VeePN Research Lab

Back in April 2023, Italy briefly banned ChatGPT over privacy and data protection concerns, becoming the first Western country to take such a step. The service came back after it was changed by OpenAI later but the case has triggered a broader discussion regarding AI, GDPR, and the utilization of our data. But what was it about in Italy, why did regulators intervene and what can you do when ChatGPT (or other artificial intelligence applications) is blocked in your country once again? It would be good to take that ban as it is and why that is so and how to prevent losing access in case of geo-restrictions.

Think about when you are sitting on the Internet, watching the Netflix series, or playing an online game. Then inexplicably, your internet pores. Your internet is slow or to be more specific, your connection speed has been slackened. You may be thinking that it is your router, or maybe your neighbors are stealing your bandwidth. There might be, but the other general cause of such poor speed of the internet is internet throttling. Throttling is also annoying as some users are not even aware of this act. Continue further to learn ways of determining whether you are being throttled by your ISP and what action you can take to stop it. ISPs can throttle any site or service they want, including live streaming, gaming, high-def video, downloading, and torrenting - basically, anything that's data-intensive.

If you're trying to access a website or platform and suddenly hit a brick wall with a "This content is unavailable in your country" message instead of what you were after, it's probably because you're running into a geo block - plain and simple. Geo-blocking is basically blocking online content based on where you're coming from. A geo block just means that an online service, a government, or your internet service provider (ISP) has worked out where you are by tracking your device's IP address (your computer's internet address) and has decided to shut you out. Geo-blocking works by using tracking and geolocation tech to identify your device's IP address - effectively pinning down your general location, without giving away your precise address. However the IP address on your device can give away your general location, but it's not always 100% accurate. Geo-blocking can stop you getting at online content or services by analysing the data you're requesting and the traffic data - which can happen at the network level (and that's often referred to as network level blocking). Geo-blocking creates virtual borders online, allowing businesses to manage the way they distribute digital content according to what makes business sense, is legal, and keeps them safe. It's also used for market segmentation and 'dynamic pricing', which can lead to price discrimination - where people in different regions are charged different prices for the same product or service. Geo-blocking is also used to comply with local data protection laws such as the GDPR in the EU - which can result in geo blocking website access due to a lack of compliance with these rules. Geo-blocking is essentially a way for services to block or restrict access to content based on your location - usually for a good reason, such as keeping up with licensing agreements, local laws or regulations. Your device's IP address is like a digital fingerprint that gives away where you are in the world. When you connect to the internet, your device borrows the router's public IP address - this is how services can figure out where you are. Want to know more about geo-blocking? Keep on reading.