How To Get Around Hulu Home Location [Best VPNs To Do It With]
How to Remove Yourself from BeenVerified and Bypass Hulu‘s Home Location Restrictions
If you value your online privacy, you may have concerns about your personal information being easily accessible through people search sites like BeenVerified. Luckily, there are steps you can take to opt out and remove yourself from BeenVerified‘s database. We‘ll walk you through the process and also explain how to get around Hulu‘s location-based content restrictions so you can access your favorite shows and movies no matter where you are.
What is BeenVerified?
BeenVerified is an online background check service that aggregates publicly available data about individuals. With just a name, phone number, or address, anyone can use BeenVerified to look up information like your age, relatives, address history, email addresses, social media profiles, criminal records, and more.
While BeenVerified does not guarantee the accuracy of their data and is mainly intended for informal research purposes rather than official background screening, many people still feel uncomfortable with their personal details being so readily available. If you want to regain control over your online privacy, removing your BeenVerified listing is a good place to start.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Remove Your BeenVerified Listing
- Go to BeenVerified‘s opt out page: https://www.beenverified.com/app/optout/search
- Enter your first and last name and state, then click "Search."
- Find your listing in the search results. You may need to click "View All Results."
- Click "Opt Out This Record" next to your listing.
- Enter an email address to receive a verification link, check the box to confirm you are authorized to make this request, complete the CAPTCHA, and click "Send Verification Email."
- Open the email from BeenVerified and click the verification link within 24 hours. This will take you to a page confirming your opt out request was successful.
Keep in mind that even after opting out, your listing may still appear in search results for a few weeks until BeenVerified‘s database is fully updated. If it‘s been more than a month and your information still hasn‘t been removed, repeat the opt out process or contact BeenVerified‘s customer support for assistance.
It‘s also important to note that opting out of BeenVerified will not remove your personal information from the original public records databases they pull from, so your details may still turn up on other people search sites. To more comprehensively protect your privacy, you‘ll need to go through the opt out process for each site individually. However, removing yourself from a major aggregator like BeenVerified is a significant first step that will make your information less accessible to casual searchers.
How Hulu Determines Your Location
Now that you‘ve taken steps to reduce your digital footprint, let‘s talk about how to expand your streaming options on Hulu. If you have a Hulu subscription, you may have noticed that the available content in the library varies depending on your location. Here‘s a closer look at how Hulu determines where you are and how that affects your access:
Hulu, like most streaming platforms, looks at your IP address to pinpoint your location. Every device connected to the internet is assigned a unique IP address that includes information about your geographic area. Hulu uses this to customize the shows and movies in your library according to licensing agreements that restrict content availability by region. For example, a TV series might be licensed to stream only within the U.S., so if Hulu detects you are located in another country, that series won‘t show up in your library.
For Hulu + Live TV subscribers, location also determines which regional sports networks and local channels are included in your plan. During the sign-up process, you are required to set a "Home" location by entering your home IP address. Hulu uses this to verify that you are within your designated market area (DMA) and serve up the appropriate local networks.
Hulu only allows you to change your Home location up to four times per year. If you move or need to update your Home location for another reason, you can do so in your account settings. However, simply changing this setting will not give you access to live channels or regional sports networks from other markets.
Whether you want to watch a show that isn‘t available in your country or you‘re a Live TV subscriber looking to get around sports blackouts, the simplest way to access geo-blocked content on Hulu is with a VPN.
How a VPN Can Help You Bypass Hulu‘s Location Restrictions
A VPN, or virtual private network, is a service that routes your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel and masks your real IP address. By connecting to a VPN server in a different location, you can make it appear as though you are browsing from that region and access content that would normally be blocked.
To use a VPN with Hulu, you‘ll need to sign up for a reputable provider that has servers in the location where your desired content is available – for example, U.S. servers to access Hulu‘s full on-demand library or servers in a specific city for particular regional sports networks. We recommend NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, or CyberGhost. These top-rated providers offer broad server networks, fast speeds ideal for HD streaming, and advanced security features.
Once you‘ve chosen a VPN provider, download the app onto any device you use to watch Hulu (smart TV, streaming stick, gaming console, mobile, etc.). Open the app, select a server in the appropriate location, and click connect. The VPN will mask your real IP address and assign you one that corresponds to your chosen server location, making Hulu think you are physically located there. You should now be able to log into the Hulu app or website and access the full library of content available in that region.
Tips to Avoid VPN Detection on Hulu
Keep in mind that Hulu, like many streaming services, actively tries to block VPN traffic to enforce their content geo-restrictions. They use techniques like checking for IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks that can tip them off to VPN usage. If Hulu detects you are using an unblocker, you may see an error message saying you appear to be using an anonymous proxy or VPN and instructing you to disable it. In some cases, your connection to Hulu may be blocked altogether.
To minimize the chances of Hulu flagging your VPN connection, make sure to choose a provider that offers leak protection and a kill switch. A kill switch will automatically disconnect you from the internet if the VPN drops for even a second, preventing unprotected data from being exposed. Avoid free VPNs, which tend to have fewer location options and weaker security measures in place. You can also try connecting to a different server within your chosen location to see if that bypasses Hulu‘s firewall.
Some VPNs are consistently better than others at flying under Hulu‘s radar. In our latest tests, NordVPN, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN were the most reliable at maintaining access to Hulu‘s U.S. library without triggering the proxy error. This is largely thanks to their sophisticated obfuscation technology, which scrambles VPN metadata to make it less detectable and helps traffic blend in with normal internet traffic. Dedicated IP addresses available from some providers can also make VPN identification more difficult compared to shared IPs.
If you try multiple servers and VPN providers but still can‘t seem to shake the anonymous proxy error, you may need to clear your browser cache, cookies, and temporary files. Stored data on your device can include location identifiers that lead Hulu to your real IP address even when you‘re connected to a VPN. As a last resort, you can try watching Hulu on a different device entirely.
The Bottom Line
Opting out of invasive people search sites like BeenVerified and using a VPN for streaming are two of the most effective ways to protect your digital privacy and get the most out of your Hulu subscription. We hope this step-by-step guide has equipped you with the tools you need to remove your personal information from BeenVerified and feel more secure online. Follow our VPN recommendations and tips to bypass Hulu‘s geographic content restrictions so you never have to miss out on a new release or live sports event again.
