Leo S.
—
Verified by
Adam B.
—
Last updated:
July 30, 2024
—
(0)
Bahrain is one of the many new Arabic paradises, a kingdom with some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world in which man-made skyscrapers touch the natural shores of the Persian Gulf. The internet penetration rate and speeds are among the best in the world, reaching 98% of the 1.4 million people living in Bahrain.
But the country’s location and culture put it on a knife’s edge when it comes to internet freedom, something that Freedom House confirms by considering it “not free” with a score of 71 out of 100. Also, in 2017 Bahrain’s authorities “restricted internet connections, censored websites, and detained activists”, the organization explains. However, it is a surprise to see that VPNs are legal in the country, which means that it shouldn’t be a problem for residents or visitors to subscribe to any provider.
Of all the Arabic countries, Bahrain is perhaps the easiest to access foreign content; streaming is generally well accepted and most mobile apps are not blocked. Netflix, for instance, has been available since 2016 and though its library is obviously not as complete as it is in America, it still has hundreds of movies and shows – including some high-demand choices.
This is useful for residents of nearby countries or regions as it allows them to use VPNs to obtain a Bahraini IP address and access apps and services that their own countries don’t have. Television, however, is state-owned and controlled by the IAA (Information Affairs Authority), which operates over five terrestrial TV networks that reach most of the country. Yet there is an opposition news station which operates from London, though it is blocked in the country.
Bahrain’s government is strict about internet surveillance, so the privacy laws – or lack thereof – are one of its biggest issues. To explain, suitably there are no online privacy regulations within the island’s borders, so the government has free reign to follow the digital steps of its citizens. This is what happened in 2016, for instance, when Bahraini authorities imposed a ‘security’ measure that allowed them to look at the content of people’s discussions on social media.
At the time that the regulation took place all secondary schools of the country received a demand that messages sent by teachers and students in WhatsApp groups had to be examined, threatening legal action against those sending messages “insulting the authorities”. These legal actions are the same as those imposed on political activists and critics of the kingdom and include jail sentences.
Despite the quality of the internet services in the country, Bahrain suffers from heavy online restrictions. Much of the content is censored or completely inaccessible, certain pages on social networks are blocked and some messaging or VoIP apps are disabled in the country too, such as Telegram for instance. However, Skype and WhatsApp – two of the most popular – are not blocked and can be used freely.
Censorship in the country is mostly driven towards the Shiite leaders and the political opposition. In 2011, prodemocracy protests escalated in Bahrain, which led to the authorities blocking Shiite-led organization websites and others run by critics of the government. As such, Freedom House has considered Bahrain as “not free” ever since, with scores that kept increasing each year. Reporters Without Borders also put the kingdom at the bottom of the table for its repressive behavior against journalists, which include long jail sentences and loss of citizenship.
Bahrain’s behavior towards streaming services is in hand with other Arabian countries in the region. This means that of all the biggest services in the world – like Hulu, Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer, and so on – only Netflix is available. The same principle applies to music on-demand services, too, as the island is still a missing spot on Spotify’s map, for instance, though it is possible to purchase a subscription to Apple Music using a Bahraini IP address.
Alternatively, Bahrain has its own streaming services, too. Zain Bahrain is a leading telecommunications provider in the country and has created Iflix, for instance, which needs no introduction as the name speaks for itself. It delivers some of the best Hollywood movies and shows – featuring English and Arabic subtitles via desktop and mobile apps – to Zain customers of Bahrain and other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait and more. It also features a lot of Bollywood and local content, and has plans for the future that includes following Netflix’s example by introducing series of exclusive Arabic content.
HideMyAss is one of the very best VPNs in the world that features perhaps the most extensive server network – composed of 200 countries – which makes it a great choice for those seeking to find servers in more unusual countries without losing out on security. In fact, HMA is one of the few providers that delivers not one but two servers in Bahrain, which is useful for outsiders wanting to access Iflix or other regional services. Other countries of the Middle East – like Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Jordan and many more – are also part of HMA’s map. In addition, subscriptions come with unlimited bandwidth, support for mobile and other devices, top encryption protection and a 30-day money back guarantee.
If HideMyAss has the greatest VPN network, then PureVPN certainly doesn’t fall too far behind: with more than 500 servers in almost 150 countries, users can switch servers as much as they want between Bahrain and many Middle Eastern countries around it. And on top of the always-nice unlimited bandwidth, PureVPN ensures some sweet security measures such as DDoS protection, a NAT firewall and the top notch 256-bit encryption to hide traffic from any ISP’s prying eyes. With apps for both computers and mobile devices and manual support for routers, PureVPN can cover most bases and can even be tested risk-free using the seven-day money back guarantee.
Many providers opt for delivering a couple of extra features, either driven towards better speeds or more security. But few can claim to have done it as impeccably as NordVPN, which is one of the very few that can be considered a double VPN provider. This means that, unlike the competition, NordVPN doesn’t protect users with one layer of encryption, but with two instead, which is particularly useful for those aiming for a better anonymity. This comes at the cost of speed, of course, but if this option isn’t active then the speeds are satisfactory. On top of that, NordVPN features some impressive 4,000 servers in more than 60 countries, and though Bahrain is not part of it there are some in the UAE and other peripheral regions. NordVPN also offers a three-day free trial.
Best Reviews may receive compensation for its content through paid collaborations and/or affiliate links. Learn more about how we sustain our work and review products.
©2012-2024 Best Reviews, a clovio brand –
All rights
reserved
Privacy
policy
·
Cookie
policy
·
Terms
of use
·
Partnerships
· Contact
us