Best VPNs for Iraq

IraqThe Republic of Iraq is a country located in Western Asia. It is also home to Mesopotamia, known as the cradle of civilization. The capital and largest city in Iraq is Baghdad, and it is located on the Tigris River. Because the country is Islamic, they lack most of the freedoms granted to western civilization. Recently, any progress made towards a more free society has deteriorated. If you live in or are traveling to Iraq, using a VPN would be in your best interests.

RankVPN ServiceOur
Score
Server
Locations
Visit
1ExpressVPN9.8160Visit ExpressVPN
2NordVPN9.487Visit NordVPN
3Private Internet Access9.295Visit PIA
4CyberGhost9.0110Visit CyberGhost
5IPVanish8.873Visit IPVanish

Iraq has had a long and controversial relationship with the west, that dates before independence was declared in 1932. Whether it was being financed to fight Iran, being forced to retreat after their invasion of Kuwait, or having their leader toppled in 2003 after 24 years, it is not hard to see why the the citizens and the government may be suspicious of the west. That said, the constitution drafted in 2005 allows for elections, and the beginnings of a representative government.

There are several hindrances that are causing problems for Iraq. The first issue has to do with government transparency. It is said that the Iraqi government and judicial system are full of corruption, and are easily manipulated. The other issue the government faces is because of an extremist group called the Islamic State. These extremists have a stated goal of wiping out all groups that are not aligned with them, including the Western civilization.

Because of all of the activity with the “IS”, all websites are monitored to make sure they are not related to extremist beliefs. In other words, even if you are not doing anything wrong, the Iraqi government will monitor everything you do. Some use the argument that as long as you are doing nothing wrong, you have nothing to worry about. Most privacy experts disagree with this argument. Additionally, there is government intervention on other sites as well. That is a good reason to use a VPN.

Let’s take a look at the specifics. A VPN service creates a secure connection to a server possibly located in another country. By doing this, the service creates a layer of encryption that will protect your browsing activities. Of course, if a government really wants to find out what you are doing, there are other ways to accomplish that goal. That said, if you want to keep your information safe from hackers or thieves then use a VPN.

Another good reason for using a VPN involves it’s ability to unblock content. Blocked content may come in two forms, governmental blocks and commercial blocks. If you are in Iraq, you already know that there are certain sites that are blocked by the Iraqi government. That may be because they are afraid of feelings that can be stirred on social media, or because they offend Islamic principles. The commercial blocks occur when you are trying to access content from another region outside of the targeted one. An example of that is trying to watch a TV show on BBC if you are located outside of the UK. By connecting to a server in another country, those restrictions can be maneuvered around.

Sometimes business travelers need to access files or programs that are stored on company servers. VPNs will create the secure connection to those servers and allow them access to those items. With companies that participate in those activities, VPN usage is usually mandatory. You would not be able to access the servers without one.

To review, VPNs will protect your privacy, unblock content, and provide you with a way of connecting to a server back home should you need to. Choosing a service with fast networks will allow you to stream content or view items in real time. Connecting to a server in the UK will allow you to see channels like the BBC, and connecting to the US will allow you to access Hulu, Netflix, and Pandora. Though you would still need accounts for some of those, you would be able to obtain one.

Now that we have clarified that, we feel the providers we mention in the table above are your best overall options for Iraq. The  factors we used are based on security, speeds, and locations. No matter which one you select from our list, we feel you will be happy with any of our choices.

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