GoStream, GoMovies, MeMovies, and 123Movies are a network of websites that are operated from Vietnam. They stream copyrighted content that is hosted on paid sites. The content is mostly movies and TV series. New episodes of most popular TV series are released quickly and are free.
The interface is so easy, and the content available is global. It is the ease of access, and an extensive menu that has made it popular within days, and now it is the most popular site that offers free streaming. It was hosted with the name of 123Movies, but when it got blocked, they changed.
The authorities are vigorously searching for the physical location of this site. It is labeled illegal because it streams copyrighted content without the rights and permissions to do so. It offers pirated movies and TV shows to the users for free and makes money through advertisements.
It is not just another illegal website that offers movies and TV shows, but it is a site that feels authentic with its dynamic interface. Its menu is simple but useful. The list has options to choose content by country, genre, series, movies, IMDB rating, and alphabetical order.
Content from 12 countries are available on GoStream, and that is the primary reason why it is globally admired. No matter how the authorities tried to make people aware of its illicit nature, its users grew in number rather than decreasing. It recorded 9.26 million unique visitors in 2016, and by now, the visitors would easily be in hundreds of millions.
Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) marked this site as the most illegal website ever. It is wanted by many authorities and is banned in many countries. After looking at all these legal and illegal dealings, it is not odd to doubt the safety of this website. Is it safe to access a site that got banned and the most illegal one? To know that, let us examine the reasons why it is banned in many countries.
Artistic Copyright and GeoBan
Any song, video, movie, or TV show has multiple artists working for it to complete. When they spend so much creative labor into the work, they own the right over that piece of art as it is the fruit of their labor. If they are to make money through that content, it is up to their will and choice. Artists or their producers who sponsor the content choose where and how to make money through it.
When you take movies and TV series as an example, the makers make money by either selling the series to a TV channel for them to air it or a digital streaming platform for a certain amount of money. As the makers own the right of where to stream it, it is illegal to stream the content in any site without their permission. If they choose to ask money for you to stream, you need to pay them up. But you do need to have the rights to stream their content.
Websites like GoStream stream movies and TV shows illegally without the right to stream. They record screens, bootleg, and download the data from TVs, Paid streaming websites, and cinemas. They upload the recorded/bootlegged file on to their websites and make them available to their users. Through advertisements, they earn money. So, these websites do provide the content for free, but that is just a lure.
You are paying something more valuable than money, and it is your time to view their website, even if it is ten seconds, it allows them to make a few bucks while you watch the ad they make you see before giving you the free content. Technically it is more than just one crime. They are streaming content without permission, and they are also making money through it.
Few websites also violate the policies of advertisements by allowing the ads to float everywhere on their sites. There are not one but many violations that make the authorities hunt them down. But nothing can be banned worldwide; few countries do not mind piracy as their privacy laws are different. They allow these websites to stream anything they want.
Safety
As we have come across the reasons why they are banned, we can deduce if we can understand if the sites are safe. Many hackers use GoStream clone sites to lure its visitors and upload malware in their devices. If there is something we need to be secure about, it is checking the authenticity of these proxy sites available in the name of GoStream.
They create a similar interface like the original GoStream and even put some movie/ TV series titles and posters. But if you click on the title and try to play the content, they automatically install the malware in your device so that they can steal your data and sell it to the advertising bodies in the net. To know if it is a working proxy, you need to see the ad placements, colors, and the way the site is arranged.
Even if the interface is the same, you will know when you click on movie titles that it is fake. It is because of movie duration that is faked on the fake player, or a phoney censor certificate played to fool you can spot the phoney proxy. If everything is reasonable and the movie you wanted to watch is playing, roll your seat back and enjoy your show!
It is safe to access GoStream if you can bear repetitive ads that open in new tabs. Just make sure you close the advertisement tabs because GoStream cannot control the advertisements that are displayed; they only run random ads. These advertisements can be 18+ content and might be annoying when you are watching a movie or TV series with family.
So, it is advised to close these new tabs whenever they open. The only risk you are exposed to is getting tracked by the authorities. As the governments are trying to destroy the roots of such illegal streaming sites, it is not a wonder if they track people who are trying to reach the websites. Because it is forbidden to try and access something illegal, in India, you can go to jail for viewing banned sites.
A few risk-free ways to access GoStream
Where there is a risk, there is prevention! As people always say, it is better to prevent than cure. To not be paranoid of government trackers, you can make sure no-one tracks your internet at all. This can be made sure if you use a VPN (Virtual Private Networks). VPNs allow you to have a private network that can never be tracked by anyone.
This private network is not associated with any other server but your virtual one. It created a new identity that is anonymous and only for you. There are many plug-ins for browsers, where you can install them and create a VPN. These plug-in like HolaVPN create a VPN, and it makes sure that your IP address cannot be traced back to you. One of the safe and best ways to use a VPN is to download the TOR browser.
TOR
The Onion Browser, that is, TOR, is an open-source anonymity project that helps conceal the virtual identity of their users. Tor users cannot be tracked as their IP addresses and channels of connection change rapidly and unnoticeably. You cannot possibly monitor the internet activity of a TOR user. But you can know if a person uses TOR.
But even if authorities knew that you use TOR, they cannot track what you have been doing in TOR. It keeps your activity away from anyone to monitor and gives you complete anonymity. Using TOR is the best way if you want to use GoStream. The browser does not need any complicated set-ups. You just need to install it, open the browser, and it only opens like any other browser.
You will not feel anything being done, despite the changes being done in your network connection. You can type any banned website like GoStream and thoroughly enjoy it like it was never banned, and you have never watched it. It does not make the user confused, and it is just like any other browser. But like any different browser, the advertisements are still placed and open in new tabs. Go TOR and GoStream!
Proxies
If you feel you are not into VPNs and anonymous activity concealers, you can simply choose to use the proxy or clone sites of GoStream that have the same interface and all the content. As the parent website of GoStream is 123Movies, you need to type ‘123Movies’ proxies in Google or any search engine that you use. It is advised to use the search engine, DuckDuckGo, which does not monitor your searches.
Many sites offer you the list of proxies for GoStream available, and that is now working. These links are updated occasionally and completely trustworthy. 123Movies themselves make a few of these clone sites, but imposters and copycats make most of them. Regardless of the hosting, they do work and have the same interface and content. Using a proxy link is risk-free because if the site is open and not blocked yet, it was not noticed by the authorities, however.
That means for the given time, and you are still watching something that is not technically illegal yet. If the proxy link you have opened pops up an error page or a page that says the authorities blocked it, it means that they were caught. However, there are many proxy sites available on the net for almost any famous site, let alone free streaming websites. Few proxy links for GoStream/ 123Movies are mentioned below.
Links:
https://www.123movies-full.com/
https://www7.123moviesfree.sc/
https://www.123movies-full.com/
Alternative sites
If you feel uncomfortable using something that is banned or a clone of something forbidden, there is only one way left. Alternative websites to GoStream might not be similar in the interface but almost similar in content. It is accurate and natural to find an alternative because there are hundreds of thousands of video streaming websites that allow you to watch movies and TV series for free.
There are also legal alternatives that might not be as wider in content as GoStream but might still stream some accessible content. Here are a few famous sites that can work as alternatives to GoStream. It is to be noted that if these sites are illegal too, it is natural for them to get blocked too. Maybe not today, not tomorrow, but someday they will get banned from the issue of copyrights and other violations.
FMovies
Fmovies always tops the list of alternatives for any streaming service. It is because of the fame and content it wears as an honor. Fmovies has a unique interface and updates new episodes for on-going TV Series too.
123Movies Proxies
Any proxy or alternative sites of 123Movies is the best alternative for GoStream, too, because the parent website of GoStream is 123Movies.
WatchFree
WatchFree is like GoStream, but the difference is it still has not gathered the eyes of authorities. It still lives under the radar and is not banned yet. Stream your favorite titles before it gets banned too.
FlixTor
FlixTor, too like GoStream and WatchFree, has excellent content, and the interface is even more straightforward, to be honest. It is not banned for now, and like any other illegal site, it has the chance to get banned.
CMovies
Cmovies was banned long ago, but this proxy site with different domains has remained without getting blocked. If this one gets blocked, CMovies redirect their visitors to their new website through older links.
www2.cmovies.fm
LookMovie
LookMovie gives an authentic feel, and it even has a generic logo. But unlike the other alternatives, this is a legal one. This might not have content as comprehensive as GoStream, but it does have some decent content.
GoStream in the end
In the end, GoStream and its legacy will remain through visitors from TOR, proxies, and countries where it is legal. Even if its physical servers are cut, there is no chance that the name stops ringing in our ears. Its clone sites will double, fans will make other sites in its name.
The case of 123Movies/ GoStream is even on Wikipedia. It is a historical record for an illegal movie streaming website. Just like MegaUpload, ThePirateBay, and many popular websites that got blocked and shut down, GoStream remains one of the best free movie sites with its interface and content.
