At home (Australia), using the internet for day-to-day things is a PITA. Some sites are outright blocked, and many are age restricted. Many sites simply don't appear in search engines or are blocked via ISP if visited.
Overseas it's just as bad. Vietnam blocks medium.com for some reason....
Overseas it's just as bad. Vietnam blocks medium.com for some reason. Thailand blocks the daily mail (not a particularly important site, but it's the principle).
Idea: rather than switching the country in my VPN software every time a site is missing/blocked/requires age verification, could there be a browser extension that simply routes those specific requests via $WHATEVER_FUCKING_COUNTRY_MAKES_THE_SITE_HAPPY?
(that variable could potentially be guessed based on some rules or crowd sourcing i.e. what has worked for other users - importantly, the user doesn't need to know nor care, the software could ensure it 'just works' TM etc).
This way, the user just gets to the internet without all the regulation-induced rigmarole.
Am I crazy for wanting to use the internet without the cruft? Is there a technical reason this isn't possible?
(I'd pay $10/month for the convenience).
Comments
By raxxorraxor 2026-03-128:19 That would basically be a VPN service. One could argue that since we have these roadblocks, an unencrypted version of it could have its uses.
On the other hand you would create inefficient routes just because some countries are overwhelmed with creating digital legislation. I think the real smart solution is to route around these people and keep them far away from influence in political decisions. Simple and clean.
If that isn't possible, a solution like that might work, but only so long as the majority of countries don't legislate similar roadblocks.
By qwertyuiop_ 2026-03-120:28
