Breaking geoblocks with VPNs - the legal problems in South Africa

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Legal problems with streaming through VPNs in South Africa

South Africans who use virtual private network (VPN) services to access video streaming services or stream specific copyrighted content not officially available or licenced locally could find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

The global movie and TV licencing regime requires that legitimate video streaming services implement geo-blocking, as the rights to distribute this content are generally not sold globally but broken up for specific countries or regions.
 
There is no legal requirement for an adult person to have to only view content which has been certified by the FPB only. Think of it like this. Much of the ordinary human to human interaction one finds oneself in, eg usual human sexual relations, would be classfied as R18+. Does that mean that seeing another adult nude or having intercourse with them requires the FPB? Obviously not. Would a striptease show require the FPB? Obviously not. Would the usual interaction one has with a fellow driver or citizen, eg when one curses at them or they curse at you, would then now require the FPB? What of third parties who overhear colourful language as two drunks swear at each other and refer to their mothers' anatomies?

The gov could desire all it wants to restrict what adults see, but adults have a right to see any content available, (legal of course, eg not depicting minors in adult type activities). The certification requirement is on the distributors. But foreign distributors need not necessarily be subject to this. They may not even need to implement any geoblocking. It's up to them and their licensors. It becomes an issue of payment though if a foreigh business streams video to a South African, but ask yourself how many foreign porn sites are FPB reviewed? And what has the FPB done about them? And surely it is this material that is the most likely in need of FPB review.

Are PornHub and OnlyFans FPB licensed? Do they pay a fee per video clip? LOL.

And is such eggreriously explicit sites don't pay, would some anime or art film or foreign TV service pay? LOL.

One can legally watch many TV services of various countries. especially certain news channels, online. None of these are FPB licensed or reviewed. I'd like to see the FPB reach out to them to get them to block SA'ns from viewing their content unless it's paid and reviewed by the overseers of our sensibilities, the FPB. :)
 
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Legal problems with streaming through VPNs in South Africa

South Africans who use virtual private network (VPN) services to access video streaming services or stream specific copyrighted content not officially available or licenced locally could find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

The global movie and TV licencing regime requires that legitimate video streaming services implement geo-blocking, as the rights to distribute this content are generally not sold globally but broken up for specific countries or regions.

Geoblocking need not be IP based. It can be account based, such as Apple's, Sony's or Nintendo's.
 
Another "opinion piece" I guess.

Only watch DSTV and Showmax because these are FPB approved and locally licensed for distribution. That way you're a good boy and you're paying your due fees. The other content is not for you. If Frikkie decides he's not licensing Fellini or Kieslowski, that's your bad, but you may NOT under any circumstances access such programming because how dare you be exposed to art from other parts or the world or other times.
 
To be fair most VPNs unblock this type of content with great difficulty. It was a mission to watch US Netflix with ExpressVPN or NordVPN. Most of the time the streams would not play or would give geolocation errors.
Thankfully some providers don't use this method of blocking but are account based. Here the payment is based on a credit card in the given location (or an alternative form of payment), or it's an honour system.
 
When are they going to get that we’re all part of a global village?

They get that. They want to get easy access to content, add a huge fee to it, be the monopoly gatekeeper and have you watch it ONLY through them. F-you if you want to watch some Andrei Tarkovsky or Bi Gan or Ataru Oikawa. If they haven't licensed it or they consider it not worth the expense of licensing, you'll never see it. That's why people would import Blurays or DVDs of such films and none of those had FPB stickers on them. That's why my DVD players and Bluray players are multi-region and can watch discs from any region in the world.
 
South Africans who use virtual private network (VPN) services to access video streaming services or stream specific copyrighted content not officially available or licenced locally could find themselves on the wrong side of the law.
How is anyone going to know exactly what data is going through a VPN?
 
He is suggesting that peoples' conscience is going to get the better of them :)
I am having trouble with sleeping at night already... Not because of my conscience though, but due to all the entertainment I get access to using my VPN. The only service that does not work with the VPN is Disney and Afriforum-TV so I put them through a split tunnel.

This is just another cleverly hidden DSTV article. They want their ban on VPNs to get some of their monopoly back. They are hurting so are going above and beyond to force people into their communist ways.

Try and catch me through the tor network Frikkie, I challenge you.

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I am having trouble with sleeping at night already... Not because of my conscience though, but due to all the entertainment I get access to using my VPN. The only service that does not work with the VPN is Disney and Afriforum-TV so I put them through a split tunnel.

This is just another cleverly hidden DSTV article. They want their ban on VPNs to get some of their monopoly back. They are hurting so are going above and beyond to force people into their communist ways.

Try and catch me through the tor network Frikkie, I challenge you.

View attachment 1780812

All of these are "do the right thing". It's not like VPNs will get cracked or will rat you out to DSTV. It's not that PayPal will rat you out because you have a sub to some streaming service.

It's all about telling you, a good South African, that you may be going against the law, the law which states that all published content has to be approved by the censors of FPB and that poor Multichoice has to spend their few Runts to invest in expensive foreign content and here you are watching some unlicensed stuff and not paying them a cent! You could be watching the stuff on DSTV and you're not. Shame on you. You make these poor DSTV execs more poor. How can they compete with the guys at Netflix, Comcast or Apple TV when you're not paying in and supporting our girls and boys, our own home grown MBAs and other execs.
 
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