My Private Network- Shameless Netflix binging is not just for the Western Hemisphere Anymore!

So, I don’t normally endorse products (except for super cheap flights!), but this is really handy.  My Private Network lets you access the internet anywhere in the world from the country of your choice.

HOW IT WORKS-

(borrowed from their website because I don’t understand computers… yes, I understand the irony)

“Without getting too technical, a My Private Network deceives a website into acting as if you are accessing it from the country of your choice, by routing your internet connection through a collection of servers in that country.  Essentially it lets YOU decide which country you are in when you access the internet.”

WHY ITS AWESOME–

• Convenience– This is not a huge deal, but it it’s pretty annoying when you try to access yahoo mail (or your preferred provider) from anywhere that’s not the US, UK, or Australia and because you’re American an only speak one language you have to spend an extra 10 minutes trying to find out which button gives you your mail or which button makes everything English again.  Again, I’m not super sure how computers work, but they remember everything and it was a long time after I got back before my phone stopped sending me to yahoo Mexico.  The struggle is real.

• Paying Bills–  Ever tried to pay a bill online from another country, say Belgium for example, and the website doesn’t recognize you and won’t let you log in because it suspects suspicious activity?  Then, you have the option of verifying your account through a text message that you can’t access because you’re not in the U.S.  Then you get back to the States and pay your bill no problem, but have to spend hours on the phone with a Victorias Secret Angel Card representative to get a late fee removed that you never would have gotten if you had My Private Network (or if they had a customer service e-mail instead of just a phone number… I mean, come on!)

• Country Specific Bans– I’ve not experienced this first one first hand, but countries like China are notorious for limiting access to social media, which we all of course need while traveling to let our families know periodically that we are not in a foreign prison.  And countries in the Middle East are known to censor internet on moral grounds, making it impossible to access racier websites some Westerners are accustomed to… Go ahead, I won’t judge.

                                                      ‘this content cannot be accessed from your territory’- bummer

• Netflix!–  This is the big one.  I’m so spoiled in America that I had no idea that there were places that you cannot access Netflix until I visited Tanzania this year.  As it turns out, over half the world can’t access Netflix!  You can check out a Netflix accessibility map here.  Pretty much the entire right half of the world is SOL (yes, I know it’s round… but you know, on a map.)  This of course applies to other subscription networks as well.  My Private Network is a must for expats, long term travelers, and people sick of desperately searching for the one channel in English that’s probably just going to be Jersey Shore or Swamp People anyway.

SAFETY-

This is an obvious concern, especially when bypassing a countries censorship laws.  Not only is My Private Network’s server completely secure, it also makes your computers IP address anonymous so your activity can only be traced back to the My Private Network server.

BRASS TACKS-

My Private Network offers a variety of price plans, from monthly subscriptions for expats to a one time deal for travelers.  Prices are very reasonable and start at around 5 GBP, ($7ish).

I was not compensated in anyway for this endorsement, however I do get a small kick back if you decide to try My Private Network from the links on my website.  Of course, opinions are my own and I think My Private Network is an awesome product!