Whatâs that whooshing soundâŚ
oh, itâs the sound of Netflix losing half or more of their Canadian market share, since they only offer Canada bullshit and not much of it except that we all view the âUSâ content. (and all the rest)
Some CBC talk the other day had 1/3 of canuckian customers acknowledging they view any damn Netflix content they want. I guarantee you it is more and that nearly all would consider Netflix totally worthless otherwise.
I know Iâll dump them within minutes of VPN not working.
If they were capable of blocking proxies, I am somewhat mystified as to why they havenât done so already. Why would anyone agree to a content-licensing agreement at all if it was plain that it was being brazenly circumvented?
[quote=âxeni, post:1, topic:72363â]VPNs have perfectly legitimate uses related to privacy and security.[/quote]I find it a bit of a strain to think what those uses might be as far as Netflix is concerned.
"VPNs have perfectly legitimate uses related to privacy and security. "
Yep. Like me with horribly unreliable xfinity connection that stops working frequently during busy times, but I can connect via xfinity shared hotspot. Comcast still canât figure out whatâs going wrong, but anyway, I use my VPN to connect to my netflix account (and everything else) when Iâm on the public hotspot that Iâm entitled to use as an xfinity customer. So, yeah, even when Iâm home, there are legit reasons I use VPN several times a week.
oh well, back to piracy.
Itâs okay! Youâll pay them once they fix it!
Itâs unclear whether Netflix is actually going to be able to enforce the block on VPNs, but it doesnât have much choice other than to try. Its contracts with content providers demand it.
Itâs basically the same reason e-books are often sold region-restricted, even though people living in those regions can happily import the physical version of the books (or the DVDs or Blu-rays of the movies Netflix streams, though those will have region-restrictive DRM on them). The content owners can make more money charging small amounts to license the stuff to small pieces of the world than they can by charging one large amount for worldwide rights. All those small amounts together add up to more than the large amount ever could.
As long as that aspect of basic economics remains true (and how could it ever change?), thereâs going to be incentive for content stores to restrict sales and rentals to covering only those parts of the world for which they could get the rightsâand to try to prevent their own would-be customers from working around those restrictions.
They already have region-exclusive licensing. But unless oneâs use of a VPN violates this licensing, it isnât their problem, and they donât get a say.
As a customer, Netflix should already know where one is located, so their ignorance here is simply lazy,
Yeah, I expect Netflix couldnât really care less as long as you are paying them, but they have to look like theyâre trying to keep their content suppliers happy.
Thatâs the pointâpeople are using VPNs to violate that licensing, by
watching programs that arenât supposed to be available where they live.
Thatâs the whole point of Netflix saying theyâre going to prevent people
from using them.
[quote=âDrXPsychologist, post:4, topic:72363â]I use my VPN to connect to my netflix account (and everything else) when Iâm on the public hotspot that Iâm entitled to use as an xfinity customer.[/quote]So, the reason you wouldnât use a VPN on the public hotspot is because otherwise a malicious person could steal your Netflix passwordâŚ?
Iâm as bummed as anyone that Netflix are cracking down on VPNs but if your response is âWell, back to pirating! lolâ then youâre an asshole.
I use it to prevent lifting my password, and unauthorized use of my account. I also interrupt watching movies or tv shows sometimes to check mail or do other things with passwords or otherwise sensitive information. And at one of my offices, Iâm on an institutional network, so I want to have as much security as possible to be hipaa compliant. I pay for xfinity, I pay for netflix (and Amazon Prime), I pay for my vpn and I use it all legitimately.
In fact, Iâm using a VPN reading and posting comments because Iâm on the institutional network today. Nothing untoward about it. I work on contract, bill patient hours only, and in between do written work, or read or whatever I want to do. Iâm self employed. I stay on VPN all day with this connection to be hipaa compliant, and I do want to protect patient privacy and confidentiality.
Iâm in Canada, have used proxies to watch US and UK TV, and stopped because it really wasnât all that bad to just stick with the Canadian list. Admittedly this was a year ago since I just went pure Netflix Canada, but it was quite reasonable. Enough so Iâve been considering that and perhaps Crave or Shomi to add on, do some minimal pirating, and get rid of my satellite TV service from Telus.
Thanks, I understand that. The problem is that the mere use of a VPN or proxy provides no evidence that a given user is infringing. So their practice punishes people who do something legitimate, in hopes of catching out others. And, as I mentioned, as a Netflix customer, they would already need to know where you lived for billing purposes.
So, if I am in Maine, and use a VPN to watch US content, they have no reason to complain. But if I pay my bills from Vancouver, and try to initiate a stream from Oakland, they could simply say: âNo, you donât live thereâ. They need to identify your stream with your account info, otherwise they would not even know whether or not you were a customer at all! Thatâs why I said it is a lazy solution.
Theyâve got a point. These DRM-crazed companies put all of their attention where the big bucks are, and make other content practically impossible for even those who are willing to pay to access. I donât watch much television, but most of the shows which have interested me have been from other regions, and the distributors have refused to help me at any price. Like my lifelong attempts to buy a UK television license in the US. Itâs hypocrisy when these companies go for the jugular to prevent abuse - yet, donât provide a legitimate means of access.
People using VPNs to bypass region controls is the primary reason VPNs get used for the service, and also the one thatâs counter to Netflixâs contracts with its content providers. The articles discussing the issue donât make the distinction between that and the smaller minority of people who use VPNs because they have to because of where they work or security matters. Itâs the âillicitâ use that draws the most attention.
Whether Netflix will try or even be able to tell the difference between these âillicitâ cross-territorial VPNs and the kind that people just use because they have to is an open question. If theyâre just going to tell from IP addresses, then thereâs probably little or no reason anyone would add the IP of a VPN thatâs not used for region-busting to it. But who knows?
[quote=âDrXPsychologist, post:13, topic:72363â]I use it to prevent lifting my password, and unauthorized use of my account.[/quote]Is it still particularly easy these days to steal things like password data from someone using an unencrypted wireless connection? I have no idea.
Anyway, it seems that itâs possible to bind a specific application to a particular network adapter (using this app, maybe, or a virtual machine if nothing else), so if one needs to use a VPN for other things, it should still be possible to access Netflix without the VPN at the same time.
I think a probable answer to why Netflix hasnât done anything about this to date is that it was gaming the system both with licensors and users.
Case in point, Thomas and Friends, probably among the most watched licensed material on Netflix. But Canadian Thomas is distinct from US Thomas which is distinct from UK Thomas etc.
So do Netflix competitors, often more regional like Bell for instance, get to license 20 offerings in one region, 20 in another, 20 in another, but with the wink wink nod nod assurance that all content is available? No. And they crushed it over their competitors, like Bell. Why else would Bell care that Netflix customers were âstealingâ? Because Bell would have to pay to license all XX seasons of 30 Rock in itâs Canadian region to offer it to their subscribers⌠Netflix? Not available in Canada, but hey, ya know, itâs not a problemâŚ
So why now? Why not? Netflix now dominates and with a huge market share can negotiate licenses (or not) with relative ease. Also, consumers are complacent. Already we see that many people are content with watching Canadian Netflix, which is admittedly settling. You like bad movie sequels that are cheap to license? Welcome to Paradise!
Youâd think that market share could translate into better regional offerings, but why should it? Your spouse & you barely get to watch anything due to time constraints, your little ones want whatever Netflix Kids has, and your teens will find a way to steal it anyway. Why should it?
If they arenât willing to sell their product to me, then they arenât entitled to me buying it from them when I want it.
