Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday February 11, 2016
Netflix border crackdown cuts off some customers, but unblocking services fight back
Yes, the Netflix crackdown on cross-border watching is real.
Customers worldwide have grown accustomed to sneaking over virtual walls to stream shows and movies restricted to other countries.
Now, Netflix is stopping some virtual travellers at the border, finally enforcing its age-old policy that says viewers aren’t allowed to access Netflix in other regions.
Meanwhile, unblocking companies that help virtual travellers defy the rules are fighting back. And some are already declaring victory in the battle to keep Netflix’s borders wide open.
Numerous customers with the unblocking company Unblock-Us started reporting technical problems soon after Netflix announced its crackdown on Jan. 14.
For a fee, unblocking services do the technical legwork to help customers hide their location so they can hop borders.
For example, the service would help a Netflix Canada customer watch Sons of Anarchy on Netflix U.S. The Canadian version doesn’t carry the show.
“Help,” wrote one border hopping customer on the Unblock-Us tech support site on Jan. 27, explaining that he lives in Toronto and can no longer stream content on Netflix UK.
Another customer posted, “I live in Norway and am currently using your service to watch American Netflix, but now it doesn’t work anymore.”
“Netflix blocked in Australia,” reported someone else.
Barbados-based Unblock-Us did not respond to CBC News’s request for comment. But a post on its site updated on Feb. 3 declared, “We have a solution.”
It said blocked customers need to contact the support team, which would “have some simple steps for you to follow” to resume service. (Source: CBC News)