Denmark is a country often overlooked by many. Perhaps better remembered for its history of conquers and Shakespearian spotlight, there is much to report in terms of internet freedom in Denmark. We do have to point out that conditions are good; Denmark is one of the more free countries overall. However, online content is censored in some areas, and these restrictions are done in a way that point to the schematization of Danish internet in the future. This not only includes regularly banned content, but also websites (foreign or not) selling non government-approved drugs. This, along with similar effort towards regulating gambling activity, suggests that Denmark’s government – like a number of others – see the internet as at least a partial source of profit.
Best VPN Services for Denmark of 2024
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Using a Danish IP
A very important thing to point out regarding Denmark’s internet access is that almost all of the country’s internet is supplied by the company TDC that was formerly state owned. This means that if you connect to a Danish IP with the help of a VPN service, chances are the address is supplied by TDC. This is very important to emphasize, as you will see later on, there are a number of legal restrictions and censored content inside Danish borders. Because TDC is more or less tied to the state, expect the strict enforcement of the restrictions below.
Despite the centralized control over Danish internet, there are a wide variety of protocols available. For those of you who are anxious about what specifics will your connection have when you connect to Denmark from the outside, we have good news: high bandwidth access in the country is present to a degree of three fourths of total availability. IPv4 availability is essentially complete, while IPv6 is still in the rising. Overall, we have to emphasize again that the Danish internet’s availability is good. It is the content that raises some questions.
Danish Online Privacy Laws
Speaking of which, the online content in Denmark shows some interesting specifics. For one, ISPs of the country have “agreed on a framework that would see all ISPs in the country block access to copyright-infringing content if one of the providers is ordered to do so by a court”. (The Register) This essentially grants potential in Denmark for any content deemed to violate copyright to be blocked inside the country’s borders. This is not a very friendly prospect, as concepts such as “fair use” or “personal use” are not taken into account. It is worth noting that Denmark has very clear criteria of what the law considers child pornography, hate speech and state security. In 2006 for example, three journalists were summoned to court after publishing “details of classified intelligence reports in 2004 about the lack of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq”. (Reporters Without Borders) Though eventually they were acquitted of charges, it is not comforting to think that state interest wishes to surpass public interest.
Internet Censorship in Denmark
There are vital points to list in terms of Danish online censorship. Child pornography is almost completely banned from access since 2005. However, in 2006, a legally run adult website was also filtered, leading to speculations about what some Danish officials actually consider to be child pornography. Hate speech is also not looked upon kindly, as there have been cases of even government officials prosecuted for making negative remarks about Islam. If you wish to access P2P data through or from Denmark, it is the best for you to know that for instance The Pirate Bay is not available at all inside the country’s borders. It is also important to state that a foreign medical website selling products was blocked in 2011, signaling a financial edge to Danish internet censorship.
Among other methods, DNS filtering is used in Denmark. Therefore, if you wish to access P2P data from Denmark, we advise you to enlist the help of a VPN service. Providers grant you safe solutions to use SmartDNS services that will bypass online restrictions. Since Denmark does block sites available elsewhere, the usage of VPN is logical and recommended.
Streaming Services in Denmark
Denmark has mixed availability in terms of online streaming services. Out of the ones classified as “on-demand”, Spotify is available for the Danish, while Apple Music is up for customers too. Google Music is also available with availability across all devices including PCs in Denmark. SoundCloud as a free streaming service is available, while 8tracks with its hybrid model of free and paid content is also accessible. For film and television streaming, Netflix’s arms are open in Denmark, but not with an unconditional love, as the content offered is slightly restricted compared to the US, for example. BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime are US and UK restricted services, and Pandora is oriented towards the Commonwealth, excluding Canada. Overall, music streaming is in a good place in Denmark, but movies and series suffer from restricted content or blocks altogether. To remedy this condition, again VPN services have the capability to unblock your desired content online by allowing you to take on a US, UK or other country’s IP address while protecting your privacy.
Free Danish VPN Trials
Denmark’s main problems internationally and locally are some quirky restrictions. Other than that, internet freedom is generally good. Still, to further support you in accessing a free net, we would like to recommend three VPN services to take a look at. Not all VPN providers grant you access to Denmark, but HideMyAss is definitely one of them. With over 180 countries to connect to, it is a great choice for general purpose VPN. If you are interested in unblocking and P2P support, ibVPN is a favored choice. Their proprietary ibDNS solution is customized in a way that will make your unblocking adventures flawless in execution. And lastly, IronSocket offers a cheap combination of VPN and a SmartDNS service with access to Denmark, like the other two. Fast and reliable, they are also worthy of a peek.