Indonesia Blocks Social Media Due to Protests. Bypass Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram Restrictions with a VPN
Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram are not banned in Indonesia. The government did block all three for about three days after the riots in Jakarta on 22 May 2019, to slow the spread of hoaxes. When a country restricts social media like that, the block is applied by the internet providers inside it, so every local network you can reach is affected.
Speedify is an app that combines Wi-Fi, 4G/5G cellular, Ethernet, Starlink and satellite internet connections into one faster, more reliable connection, and encrypts your traffic like a VPN. During a block, Speedify routes your traffic through a Speedify server you choose outside Indonesia, so Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram can load normally. With two or more internet connections, the combined speed makes up for what a standard VPN costs; on a single connection, Speedify works as an encrypted VPN and can be a little slower.
With Speedify, your internet stays on when one connection fails.
Take a look at how to tell whether social media is actually blocked in a country, and how to get a fast connection while working around it.
How to Determine If Social Media Sites Are Blocked in Certain Countries
If you are not able to connect to a social media service, first of all check if it is down. There’s usually a service status page you can check out. You can also see one of the specialized sites for platform outages. Here are some examples:
- Facebook: https://developers.facebook.com/status/dashboard/
- WhatsApp: https://downdetector.com/status/whatsapp/map/
- Instagram: https://outage.report/instagram
If all is good, you might still find yourself unable to access a service:
- when connected to certain public Wi-Fi networks,
- when traveling to certain regions in the country.
The reason for a block depends on who sets it. School and work networks usually block social media to conserve bandwidth. Governments can have several reasons, including conserving bandwidth, limiting communication and stopping the spread of fake news.
To unblock Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram in Indonesia during a block, you need a VPN service and a server outside Indonesia, because a server inside the country may sit behind the same block. A VPN encrypts your traffic, so the network cannot see that you are using those social media platforms.
How to Unblock Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram in Indonesia with Speedify
- Download Speedify on your phone or computer. Speedify runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Linux.
- Open Speedify and create a free account (the free tier includes 5 GB per month), or sign in.
- On a phone, tap Allow when your phone asks to add a VPN configuration.
- Speedify connects to a Speedify server automatically. During a nationwide block, open Servers and choose a country outside Indonesia, such as Singapore (the full server list comes with a paid plan). The local network then sees only an encrypted connection to that server.
- Open Facebook, WhatsApp or Instagram and use it as usual.
Why Most VPNs Slow Down Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram in Indonesia
Most VPN services slow down your Internet connection, and some VPN providers say so on their own websites. That is a problem for Facebook Live or WhatsApp video calls.
Traditional VPN services slow you down because they are designed for security, not speed: your data is encrypted, but sending all of it over one internet connection makes apps like WhatsApp, Instagram or Facebook slower to use.
There is a faster alternative. Speedify unblocks your apps in Indonesia and keeps your internet fast at the same time.
How Speedify Gets Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram Working in Indonesia
Speedify pairs up-to-date encryption, like a VPN, with technology for combining internet connections: it can combine multiple Internet connections at once, such as Wi-Fi and 4G/5G cellular, for faster, more reliable internet.
Speedify manages the internet connections on your computer or phone and gives you their combined speed and reliability, which makes WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook work better in Indonesia.
If one of your connections becomes unreliable or unavailable, Speedify will automatically shift all your traffic through the remaining connection until the troubled connection can be restored.
Use Speedify when you need to unblock Facebook, WhatsApp or Instagram in Indonesia, or just to speed them up. Get started with Speedify today!
Speedify
Get started with Speedify today.
Speedify combines Wi-Fi, 4G/5G cellular, Ethernet, Starlink and satellite into one faster, more reliable internet connection. Free to try: 5 GB a month with a free account. No credit card required.
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