Netflix May Get Serious about GeoBlocking

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Netflix May Get Serious about GeoBlocking

Postby jon » Thu Sep 18, 2014 1:09 pm

Movie studios are pressuring Netflix to block VPN and DNS users
By Patrick O'Rourke
Canada.com
September 18, 2014 1:33 PM

Accessing U.S. Netflix in Canada might be almost impossible at some point in the near future.

According to Torrentfreak, Simon Bush, the CEO of AHEDA, an Australian industry group that represents big movie and television studios like Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Bros, Universal, Sony Pictures and many more, are actively lobbying Netflix and other streaming platforms to block and potentially ban users who subscribe to geo-unlocking VPN and DNS services.

In Australia, a region where Netflix isn’t officially available, approximately 200,000 are accessing the platform through VPN services, and because of this the Australian market seems to be AHEDA’s first target. Netflix also has plans to officially launch its streaming online video service at some point in the near future and it’s likely that this will play into the decision to block VPN and DNS users.

In an interview with Cnet, Bush explained AHEDA is in “discussions” with Netflix to block Australians from accessing the platform. If Netflix implements a system to block Australians from accessing U.S. Netflix, it’s likely they’ll also block Canadians from accessing other regions of Netflix as well, rendering DNS services like Unblock-Us useless.

A few months ago Hulu started an IP-blocking system that prevents users from using most major geo-unlocking services to access the platform from regions it hasn’t yet launched in. Users often encounter the following error.

“Based on your IP-address, we noticed that you are trying to access Hulu through an anonymous proxy tool. Hulu is not currently available outside the U.S. If you’re in the U.S. you’ll need to disable your anonymizer to access videos on Hulu.”

A similar system could potentially be implemented to prevent Canadians from accessing Netflix content not part of their region. Users intent on still accessing U.S. Netflix, Hulu and other streaming platforms like Amazon Instant Video, could just switch to a new VPN or DNS service if the practice of blocking VPN access becomes more widespread, but if a platform is serious about blocking users from using geo-unlocking software, it could soon be impossible to watch U.S. Netflix in Canada.

This means even American and Canadian users who are hoping to use the internet anonymously through VPN to protect their own privacy are being blocked from doing so.

VPN services change users’ IP addresses to a different geographical region, tricking streaming platforms into thinking the device you’re using is located in the U.S. DNS services, which often allow you to browse the internet at regular speeds and work better with streaming platforms, assign your device a U.S. located DNS address. Both geo-locking techniques have advantages but VPN services are more focused on masking a user’s identity, where as DNS platforms are often marketed directly towards users looking to geo-unlock their streaming platforms.

Over the last few years the number of Canadians using VPN services to access U.S. Netflix has grown significantly given how easy it is to use many geo-unlocking services. It’s believed that Netflix ignored the use of VPN services because it doesn’t affect their business model. As long as they’re still receiving a subscription fee, allowing Netflix users to take advantage of VPN or DNS services does very little, if anything, to hurt Netflix unless movie studios start pressuring the company to do something about it, which seems to be the case right now.
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Re: Netflix May Get Serious about GeoBlocking

Postby PMC » Thu Sep 18, 2014 2:43 pm

If Simon Bush wants people to spend their money at home, then Netflix should exist in Australia.

Rather than screw the internet for his greed, why doesn't he or others, open a franchise of the u.s. company, and spare us from their bureaucratic jungle laws in my internet space.
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