Leo S.
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Verified by
Adam B.
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Last updated:
July 23, 2024
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(0)
Latvia is a true gem of the Baltics that more and more people are beginning to discover, as proven by the fact that the country topped the chart for the greatest increase in tourism in Europe in 2017. It is easy to understand its charm, too, with ancient castles and sophisticated cities sharing a landscape of wonderful natural valleys and calm beach resorts.
But after a long day of hiking through beautiful scenery there’s nothing better than sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying the latest show online, browsing the internet or just catching up with friends on social media – and luckily this is certainly possible in Latvia. In fact, not only there are no restrictions on streaming services, VoIP apps or VPNs, but the country has some of the fastest internet speeds in Europe, too, and even in the world.
The state of the internet in Latvia is a true success for the country. Though in more recent years it has been losing some of its steam, Latvia is still listed among the top 20 countries with the fastest internet in the world. This is possible because of the fiber optic plans that ISPs have already commercialized for home connections, some of them even coming with 250Mbit/s at affordable prices. Over 70% of Latvia already has access to home internet and it is also possible – and fairly easy – to find mobile broadband plans of 100Mbit/s and better.
On top of this, the country is free and the government respects its constitution when it comes to the freedom of speech. This means that there are no records of government intervention or censorship on the usual targets such as Facebook, YouTube, Skype or WhatsApp, and therefore these are all accessible without any sort of restrictions, penalties or persecution for using them. Likewise, VPNs are also legal and can be used without any restrictions.
Latvia is one of the many state members of the European Union, which means that the country obeys the common laws that have been established for such territories. One of which is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that entered into effect in 2016 for a transition period of two years, before being fully applied across the whole of Europe in May 2018. In short, the regulation states that entities that deal with personal information must notify their clients, who in turn must first provide consent for their data to be shared with third parties when it comes to advertising alternative products.
Likewise, other common EU regulations state, for example, that a country must keep the collected data for a period of one year, unless valid arguments from the government requires for it to be retained for more time.
But on the other hand, torrents are plainly illegal in Latvia. The country has closed down some piracy sites in recent years and those who are caught torrenting are actively warned by their ISPs about the legal implications.
Latvia’s great internet speeds make the country perfect for streaming lovers, something that such services know all too well. Netflix has been available in the country since 2016 and nowadays counts over 1,000 TV shows and a huge number of full-length movies as well. Likewise, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and some other services are also available for Latvian residents, who don’t need to struggle much to find their favorite content.
Music streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music and more are also available in Latvia.
There are a lot of great things to say about ExpressVPN, but by far the best is the quality of its connections. In fact, not only does this provider offer great speeds for all of its servers but it manages to reach almost 100 countries. Latvia is only one of the many locations that are available and the great device support makes ExpressVPN suitable for every customer since it is fully compatible with computers, smartphones and tablets, and can even be configured on routers as well. Unfortunately there are no free trials, though the 30-day money-back guarantee can be used for risk-free testing.
One of CyberGhost‘s biggest achievements is the amazing desktop client. Because it’s divided into different categories even beginners with VPNs will feel comfortable using it, while the most advanced customers will also feel happy with the great level of customization available with the service. CyberGhost can reach 60 different countries, which is enough to offer a worldwide map, while users can make use of apps on desktop computers, mobile devices and more. The 30-day money-back guarantee is, once again, the only way to test the service risk free.
NordVPN is perhaps the best choice for VPN enthusiasts looking for complete anonymity and safety as this is one of the very few providers that offers the fancy double encryption. But this is not all that NordVPN has to offer, there’s also extraordinary support for all kinds of devices including routers, extending the range of the VPN to any devices that can’t run the program natively. In addition, there are more than 4,700 servers in over 60 countries, though a 30-day refund period is the only way to enjoy a full month of risk-free testing.
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