When it comes to the Internet, Bangladesh is everything but free. A number of popular websites is blocked and that list keeps growing with the day.
So in order to get access to “everything that’s out there,” you should fire-up your favorite VPN app and you’re good to go. From that point on, your requests will be routed through one of the VPN’s servers letting you access websites you want as well as services that would otherwise be inaccessible to you.
This, in case you wonder, also includes popular streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and so on.
Also, with a VPN, you will get to hide your whereabouts from tech giants like Google and Facebook, which seemingly can’t get enough of our data.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The bottom line is – all of us need a VPN these days, and these are the best options for Bangladesh:
Pros
Cons
- 5,000+ servers in the network
- Easy to use - install it and forget it
- One license is good for up to 6 devices
- Strict zero-logs policy
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Chrome extension is just a proxy
- You can't pay with PayPal
Summary
Its network includes more than 5,000 servers spread across 60 countries, which directly translates into faster speeds. NordVPN is also very secure, relying on the strong 256-bit encryption combined with secure VPN protocols (OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2/IPSec). But as a user, you get a seamless experience with all this technology "doing its thing" in the background.
NordVPN is well suited to pretty much every task you throw at it — whether it's accessing a banned site from some country that filters out the internet, torrenting, accessing streaming services, or just wanting to keep a low profile on the web. It also doesn't keep any logs.
We highly recommend NordVPN to anyone looking for reliable service.
Pros
Cons
- Good for both torrenting and streaming
- Works in China
- Solid network with servers in 60+ countries
- Easy to use apps on multiple platforms
- Live chat isn't always available
- Fairly pricey
Summary
Whether you need a VPN for watching Netflix shows or downloading files via BitTorrent, Astrill can help you out — all while keeping your identity under the radar. And this is especially true if you live or work in China when the company's stealth protocols will kick in to let you access all the popular sites that are by default blocked by the country's censors.
Astrill's apps are easy to use and available on all popular platforms. Nevertheless, they still manage to provide a host of advanced features tech-savvy folks are used to get. Highly recommended, again, especially if you're looking to bypass the Great Firewall of China.
Pros
Cons
- Feature-rich yet easy to use
- One of the best VPNs around
- Strong no-logging policy
- Reliable support you can reach 24/7
- Limited number of servers in Africa and the Middle East
- Kinda pricey
Summary
ExpressVPN has great desktop apps for Windows and Mac, mobile apps and browser extensions. Also, it is well suited for video streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer and others.
However, what makes it stand out is its ease of use. We can't emphasize this enough. One could tell a lot of time has been spent making sure even the advanced features are easily accessible. And we love it for that. Plus, let's not forget ExpressVPN's speed which tends to leave other services in the dust.
Pros
Cons
- Fast download and upload speeds
- Works with Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, etc.
- Great for torrenting
- Advanced privacy features (i.e. Tor over VPN)
- Relatively small number of servers
- There are no browser extensions
- Live chat support is not always available
Summary
Specifically, you can rely on PrivateVPN for both torrenting and streaming, without paying a premium. It is, in fact, one of the most affordable options in its league and we love it for that.
Customer support may not be on par with bigger players but it's not like you should experience many problems anyway. You will get the same level of security and privacy as with other services, and a single license will let you run PrivateVPN on up to 6 devices. Pretty cool.
Pros
Cons
- Works in China
- Many servers in Asia
- Strict zero-logs policy
- Advanced services like VyprVPN Cloud
- No browser extensions
- Torrenting could be better
Summary
It manages to bypass restrictions in high-censorship countries and elsewhere by relying on its proprietary Chameleon protocol, which can easily slide under the radar.
VyprVPN is also great for accessing video streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, Hulu and so on — delivering the true buffer-free experience every single time. It will also work with BitTorrent, and consequently - Kodi.
VyprVPN has a strict zero-logs policy. Period.
Internet censorship in Bangladesh
There is a very large list of websites ranging from gaming to pornographic to gambling websites — as well as social networks like Reddit — that are blocked in Bangladesh, with the list increasing virtually every day. Also, the government is blocking websites hosting anti-Islamic content and content deemed subversive.
This content filtering is regulated by existing legal frameworks that restrict material deemed defamatory or offensive, as well as content that might challenge law and order.
The first known example of Internet censorship took place in July 2008, when the local blogging platform Sachalayatan was reported to be inaccessible and was forced to migrate to a new IP address.
YouTube was also blocked for a few days in March 2009 in order to protect the “national interest”. The disputed video covered a partial audio recording of a meeting between the prime minister and military officials, who were angry at the government’s handling of a mutiny by border guards in Dhaka that left more than seventy people dead.
YouTube was again blocked in September 2012 after ignoring requests to remove the controversial film, Innocence of Muslims, from the site.
Facebook too was the victim to this filtering craze, having being blocked for 7 days starting on May 29, 2010, because of “obnoxious images” — including depictions of Mohammed and several of the country’s political officials as well as links to pornographic sites. The block was lifted after Facebook agreed to remove the offensive content. During the same period, a 30-year-old man was arrested in the Bangladeshi capital on charges of uploading satiric images of some political leaders on Facebook.
This wasn’t the last time Facebook was targeted, though. In November and December 2015, the government blocked a few social media websites (Facebook included), for a period of twenty-two days. The purpose was to quell militant violence and opposition unrest as reactions to a death penalty to two opposition leaders, Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and Ali Ahsan Mujahid, for war crimes committed in the 1971 independence war.
Finally, in May 2013, the government asked international internet gateway operators to reduce the upload bandwidth of ISPs by 75% in an effort to prevent illegal VoIP. There is speculation that the bandwidth reduction is actually an effort to make it difficult for people to upload “problematic” videos, images, TV talk show clips, etc. in social media.
And more…
The Government has approved the usage of Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) to monitor web traffic — which is the same technology China uses to police Internet content.
According to Freedom House, Bangladesh is partly free and the situation went further south during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After Sweden-based Netra news claimed two million would die in the pandemic in Bangladesh, government intelligence agents visited the mother of its editor, Tasneem Khalil, in Sylhet. They made her call her son and ask him to stop publishing news against the government. They visited her after a warning against “rumors” by Hasan Mahmud, the Minister of Information.
According to The Diplomat, any information that is deemed critical of Sheikh Hasina led Awami League is called “rumors” by the government. The government has suspended doctors, government officers, and academics for criticizing the government response to COVID-19.
A VPN is a must-have for Bangladesh
Whether you live or just plan to visit Bangladesh, you better have a VPN running on your devices – so that no one knows what you’re doing online.
In most cases, no one will even care – but you never know. And besides, considering the low cost of the best VPNs, there’s no need to second-guess that move.
Aside from letting you experience the Internet in its entirety, a good VPN will also let you access websites and services that could otherwise be outside of your reach (when accessing from Bangladesh). Also, it will provide you with an extra layer of protection when connecting to public Wi-Fi hotspots and get you anonymity online — so that even the Big Tech can’t easily know “what you did last summer.”
To sum it up, you need a VPN for many things, including for:
- Accessing content that could otherwise be restricted in your physical location.
- Preventing tracking and minimizing your digital footprint so that no one can track you online (at least not that easily).
- Avoiding throttling from your ISP – which is known to happen when you’re torrenting or accessing video streaming services.
- Bypassing firewalls in a workplace, university, school and so on.
- Bypassing censorship in places like China, North Korea, countries in the Middle East, and even Turkey and Russia.
- Securely connecting to public Wi-Fi hotspots – with a VPN encrypting all the traffic coming to and from your devices.
The bottom line is – get a VPN that fits all your needs. The top contenders include the following:
