The Republic of Macedonia is a small Balkan country located in Southeast Europe that gained independency after the fall of Yugoslavia in 1991. Macedonia is a landlocked country surrounded by hills, mountains and valleys, which has slowed the spread of modern infrastructure significantly. The government is in a constant battle with the geography to bring the internet to remote areas, even going so far as to install 680 free Wi-Fi kiosks near villages to help the schools and local administration. The “Fresh air and free internet” initiative has contributed a lot to raising Macedonia’s net penetration to 75%, but the country still relies on outdated technology – but worse than that is how the authorities indulge in questionable actions by banning international gambling sites, a clear sign of censorship.
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.
The Macedonian government introduced its version of a privacy protection act in 2005, simply named “Law on personal data protection”. The purpose of the bill is to regulate the protection of free speech and personal data processing. The law goes into great detail defining what each of these terms mean, as well as listing the expected behavior of companies tasked with handling personal data. In brief, law enforcement forces aren’t allowed to collect personal data or perform surveillance without first asking for legal permission. The lack of any governmental data phishing proves that authorities respect this law.
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.
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.
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.
is a Romanian VPN service founded in 2011 and owned by Kape Technologies – known for other privacy-focused solutions like ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access. It features unlimited bandwidth, multiple-device compatibility, and above average speeds in over 11,500 servers across more than 100 countries.
It excels in hiding torrent practices and unblocking geo-restricted websites while still being an excellent option for those simply looking to surf anonymously. Plus, its apps are incredibly intuitive and aesthetically pleasing. Anyone can subscribe to CyberGhost VPN for as low as $2.03 per month with the option to try it first for 1 day on Windows and macOS or 3 days on Android and iOS.
With an extensive server network spanning 105 countries, apps for all major platforms, and even extra security tools like an ad blocker, ExpressVPN delivers all you need for a private and secure online experience.
The software is easy to use across all devices, and the speed trumps many of its competitors, making it one of the fastest VPNs on the market. Android and iOS customers can make the most of a 7-day free trial with unlimited bandwidth and everyone can enjoy three months for free when opting for annual billing.
First of all, please do not feel intimidated: the perhaps vulgar name of the UK-based company is intended to be a pun. HMA VPN has a mascot in the form of a donkey, and thus this little wordplay is nothing to worry about. You should rather pay attention to the fact that HMA VPN is easily one of the best VPN companies today; they offer much more than a standard package. You are also welcome to try out the free web proxy, an anonymous e-mail service and an IP:Port premium service, which is essentially a more elaborate proxy product. On top of this, you also have VPN browser extensions for Chrome and Mozilla to use. HMA VPN does all this while still maintaining decent speeds and healthy prices. These are coupled with the fact that HMA VPN remains one of few providers who still enable access to Netflix. But the most impressive thing about this organization is the number of locations provided – it is unprecedented today.
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