How to block or allow countries on your radio (Access Control)

Access Control blocks listeners by country, by the IP location: a list of blocked countries or a list of the only allowed ones. See how to turn it on, choose the countries and the limits with VPN users.

Como bloquear ou liberar países na sua rádio (Controle de Acesso)

By default the radio is open: anyone, from any country, can listen. Access Control lets you block countries (for example, because of copyright or a restricted broadcast) or do the opposite: allow only some countries. Blocking uses the location of the listener's IP address.

Where it is: Applications › your radio › Access Control.

Access Control page with the Country blocking and Time blocking sections
(1) the country blocking switch; below, the Time blocking section: (4) Weekly or Specific date; (5) the weekdays; (6) window start and end; (7) Add window.

The numbers in parentheses refer to the image.

Attention: the switch (1) saves right away. Turning it on or off applies the rule immediately and the radio reloads its configuration, with a brief interruption for whoever is listening.

Block countries

Which countries section with the Block list and Allow list buttons, the search and the list of countries
(1) Block list; (2) Allow list; (3) country search; (4) the list of countries to check.
  1. Turn on the Country blocking switch (1 in the first image). The 1. Which countries section appears.
  2. Choose the mode: Block list (1) — the checked countries are left out and everyone else listens — or Allow list (2) — only the checked countries listen.
  3. Use the search (3) and check the countries in the list (4). The "Blocked countries" (or "allowed") count shows how many are checked. With no country checked, nobody is blocked.
  4. The rule applies as soon as you check. To restrict the blocking to certain times, see How to block the radio at certain times.

What can and cannot be guaranteed

  • The location comes from the IP and is right in the vast majority of cases. Whoever uses a VPN, a proxy or a network that masks the location may appear in another country, so blocking is not an absolute guarantee.
  • If the radio must be 100% off air at some time (international rule, risky broadcast), the safe path is to turn off the broadcast at that time, not the country block.
  • On Shoutcast servers the block is reactive: it can take a few seconds to drop whoever was already listening, and the IPs are released when the rule stops applying.
  • Blocking depends on the geolocation module installed on the radio's server. If the screen warns that it is not installed, the rule is not being applied: contact support.

What to do if…

  • A listener from Brazil says they were blocked. Their IP may be registered in another country (carriers and corporate networks). Ask for the IP and check it on any geolocation service.
  • I want to go back to normal. Turn off the switch (1): every country is accepted again right away.

See also