Internet5.01.2015

Netflix in SA — VPN blocking update

Netflix not available in your country

TorrentFreak recently reported that Netflix had cracked down on virtual private network (VPN) and proxy “pirates”, saying that VPN providers such as TorGuard had noticed a surge in access problems by its users from mid-December.

Netflix is only available in around 50 countries, with content libraries varying from one territory to the next.

To work around these restrictions, many users employ VPNs or unblocking services such as UnoTelly and Unblock-us.

Movie studios are unhappy about users accessing services such as Netflix outside their designated regions, and TorrentFreak reported it was these studios who requested the changes be implemented by Netflix.

Hulu implemented similar restrictions in April 2014, so Netflix’s move to block VPNs wasn’t much of a surprise, TorrentFreak said.

However, following these reports, Netflix told Engadget that it had made no recent change in the way it handles VPNs.

PC Magazine reported that it had received similar feedback from the service provider.

“We use industry standard methods to block VPNs. Always have and always will,” it quoted a Netflix spokesperson as saying.

This does not explain the recent access errors VPN users started experiencing, however, and it is currently still unclear why these subscribers are unable to access Netflix if it has “done nothing new”.

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