BBC reports VPNs, Proxies, a major issue for Streaming Content Providers

Reports that Netflix is cracking down on VPN and proxy use to thwart unlicensed, out of country access has caught the attention of BBC and a number of tech news sources this week.

Location cloaking technologies are often used by travellers abroad and expats to access streaming services on BBC’s iPlayer, Netflix Pandora, etc.

These service providers are commonly plagued with blocking international traffic to uphold licensing and regulatory obligations.  BBC reported Netflix’ statement on the matter, confirming that their “terms of service state that you are not allowed to virtually cross borders because of content licensing systems”.

Thanks to GeoComply’s territorial blocking capabilities, a next generation solution to geoblocking can easily be used to shutdown unwarranted foreign access for good.  While Netflix spokesman Cliff Edwards has said that ”detecting VPN usage is like playing a game of whack-a-mole,” new geolocation technologies do now exist with a full arsenal of anti-spoofing tools.

Currently, the highly regulated internet gambling markets in New Jersey and Nevada rely on GeoComply’s advanced location spoofing detection to stand up to strict federal and state requirements for licensing, e-payments, and identity verification.