"How Netflix Will Deal With Australian (and New Zealand) VPN Users"

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code15

198 posts

Master Geek

#1208333 5-Jan-2015 09:57

DaveB: The blocking is certainly making news elsewhere. Here is an article (Slingshot mentioned as well).

http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/03/netflix-clamps-down-on-vpns/

From Engadget article.

Update: 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.

So really no news.. I feel you can't really block VPNs permently but Netflix could block DNS services by always checking the IP address of the Netflix user for all requests.

sultanoswing

814 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1208334 5-Jan-2015 09:57

lchiu7: As I mentioned earlier, I wonder why Netflix just doesn't block non-US credit cards. That won't catch all but it's an easier solution and might appease the content holders unless they don't really want to block that revenue so use "technical" solutions so "block" users knowing full well that they are pretty easy to get around.

Mainly because it would be fairly easy to workaround using proxy-payment services. Where there's a will/customer demand, there's a way. The dinosaurs are trying to hold back the tide by building sand castles.

mckenndk

911 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1208335 5-Jan-2015 09:58

I'm currently in Canada and Unotelly VPN is not having any issues to US or UK.

lchiu7

6480 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1208356 5-Jan-2015 10:30

sultanoswing:
lchiu7: As I mentioned earlier, I wonder why Netflix just doesn't block non-US credit cards. That won't catch all but it's an easier solution and might appease the content holders unless they don't really want to block that revenue so use "technical" solutions so "block" users knowing full well that they are pretty easy to get around.

Mainly because it would be fairly easy to workaround using proxy-payment services. Where there's a will/customer demand, there's a way. The dinosaurs are trying to hold back the tide by building sand castles.

I am sure they could be blocked also. It's just that Netflix really doesn't want to stop that source of revenue.

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sultanoswing

814 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1208381 5-Jan-2015 11:00

lchiu7:
sultanoswing:
lchiu7: As I mentioned earlier, I wonder why Netflix just doesn't block non-US credit cards. That won't catch all but it's an easier solution and might appease the content holders unless they don't really want to block that revenue so use "technical" solutions so "block" users knowing full well that they are pretty easy to get around.

Mainly because it would be fairly easy to workaround using proxy-payment services. Where there's a will/customer demand, there's a way. The dinosaurs are trying to hold back the tide by building sand castles.

I am sure they could be blocked also. It's just that Netflix really doesn't want to stop that source of revenue.

Sure, they could be blocked - but equally, workarounds exist in sny system or can be devised.

However, I suspect it won't come to that anyway. Netflix and others will continue to take "reasonable" measures to geoblock as per their contracts. Of course "reasonable" is a shifting goal post, but so are the countermeasures available to consumers. The SVOD services can't be seen to be pushovers, and they currently do take steps, but IMHO neither are they going to try to be NORAD and harden their systems beyond what geeks will be able to workaround. Push back from the corporatescomes when techniques get to "mom and pop" levels as, to be fair, they seem to have gotten with current geo-unblocking. So, although I'm not surprised by the current white noise, in the longer term, the genie out of the bottle.

mckenndk

911 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1208384 5-Jan-2015 11:03

They way their membership works in every country as well does not help this, if they make it for the US site you can only use US credit cards just sign up in Brazil and your account will work in the states.

Yabanize

2350 posts

Uber Geek

#1208471 5-Jan-2015 12:34

Kim Dotcom summed it up pretty nicely on Twitter
MPAA: Don't be a pirate
You: OK I'll pay!
MPAA: Not available in your country
You: How can I get it?
MPAA: You can't
You: Idiots! *pirating

To the MPAA and Studios using VPN's is just as bad as pirating so we should all just pirate instead

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shk292

2858 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1209652 7-Jan-2015 08:36

Has anyone else had a Netflix problem recently with Samsung smart TV and Unotelly? My TV has been nagging me to accept an system update for a week or so and when I finally accepted it last night, Netflix subsequently came up with a "not currently available in your region" error. BBC iplayer and Amazon instant video still OK. Anyway, blocking 8.8.8.8 at the router restored normal service. I'm not totally sure if this was a random glitch that coincidentally cleared up when I blocked the Google DNS, I'll try removing the block this evening and see what happens.
I'm kind of hoping this is Netflix's token effort to "do something" about geo-block dodgers, to keep the studios happy.

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
79323 posts

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Geekzone

Lifetime subscriber

#1209662 7-Jan-2015 08:52

This is similar to what is going on with Android apps, as in Netflix app is now using the Google DNS by default, regardless of your settings. Block or redirect Google DNS and things just work.

shk292

2858 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1209680 7-Jan-2015 09:00

freitasm: This is similar to what is going on with Android apps, as in Netflix app is now using the Google DNS by default, regardless of your settings. Block or redirect Google DNS and things just work.

I figured that might be the case - they have found a "fix" and are now rolling it out across the various platforms. Let's hope that will be the full extent of their efforts to combat geo-unblockers - I'd hate to have to go back to torrents

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