Online video purveyor Netflix is now reportedly blocking most VPN-based connections to its service. VPN's incidentally, provide an easy way for non-US based Netflix customers to watch US content and movies. But, as it turns out, Netflix may be celebrating a bit prematurely: Instructions like "How-to circumvent Netflix's block to the VPN circumvent" are already spreading in forums.
In IT Blogwatch, bloggers make tweaks and adjustments.
Filling in for our humble blogwatcher Richi Jennings, is a humbler Stephen Glasskeys.
Colin Lecher stares at a VPN:
Netflix in the United States is not the same as Netflix in the rest of the world. ... Thanks to the intricacies of international law, [Netflix] offers very different content, and sometimes none at all, based on where a subscriber lives.
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Many users rely on VPNs -- virtual private networks -- or custom DNS settings to stealthily access Netflix as though they were in other regions. MORE
Claire Reilly takes the long way around:
Movie studios...may well have received their Christmas wish, with reports that Netflix has begun blocking users attempting to skirt around geoblocks on its US service by using a VPN. MORE
To fall asleep, Richard Chirgwin reads a Terms of Service agreement:
Netflix is being accused of planning to enforce its terms and conditions by blocking connections from services that bypass geographic blocks. MORE
But Ernesto van der Sar burns the midnight oil to find a work-around:
Netflix is reportedly testing a variety of blocking methods. From querying the user's time zone through the web browser or mobile device GPS and comparing it to the timezone of their IP-address, to forcing Google's DNS services in the Android app.
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TorGuard told us that if Netflix continues...they will provide an easy solution to bypass the blocks. Other services, such as Unblock-us are also suggesting workarounds to their customers. MORE
David Murphy tops the charts Down Under:
In November, Sandvine reported that Netflix appeared as a top 10 app in Australia during the second half of the year, even though it has not yet launched in the country.
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Hulu started blocking VPN users in April, mostly to prevent foreign users from accessing the service. MORE
Meanwhile, @latentexistence lays down his Terms of Service:
If @netflix stop me viewing the US version I'll stop paying them. MORE
You have been reading IT Blogwatch by Richi Jennings and Stephen Glasskeys, who curate the best bloggy bits, finest forums, and weirdest websites…so you don't have to. Catch the key commentary from around the Web every morning. Hatemail may be directed to @RiCHi or itbw@richi.uk. Opinions expressed may not represent those of Computerworld. Ask your doctor before reading. Your mileage may vary. E&OE.