Netflix to block access to content from proxies


Details

Joseph O'Halloran

| 15 January 2016




Just as the leading subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service rolls out across the world, Netflix is to close the loophole that allows trans-border access via use of an Internet proxy.


NetflixOrangeThe company admits that even though it is now available 190 countries, it has a way to go before it can offer people the same films and TV series everywhere. And before that day comes, Netflix has announced that it is ‘evolving’ its proxy detection as a global service with the intended aim of making sure that those using proxies and unblockers will only be able to access the SVOD service in the country where they currently are.

As unpopular as this may be, Netflix insisted that it was confident that the change would not impact members not using proxies. “If all of our content were globally available, there wouldn’t be a reason for members to use proxies or unblockers to fool our systems into thinking they’re in a different country than they’re actually in,” explained David Fullagar, Netflix vice president of content delivery architecture. “We are making progress in licensing content across the world ... [but] in the meantime, we will continue to respect and enforce content licensing by geographic location. 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.”