Cyprus is a country divided both on- and offline. The northern segment of the island is occupied by Turkey, whereas the southern region continues to act as a sovereign state. It is very important to highlight here that this article mostly deals with the south, as on the Turkey-controlled territories Turkish law prevails – you can learn more about that Turkey’s online situation here. Thus, we are going to outline the specifics of the Southern Cypriot (from now on, simply Cypriot) internet. Despite the conflict on the island, Cyprus is an extremely popular tourist destination. And, with the internet gaining such monumental ground in the 21st century, the country essentially fabricated its policies around this main source of income: other people’s holidays.
Most of the internet is run by the state in Cyprus, with some minor exceptions. What should be pointed out is that the country has good internet speeds; from a broadcasting standpoint, the island is relatively small, meaning less trouble with signal strength. The main source of income is tourism and whatever aspect of it you are looking for you will have great website availability, with numerous foreign language translations. The easiest way to safely access the Cypriot online domain is to utilize the help of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) provider. Such companies encrypt the data you browse with, making identifying you very hard for anyone of ill intentions.
Southern Cyprus’ internet law is vastly superior to the north’s in terms of freedom online. The Turkish sanctions have a cultural and religious edge to them, while the south’s legal framework resembles the European Union’s fewer regulations the most. We must also clarify here that if you go into an internet café for example in Cyprus, you will probably meet worse prices than in the most of Europe. Luckily, coverage is so good on the island that the well-supported mobile devices should be sufficient. Laws also favor online transactions, thus e-banking is a viable option in the country.
Censorship in Cyprus is relatively rare. For the most part, only topics that are not welcome throughout most of the world are restricted. For censorship in the literal sense, it is mostly the controversy surrounding the island’s division that experiences this. Otherwise there are mainly bans or restrictions imposed on topics such as child pornography, or hate speech and defamation. Gambling websites require a Cypriot license to operate in the country. Overall, southern laws are favorable; there is nothing you won’t be able to browse as an average tourist. We do not recommend venturing into the online territory of the north, though.
We must point out that only major Internet Service Providers (ISPs) provide online television and streaming opportunities. We suggest that if you connect to the internet with a Cypriot IP address from abroad, always check the nature of your connection in this matter. If you use a VPN to achieve this, consult the ISP company you are under. For availability, local broadcasts enjoy the most support, next to music streaming. Apple Music, Google Play Music and Spotify are the most prominent international presence in the country. You can also listen to songs on Deezer, or free sites like SoundCloud and Bandcamp. Film streaming is in a worse spot, though. Netflix is not available in Cyprus, and as mentioned before, it is local television and visual entertainment programs that fill up the hole. Also, keep in mind that all of this is still valid for the southern part of the island only.
So Cyprus, despite its divided nature, still caters your online needs, at least from the legal side. We would like to express some worry though about the north-south conflict, and thus we are now going to recommend to you three VPN companies that excel in hiding your presence online. Better safe than sorry, even when going online.
VyprVPN is a name to put high up on your list. They are famed for their extra security solutions offered, the combination of which will surely keep your ice from breaking, even in the warm Mediterranean. First, you can utilize a built-in NAT firewall that is great for recognizing threats that might encounter you while scouring around the Cypriot web. Then there is the company’s own kind of SmartDNS, called VyprDNS. This type of proxy is most helpful when you want to bypass restrictions.
Secondly, take a look at PureVPN. With connections offered in over 140 countries, including Cyprus. This great selection is not restricted to the people of these countries, so you can still connect to other countries’ domains even if your place of residence does not have a VPN server. PureVPN has well-balanced packages: SSL support and a fail-safe kill switch are yours, along with customer support via remote desktop even, usually for prices below $5 per month.
Lastly, here is StrongVPN, a company more suitable as a general use VPN. The best asset is the extensive device support they provide, with desktop clients or applications for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS as well. Though they offer fewer countries to connect to, the number of servers is quite high in comparison (450+ servers for 22 countries). This means that you will hide from plain sight much more efficiently. And, along with the best encryptions today, you can also ask for help at customer support if you need it – they are available 24/7. (Edit)
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