story altogether as Indonesia remains one of the countries with the highest rate of corruption and internet censorship and a government that snoops on its citizens.
The Indonesian government has blocked access to over 70,000 websites which they claim to contain negative content (pornography, depictions of violence, gambling, discrimination and radicalism based on race and religion). The government has been making rash arrests of bloggers and online activists for various reasons ranging from, defamation, religion and spreading fake news. Typically, no-one is safe as all your moves are tracked by the government.
Internet freedom is an illusion in Indonesia as the Indonesian government has made laws to strengthen itself in its quest. The laws now permit government authorities to instruct ISPs to block any website at free will. Several websites are inaccessible to Indonesian visitors but there is a way around it.
All you need to unlock your freedom is to connect to a trusted VPN server and you will gain instant access to the blocked websites. A good VPN should top Indonesian users’ scale of preference as regards surfing the internet. The same goes for foreigners who are in Indonesia for work or leisure. The purpose of writing this article is to enlighten you about the best VPN provider for Indonesia in 2019.
What is the Legal Status of VPNs in Indonesia?
Before you go off wondering if using a VPN in Indonesia is legal, read this. As of the time of writing this post, no regulation or law bans the use of VPNs in Indonesia, so it is completely legal!
List of Censored Websites in Indonesia
In no particular order, below is a list of top websites that have been censored by the Indonesian government for various reasons.
- Netflix: Netflix was introduced to Indonesia in early 2016, but got censored almost immediately. Telkom, the state telecommunications provider made a move to block Netflix on the basis that most of its contents are forbidden in Indonesia, but it instead notified the company to regulate its contents according to the Indonesian standards.
- YouTube: In 2008, YouTube was blocked by the Indonesian government over a controversial video that sparked outcry across the nation. Ever since it was unblocked, YouTube joined the list of websites that have censored their content to Indonesian visitors.
- Vimeo: In May 2014, a popular video-sharing website – Vimeo was part of the websites affected in the massive blocking spree by the Indonesian government. The ban was lifted in November 2014 but with a clause that the contents from Vimeo be filtered.
- Reddit: Reddit got blocked alongside Vimeo in 2014. The website was allegedly blocked due to the presence of some pornographic contents. However, Reddit does not censor its website and is blocked to date on some Indonesian Internet Service Providers.
- Imgur: Popular image sharing site Imgur also got affected by the ban in 2014. The Indonesian government claimed that some pictures hosted on the website contained pornographic images. To date, Imgur is blocked on some ISPs in Indonesia.
What is the best VPN Provider for Indonesia in 2019?
Amid the internet chaos caused by the Indonesian government’s move to block thousands of websites and arrest political activists, you don’t need to worry. The internet can be accessed freely and privately in Indonesia with the use of VPNs. Several VPN service providers offer services ranging from free to premium, but after lots of tests and research, the best VPN provider to use for Indonesia in 2019 is RitaVPN.
RitaVPN is rated the best VPN for Indonesia in 2019 for many reasons. RitaVPN has a vast amount of servers across a large number of countries. RitaVPN servers are ultra-fast, which makes streaming Ultra-HD content a seamless process. From anywhere in Indonesia, RitaVPN servers will enable you to access unfiltered content from blocked and geo-restricted websites.
RitaVPN takes your security seriously and therefore, does not leak your information to any ISPs. With RitaVPN, you can confidently share your opinion online without the fear of being tracked by the government. RitaVPN encrypts your data directly from your phone to the website, bypassing your ISP in the process. You can be sure to have complete anonymity whenever you surf the internet with RitaVPN.
RitaVPN is a cross-platform provider which means you can access their apps on all personal devices ranging from Windows, Mac, Android, and Ios. One other feature that makes RitaVPN stand out is its easy-to-use user interface – anybody can use it! Anytime you experience technical issues, RitaVPN technical engineers are always online providing real-time support.
Basic Features of RitaVPN
- Privacy and Anonymity: Anonymity and privacy are essential when surfing the internet from Indonesia. RitaVpn keeps your data private and does not keep logs.
- Spoofing: RitaVPN allows internet users in Indonesia to access blocked websites and geo-restricted websites by masking your original IP address.
- Security: Your security is important. RitaVPN protects your data from being hacked or accessed over open or government Wi-fi hotspots. RitaVPN encrypts your data heavily at all times to guarantee your safety.
- Speed: RitaVPN came out top in speed test s carried out among VPNs in Indonesia. Most VPNs compromise speed for security and vice-versa but RitaVPN has achieved a striking balance.
- P2P Support: RitaVPN has P2P support which helps when accessing torrent sites banned by the Indonesian government.
- Kill Switch: RitaVPN stops your internet connection immediately it gets interrupted instead of letting your Internet Service Provider take control of your browsing.
Conclusion
Living in Indonesia can be frustrating with several government policies on Internet usage and freedom. You can use free VPNs to bypass these regulations but they are highly risky. Free VPNs contain malware and sell your data. For complete internet privacy, security and speed in Indonesia, I highly recommend using RitaVPN at all times. RitaVPN offers you maximum VPN service at the most affordable rates.
