Despite the low prices of streaming platforms, people are using free platforms more and more. One of the most popular free streaming platforms is 123Movies. This platform is home to hundreds of movies that you can watch in HD quality. However, the question is – is it safe to use 123Movies? What are the consequences of streaming on it? Well, let’s answer these questions below.
On our website, we never promote anything that’s illegal. But, before you jump to a conclusion, listen to us carefully. 123Movies’ legality depends on your jurisdiction. In some jurisdictions, it is legal, while some countries will block access to it or punish you for enjoying free movies.
For example, the United States is one of the fiercest enemies of pirated content, which you can find on this website. Remember – you stream for free, which is already copyright infringement if we’re talking about a copyrighted movie.
On the other hand, some countries don’t care about piracy. In those countries, you can download torrents and enjoy Popcorn Time, with no one snooping around you. Unfortunately, these countries are in minority, so there’s a big chance that you’re not of that luck.
Now, the government might be okay with this, but big Hollywood publishers won’t. They can sue the website and request IP addresses of its users, so they can extend their effect on them, as well.
This is where you can get into serious legal issues, which you’re probably going to lose. If that happens, you’ll need to pay a pretty hefty fine or go to jail, should you fail to do so. We can see that free streaming on 123Movies or any other site can be dangerous unless you take protective measures.
The least you can do is to protect your computer with VPN and you can bypass all the issues.
123Movies is indeed safe but only if we’re talking about the original website. Wait – are there 123Movies clones? Yes… sadly.
Free streaming websites have one big downside and that’s the fact that they have multiple clones online. It happens with Popcorn Time, Showbox, and many others. these sites are often malicious and aim to inject various trackers, malware, and Bitcoin miners into your device.
This is why you shouldn’t mess around with the fake sites. The original site, however, is completely safe to use and won’t harm your computer. Still, we suggest getting a VPN with additional security features, as well as a reliable antivirus program, to make sure you’re always secure.
It’s quite obvious that you need a Virtual Private Network for this streaming service. Here are a few reasons why streaming on 123Movies safely is impossible without a reliable VPN:
One of the most annoying things about Internet Service Providers is that they don’t keep their end of the bargain. Do you think that they really give you the internet you pay for? They do… but on rare occasions!
What we want to say is that they’ll intentionally slow down your connection if you consume huge chunks of bandwidth. That happens when you’re streaming or torrenting, where your speed just randomly drops.
Then, you wait for your video to buffer or you can’t watch anything above HD resolution. It happens a lot and can be bypassed using a VPN. This service will hide your IP address, preventing your ISP from imposing such limitations.
As mentioned above, 123Movies isn’t available in all countries. Where streaming movies for free is illegal, this website is most likely blocked. In this case, you can use a Virtual Private Network to change your online location and access it freely.
To do so, just connect to a server located in another country, visit the website, and enjoy streaming in complete safety.
Copyright issues are something you want to avoid at all costs. Even if watching pirated content isn’t illegal in your country, we still wouldn’t risk it. The reason being is because you don’t always know when the laws change.
And if your country just brought up a new anti-piracy law, you won’t be the first to know about it. When your ISP catches you violating copyright, it will report you to the authorities for further processing.
Usually, it will be a fine that goes from $1,000 to more than $5,000 for copyright violation. A VPN will hide your presence online, which will make you invisible to the prying eyes of your ISP and the government.
Needless to say, they won’t be able to see what you’re doing online, letting you explore the internet freely.
Our recommended VPN for 123Movies is ExpressVPN. Why ExpressVPN? Let’s talk more about it to see why this is our preferred choice.
ExpressVPN is a provider with the fastest speeds around, making it more than suitable for a high-quality streaming experience. Without a doubt, a task like this requires really stable speeds and connections, which this VPN is able to provide.
Next, it has 3,000+ servers in 94 countries around the globe. This will allow you to bypass geo-restrictions and unblock 123Movies in a snap of a finger. Needless to say, you can unblock paid services, such as Netflix, HBO GO, Disney+, and Hulu, as well.
To avoid legal issues, ExpressVPN obfuscates your IP address completely. It does this with 256-bit AES encryption, which is the last word of technology. Moreover, there’s an automatic kill switch that serves as an impeccable IP/DNS leak protection.
Stay Safe on 123Movies With ExpressVPN >
If you want to stream 123Movies on multiple devices while staying safe, that’s not an issue. Not only do you get 5 simultaneous connections but also unlimited bandwidth for endless binge-watching sessions. ExpressVPN works on every device, including routers and Linux computers, for added versatility.
Should the problems arise, the provider’s top-notch support will jump in to help you. It’s available 24/7 and you can contact it through live chat. To give you more leeway, we can recommend NordVPN if you want an alternative.
However, despite its slightly higher price, ExpressVPN is still our go-to option. You can read our in-depth comparison of ExpressVPN and NordVPN services here. And in the meantime, let us inform you that ExpressVPN has 49% discount and 3 months free for an annual plan. This makes it really affordable.
The provider we recommended is a premium one and that’s for a good reason.
We never recommend free providers because they’re quite limited. They’re quite the opposite of paid options. Free solutions give you very slow speeds and limited bandwidth, which will hinder your streaming experience.
123Movies is bandwidth-hungry, so don’t expect to enjoy it properly with 500 MB to 10 GB of data a month. Also, you’ll probably face lackluster security, with weaker encryption and the lack of a kill switch. That’s a no-go for security enthusiasts!
Do you know how free providers earn money, by the way? They collect your personal information and internet history, only to sell it to third parties later on! With all of this in mind, you want to avoid them at ALL costs, especially in this scenario.
Premium providers will give you safety, security, and speeds you want, so you can enjoy streaming on 123Movies to your heart’s contempt while staying completely safe.
A professional writer with a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Since his youngest age, he loves everything related to internet, technology, fitness, games, and dogs! He joined our team in order to bring his deep knowledge in security services, among which VPN is of course a key component.