Netflix Knows You've Been Accessing Foreign Content Illegally
International viewers who have previously found ways around Netflix's restrictions on certain content may have their work cut out for them from now on: The streaming service has reportedly been fixing vulnerabilities in an effort to cut illegal access to its U.S.-exclusive content from foreign countries.
According to CNN Money, restrictions from country to country are in place thanks to licensing agreements with movie and television studios. But viewers abroad have been able to trick Netflix servers in the past by using a virtual private network, or VPN, to obscure their location and gain access to internationally-blocked content.
Unfortunately for them, Netflix has caught on to that trick, and has begun blocking more international access in recent days, with users reporting on social media sites and Reddit that their VPNs no longer work with the service. Netflix claims that its terms of service have not been altered, but there appears to be some sort of deliberate action on its part to curb the illegal streaming, and CNN Money reports that that's because studios are complaining that their copyright agreements with Netflix have been violated.
"Our policies have not recently changed," Netflix spokesman Marlee Moseley told CNN Money. "Virtually crossing borders to use Netflix is a violation of our terms of use because of content licensing restrictions, and we employ standard measures to prevent this kind of use."
It seems that people who want to watch things illegally will always find a way -- but in this case, Netflix may no longer be an option.
