Best VPNs for Macedonia

Using a Macedonian IP

Macedonia has shown major improvements in implementing a wireless broadband connection, mainly because it shared a project – called Macedonia Connects – with the U.S. Due to the cooperation Macedonia became the first all-broadband wireless country.

Tourists who visit the capital city Skopje or any other larger town will find wireless signals in abundance, but the quality of these connections degrade when moving to more rural areas. Internet cafes and Wi-Fi hotspots in public places are common and most hotels provide free access to the network as well. Citizens rely heavily on international services, with Facebook being highly popular among users.

Macedonia online privacy laws

Internet censorship in Macedonia

The constitution of Macedonia protects people’s right to freedom of speech and the freedom of press. The former is generally well-respected by authorities, but the latter is not so much. Although the OpenNet Initiative has yet to investigate the country, it’s assumed that the government doesn’t monitor online conversations nor does it engage in data phishing. With that said, the country blocked access to foreign gambling sites in 2014 in what it claims is an effort to keep money within the borders. The government came under fire when the public learned about a partnership deal with an Austrian gambling company in order to launch a new national gambling site, stating that the sole reason for the censorship was to eliminate competition.

Independent media often finds itself in a position of self-censorship too. Journalists and bloggers suffer from a restricted prestige and support from the country, with members of the media often earning less than the average wage. The government is also subtly biased against independent media unions, who in turn feel they should avoid harsh criticism against the government in order to receive the funding they need. This, however, doesn’t impact the way that the content is accessed, and as such Macedonia doesn’t directly censor any online content beyond the aforementioned gambling sites.

Streaming in Macedonia

Like so many other places in the world, Macedonians are rather fond of streamed content, typically catching up on their favorite series via their smartphone. Channels such as Alsat-M, Kanal 5 or Sitel TV have garnered a large audience with their online content, which can be accessed even if someone visits a foreign country. Unfortunately, the streaming culture is still underdeveloped as seen with the weak library of Netflix films and TV shows available in the country. For this reason you’ll make a good deal for yourself by subscribing to a VPN. Both travelers and citizens can benefit from masking their virtual presence, since numerous sites in the U.S. lock their content behind IP detectors, and so if you are using a Macedonian IP you won’t get the full library of content.

Free Macedonian VPN trials

Since Macedonian internet users aren’t threatened by direct censorship, they most likely need a VPN to unlock region-blocked content – whether that’s Netflix’s American library or the option to gamble on foreign casino sites. In this case a provider with a fast connection and a large network is recommended. Tourists can also benefit from encrypting their data, too, but they need a local server in order to avoid high ping.

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