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If you've been used to accessing Netflix's vast library of North American content while living outside of the continent, by using a proxy or VPN, you may be out of luck, as the streaming media company has now begun blocking methods of circumventing its geographical limiters.
This is a real shame, as Netflix is a brilliant example of how internet based content streaming could be. It offers a huge collection of films, TV shows and other media to enjoy near instantly, in often high definition and beyond, for a low, monthly subscription. However that's not really the case if you live outside the US. Our cousins in the Americas have a much bigger library of content than anywhere else and if you live in Australia or New Zealand, you can't access it at all.
Despite those two latter countries and many others being hotbeds of piracy due to content pricing and availability though, many people use those VPN, proxy and DNS changing services in order to pay for the content that others are given access too just because of where they live. Traditionally Netflix doesn't seem to be that bothered by it, as after all, it is getting paid, but the movie studios aren't and they've now pressured the streaming service into doing something about it.
To start with, Netflix is now forcing Google DNS through its android application, which means regardless of what DNS settings you put in your system settings, you will be stuck with your own region's content, which for some people means nothing. As TorrentFreak reports, some TorGuard VPN users have also been noting that they haven't been able to access US based Netflix content recently either. However in some cases that block appears to have been temporary, perhaps suggesting a wider roll out in the future.
While a lot of these services have offered workarounds to consumers, Netflix is purportedly looking into using other methods such as a checking the user's system time and comparing it to their IP address, as well as a few other non-described methods of detecting known proxies and anonymising services.
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KitGuru Says: Do any of you use a VPN or proxy service to access overseas content? If so, what effect will Netflix's crack down have on your usage?
If Netflix clamps down they will loose 100’s if not 1000’s of users. stupidity at its best!
Even if they limit certain things it will hurt the people paying for it which just means that more people will move to amazon and other streaming companies.
Actually Netflix are tracking who’s viewing what content and suspending their accounts if they’re watching content that’s from outside their country.
people will abandon netflix if they can’t access the content they want, fair enough it’s perhaps the movie studios putting pressure on them to keep their content regional, but netflix will lose business out of this, movie and tv studios need to learn that in this day and age of high speed braodband and people being used to getting content when they want that the regional release dates mean they’re losing potential revenue, why not an international release at the same time? if a movie or tv show is released internationally at the same time then it will dramatically reduce the amount of people illegally downloading too, I’ve had instances in the past where I’ve owned an original american DVD release months before the movie is actually released in the UK cinema, and they wonder why they don’t bring in the same amount of cash when a UK release flops, because everyone has seen it from an official american release already! same will apply to netflix, make it international releases and have the same content worldwide or lose customers! simple
No they aren’t
http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/03/netflix-clamps-down-on-vpns/
” Netflix tells us that there’s been “no change” in the way it handles VPNs, so you shouldn’t have to worry about the company getting tough any time soon. With that said, these blocking errors started showing up in the past few weeks, so it’s not clear what would have prompted them.”
It’s almost like they want people to go back to Piracy. This was a great service and it directly competes with everything out there.
I agree. Netflix seem to have chosen their side though. I’ve always found it weird that so many users of Netflix seem to think that using a VPN to access content from other countries is fine – when actually, there’s no legal difference between doing this and streaming. If I were to use Netflix then I’d only access everything above board – it seems totally pointless to pay for a service and then also do illegal stuff, but people seem to think that the fact they’re paying for access to some content means they’re paying for access to all.