Iceland is one of the best places on the planet to surf the internet at. The colder outside climate (or any sort of political climate) rarely affects the very much rideable online waves, and therefore the country can be considered a pillar of internet freedom. So much so that the only thing “censored” from the online realm is censorship itself. This is of course an overstatement; there are internationally accepted types of content that are not allowed in Iceland either. Nevertheless, beyond those, there is next to no limitation on what can be made public. Our look at Iceland as a destination to connect to using a VPN is definitely of uplifting mood.
Best VPN Services for Iceland of 2024
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Using a Icelandic IP
The greatest advantage of the Icelandic internet is obviously the lack of restrictions. As explained below, the legal system actually supports internet freedom, meaning that the country follows a trend opposite to most other European countries that seek to establish a tighter grip. Internet in Iceland is backed up by a phenomenal technical environment as well. Today, being online plays an important role in both education and the social sphere in Iceland. Therefore, if you plan to connect to the internet with an Icelandic IP address, expect high quality internet.
The only minor drawback to Iceland does not come from the nature of its internet, but rather its location. Iceland is a distant island, meaning that you will inevitably experience higher pings than usual, even if you connect from nearby countries like Norway or Canada. This is of course nobody “fault”, except the fault line of the two continental plates that meet under Iceland. Humor aside, no compliments.
Icelandic Online Privacy Laws
It is true that Iceland is an outspoken supporter of internet freedom. The abolition of censorship is written into the country’s constitution, but this vast freedom opens some space up for defamatory material or questions of copyright that are debated in Iceland. It is also important to note that the country is a part of the European Economic Area, but not the EU. This means that if you connect to the Icelandic internet, you are protected by the consumer laws of the EU, for example (and not Iceland’s). Other than this, there is nothing substantial to mention – you are legally free to roam around in the online branches of Iceland.
Internet Censorship in Iceland
There are some types of content that are restricted or filtered in Iceland. We must emphasize here that only censorship is prohibited. A complete block of a certain online content is still possible in Iceland. The most prominently disallowed type of material is child pornography. Iceland runs a program of child safety; this includes both physical and mental protection from harm. General pornography and even gambling websites are not banned in Iceland today. Furthermore, action is taken against reducing any type of defamation. Nevertheless, those who connect to Iceland can enjoy a very free internet.
Streaming Services in Iceland
Streaming availability in Iceland is varying. In terms of music, you will not be able to find Apple Music, for example, but you can listen to tunes on Google Play Music. Rdio and Spotify are both present in the country, along with 8tracks, SoundCloud and Bandcamp. Some providers that are highly restricted like Rhapsody, Napster or Pandora are only available in one to three countries on the planet – these do not include Iceland. For film and other video other video content, selection is a bit sparser. Netflix is set to launch in Iceland and has been set since early 2015, with no results as of the end of the year. However, there is a very positive side to Icelandic film culture: the website filminiceland provides a lot of background information on the surprisingly massive amount of films that were at least partially shot on the island.
Free Icelandic VPN Trials
Connecting to the Icelandic internet is thus quite advantageous. In order to offer a safe and efficient way of doing this, we would now like to present you three VPN providers that excel at this very agenda.
Our first recommendation to you is VyprVPN. This company – though they only have monthly or annual plans – offer significant additional service next to the regular VPN. For example, they have an encrypted messaging service named Cyphr that you get to use as a free extra. Additionally, VyprVPN also offers their own SmartDNS proxy solution, VyprDNS, to stream content from the US, UK and other destinations in the fastest way possible.
Secondly, we would like to suggest HideMyAss. This particular company owns (or leases) a vast network of VPN servers, spanning across the globe. You can connect to over 180 countries with this provider, even through multiple devices simultaneously. Furthermore, HideMyAss has a 30-day riskless trial and on top of that a 30 day refund policy as well, giving you more than enough time to decide if this is your service or not.
And lastly, we suggest taking a look at PureVPN. A great advantage of this company is safety. Not only do they support SSL protocols, but their software comes with a preinstalled kill switch. This tool will automatically cut off all connections from the internet (and your VPN) if you experience trouble that would endanger you. Furthermore, prices are favorable, and you can even enlist help via remote desktop.