Netflix won't keep letting proxy users access its catalog
On Jan. 6, Netflix announced global availability in more than 190 countries. Unfortunately, not all of Netflix’s content is available in every country. Because of this, many users access that content using proxies or “unblockers,” services designed to fool Netflix’s servers into thinking those users were in a different country than they actually are.
If you’re one of those users, be aware that Netflix is certainly aware of what you’re doing, and it’s gunning for you. After all, the streaming media service has to respect and enforce its content licensing according to different geographic locations. In an announcement yesterday, Jan. 14, Netflix revealed that the technology used to recognize the use of those proxies is evolving, and the company is evolving at the same time.
That means in coming weeks, those using proxies and unblockers will only be able to access the service in the country where they currently are. We are confident this change won’t impact members not using proxies.
We look forward to offering all of our content everywhere and to consumers being able to enjoy all of Netflix without using a proxy. That’s the goal we will keep pushing towards.
It’s unfortunate that Netflix users in Belgium, for example, might not have access to the same content that consumers in the United States enjoy. However, such is the nature of the beast. In order for Netflix to be able to continue negotiating in good faith with content providers, the company has to do what it can to prevent people from circumventing those licensing agreements. We can only hope that Netflix’s efforts to offer all of its contents to consumers everywhere happens in the short term, rather than the long.
