Best VPN for Thailand to Regain Your Online Freedom

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best vpn for thailand

If you are planning to visit Thailand or you wish to move there, you must consider a VPN for Thailand.

The Thai government is applying strong censorship on Internet usage and if you infringe on their law as a foreigner you can get into trouble.

Many countries across the world are adopting a stricter attitude towards internet usage within their territory.

Most developed countries of the West, like the US and the UK, already have strict laws against streaming and downloading content online.

Besides these laws, these countries also monitor their citizens’ internet activity.

The situation varies to a great extent in major countries in the East, with the exception of China. However, some Asian countries are also moving towards such an approach to internet access and usage. One of these countries is Thailand.

The situation there has changed a lot in a short time, making it absolutely necessary for people there to use a VPN for Thailand.

Internet laws in Thailand

Thailand has always been popular in the hacking community as the place where you can set your base and work out from. The country has a reputation for providing cheap and fake products of decent quality. While the shopkeepers selling pirated DVDs continue to work without any trouble, the situation has become quite different for internet users in Thailand.

It all began in 2013 when the country’s Electronic Transactions Development Agency started working with a host of bodies like TSI, PKI Association, Google Asia Pacific, and eBay. This conglomerate was used to create Thailand’s code of conduct. The sole purpose of this is to prevent illegal content from making its way to the web.

This shift meant that users could be punished for downloading copyrighted content, streaming copyrighted content, indulging in dissent against the government, and of course, any illegal activity relating to spamming or phishing. The ISPs are now required to record user data and hand it over to the authorities when requested.

Blocked websites

You might have noticed that sometimes web pages take much longer to load than they should. Sometimes, the URL loads immediately but the web page loads much later. All this is a consequence of the ISPs and government working together to spy on the people.

The fact is that thousands of websites are blocked in Thailand.

Sometimes entire platforms may be blocked or only some pages can be banned. Others may be blocked from time to time. Some of the websites that have been affected by Thai censorship include:

  • BBC
  • CNN
  • YouTube
  • wikileaks.org
  • Wikipedia
  • the Age newspaper
  • Post-intelligencer newspaper.

So what has changed?

Apart from the strict action against copyright infringement and dissent activity on the web, users will be punished for accessing or trying to access websites that are blocked by the Thai government. This means that if you enter the name of the website in the search bar, or click on a link to such a website in your email or IM service, you can expect a fine and possibly even jail time in the infamous Bangkok Hilton.

Thai network providers are busy working with the government to actively spy on citizens. Everything you do on the internet when in Thailand, is monitored and recorded

So, if you want to have some privacy on the web, you should use a VPN for Thailand.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t download songs, movies, or stream TV shows on the internet. Your job might require you to access websites that are blocked by the government.

But even if this is not the case, you have to make sure that the government cannot see everything you do.

Securing yourself against hackers and malicious users, of whom there is a large number in Thailand, can be done using a Thailand VPN.

How to Select the Best VPN for Thailand

With such a dramatic turn of events for netizens in Thailand, using a VPN has become mandatory to have online freedom. But you should know what to look for when selecting the best VPN for Thailand.

  1. Find out how secure the VPN is. The most robust encryption is AES 256-bit over OpenVPN protocol.
  2. Check what sort of logs are recorded by the VPN and if they are shared with third parties. Try and choose a VPN that records zero logs and so cannot share any data with the authorities. Looking at the privacy policy and/or asking the customer care service about it can help reveal these things
  3. Find out if the VPN offers good connection speed. Encryption and extra hops during a VPN connection can reduce its speed.
  4. Find out how many servers the VPN has and across how many countries of the world. It’s always good to have a VPN that has a large number of servers scattered all over the world. This gives you maximum connectivity options and improves your VPN experience considerably

Free VPNs

Many VPN services offer a free package of their service. This package includes the basic features of the VPN that encrypt your connection and hide your IP address.

However, the encryption is not the most secure, and the servers that are available to you are quite limited. There might also be a limit on the bandwidth or the number of connections you can make.

A free VPN service can help get the job done if you just don’€™t want to pay for a subscription. There is no history of the Thai government blocking VPNs or asking them to hand over their data, so they usually work.

However, using a free VPN in Thailand is not recommended.

Free VPNs are not safe enough when it comes to protecting your data. Since the Thai government is totally strict and can easily jail even tourists or expats that misbehave on the Internet, we advise you to go for one of the best VPNs on the market. You will pay a small monthly fee but you will get peace of mind in return.

Plus, even though VPNs are not blocked in Thailand, with such a change in the wind in recent times, it wouldn’t be too surprising if that changes as well. So, using a paid VPN for Thailand is the safest bet.

Best VPNs for Thailand

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is one of the best VPN services for Thailand. It’s so efficient that hardly anyone finds any fault with it.

ExpressVPN offers strong encryption for its users. The connections are strong and stable, with next to zero connection drops. There are more than 500 servers in over 90 countries under ExpressVPN’s name. The connection speed offered by this VPN is one of the best you will find anywhere in the VPN market. It doesn’t keep any activity logs. You can also gain access to Netflix USA, which allows P2P, and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee.

There’s nothing that you find lacking in ExpressVPN. The only thing that might make you frown is the cost of the subscription. But you can counter that by choosing an annual package that reduces your monthly expenditure on it. It’s definitely worth the longer subscription. Besides, there is a 30-day money-back guarantee. The customer support service is quick and helpful, so you can request a refund within that period and get it done with no trouble.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN

This service won’t sacrifice your security for amazing speed. You can have both with ExpressVPN.

NordVPN

NordVPN is the safest VPN for Thailand. When you think of a VPN, you think of privacy and security. When you think of privacy and security, you think of NordVPN. It’s that simple.

The reason why NordVPN has the reputation of being the most secure VPN service is that it uses a double-encryption system. An extra layer of encryption keeps all prying eyes away from your internet activity and from discovering your identity.

There’s no way that anyone can spy on you when you use NordVPN. As for the VPN selling you out, you can relax. NordVPN has a strict no-logs policy. You can’t share stuff if it doesn’t have anything to share, to begin with, can it? With a good server count, 30-day money-back guarantee, P2P allowance, and VPN over Tor, NordVPN is the best bet when it comes to privacy and security.

Connection speed suffers a great deal when you use NordVPN, though. The double encryption that the VPN uses becomes a double-edged sword in this regard since it adds another overhead to the speed. This is one factor you have to consider when opting for Nord. But if speed isn’t that big a requirement for you but privacy and security are, then your search for a VPN stops at NordVPN.

NordVPN

NordVPN

Double encryption, obfuscation, and a strict no-logs policy – NordVPN has all you need for absolute privacy.

Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access has an appealing combination of high connection speeds, low costs, and great features. Developed by Kape Technologies, it offers protection against IP and DNS leaks.

With over 3200 servers located in 46 countries, you’ll surely be able to find an available option for any activity you need.

It features a very simple and novice-friendly Windows client and offers exactly what you need to unblock restricted content and bypass online censorship.

Overall, the chances of anyone finding out your real IP or detecting that you might be using a VPN are incredibly low.

PIA also supports Port Forwarding for a better P2P experience and has a  kill switch. You can simultaneously connect up to 10 devices.

Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access

Enjoy unlimited Internet access and make your VPN usage invisible to detection with PIA.

Conclusion On VPN For Thailand

Using a VPN for Thailand is now a must.

The Thai government has made it clear that it will look into its citizen’s online activity to prevent spamming, terrorism, copyright infringement, and dissent against it. Doesn’t matter if you are a native or a foreigner. The same law applies.

But you can use a robust VPN to hide your online activity and enjoy your privacy once again.

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