No one in their right mind would leave a chance to get access to their favorite movies and TV shows for free. Fortunately, with the massive user base that the Internet has gained over time, websites that provide such service of giving free content to its users have also emerged. Today, there are thousands of such websites on the Internet, which you can access in just a few clicks. But, this was not always the case. About a decade ago, there were only a few such websites that provided this service. One such site was Rainierland.
Rainierland came as a blessing for people who could not afford to buy a subscription to premium movie-streaming services like Netflix or Hulu. Therefore, unsurprisingly, it became massively popular in no time. Almost everyone who wanted free content on the Internet was using this site. But suddenly, in 2016, the Rainierland domain stopped working, leaving its users confused. With this article, we have tried to answer the question that many of its users had after Rainierland went down, that is, “Why is Rainierland not working?” or “What happened to Rainierland?”. But before that, let us give you a brief introduction/history of Rainierland.
A Brief Introduction to Rainierland
Rainierland is a website that was started around 2012 by a guy named Rainer M. Tamayo. Rainer Tamayo is a graduate in Computer Science and developed webpages. He started the website, Rainierland, to provide pirated content to its users for free and generated revenue using the ads that were displayed on the website.
As soon as Rainierland was launched, it became an instant hit, garnering thousands of users within days. Rainierland offered something that no one could resist, which became the reason for its huge success. Soon people were using Rainierland daily and were more than satisfied with it. But this website was doing something that was not legal, which is why it was always under the radar of the authorities. Still, for the brief period it ran, it translated into a huge success.
Reasons for Rainierland’s Success and Features It Offered
The biggest reason Rainierland was so successful has to be the fact that it provided high-quality latest content to its users, without charging a single penny. To watch movies on Rainierland, one did not have to give any money. One was able to get all the content Rainierland offered, for free. You did not even have to enter your credit card information or anything else like that. You just had to open the website on your browser, search for the movie or show you want to watch and you were good to go.
Another reason was the fact that the interface of Rainierland was relatively simple. It had a homepage which featured all the latest releases in one place, and also a search bar using which you were able to search for any piece of content you want. There were also not too many ads that interrupted the watching experience of the user. This ensured that the user got the best possible experience that one can get without paying any money.
Also, the Rainierland Library was updated regularly and offered the latest content. People were always sure that Rainierland is the first place where they can watch a newly released movie for free, which is why everyone always came back to this website. The website also made sure that the content was always uploaded in the highest resolution, to give the users the best experience. All these features of Rainierland made it easy for the website to become the favorite and most preferred website for watching free content on the Internet.
But nothing good lasts forever. So was the case with Rainierland as well. It only lasted about 3-4 years before one day it mysteriously went down, leaving its users in a frenzy. No one knew what happened for a very long time. But now everyone knows the reason behind it. And if for some reason, you don’t, then don’t worry. That is what we are going to answer now.
Why Did Rainierland Stop Working?
Rainierland was an illegal website, which is an undeniable fact. Publishing content that you don’t own and earning money off of it is not a very right thing to do. So naturally, Rainierland was always under the risk of getting banned. And that happened in 2016.
In 2016, the authorities raided the home of Rainer M. Tamayo, the owner and the man behind Rainierland, and took him under custody for running this illegal website. The video of this incident is also available on YouTube. In the video, it can be seen that Tamayo was uploading a movie to his website when the police entered his apartment. The police immediately took him under arrest, and he was put into jail. A few months after that, the website stopped working as well.
Although, after a few years, a new team of people appeared who claimed to bring back Rainierland and launched a new website under the domain “Rainierland.is.” But now, even that domain has stopped working. Although now, years later, after Rainierland was first launched, a thousand such websites have appeared which offer the same benefits as Rainierland used to offer through piracy. As mentioned, piracy is illegal, and therefore, these websites do not tend to survive for very long, and thus, new names appear and replace the old ones. If you want to keep watching free content, you have to keep up with these websites and new names. But then again, “A small price to pay for salvation.”
Now that we know that Rainierland is out of the game, you might be wondering what are your best options now for watching free content online. Well, we will discuss that as well. But before that, you need to be aware of something more substantial.
Nothing good comes without a price tag or risks. Using websites like Rainierland have their drawbacks, and that is what we are going to discuss in the nest section. It is suggested that you read it before entering such sites.
Risks of using Websites like Rainierland and How to be Safe
Sites that don’t charge any money from their user earn their money using the ads that they feature on their sites. Although these ads are mostly harmless, they should not be taken lightly. These ads offer a way for hackers to phish the users of these websites. These ads often redirect you to a new webpage, usually of the company whose ad was displayed. But sometimes, you are also prompted to download software. If you do so, there is a high risk that you install malware into your PC and compromise your security. You may also be prompted to enter your credit card information in exchange for some services, which can then be exploited against you.
So, to remain safe, you should do no download anything into your computer from any unauthorized source or give your personal information to any suspicious website. It is also recommended that you use anti-virus software before entering such sites. And the best way to remain safe, in my opinion, is to use legitimate streaming-services like Netflix or Hulu if you can afford them. This will also help in discouraging the unethical practice of piracy.
Now, let us tell you some ways to access free content on the Internet.
Ways to Access Free Content Without Rainierland
The best option you have is a torrent. But again, it is illegal to use torrent, and you must take proper precautions before using it. Your best option is to use the tor browser. But if you do not want to go through much hassle, a VPN-proxy will work just fine.
You can also download your favorite pieces of content using the download links on various websites. These links are more comfortable to use compared to torrent but are harder to find and will require a bit of searching before you can get what you are looking for. There are google drive links also available for a lot of movies and shows, but you do not always get what you are looking for.
Also, not to mention, there are other websites like Rainierland as well. But these websites, to evade the authorities, keep on changing their domain. So it is hard to keep up with them.
