Netflix making more moves to block proxy and VPN use that bypasses geofencing

In a recent blog post, David Fullagar, Netflix's VP of Content Delivery Architecture mentions that in the coming weeks they will implement more measures to block technologies that bypass the geofencing (such as VPNs, web proxies, DNS proxies). This move will be poorly received by many Canadians who make use of such services to access the U.S. (and other) Netflix catalogs. It will be technologically impossible to prevent all types of proxy traffic, but expect that some of the more popular services will get locked out of Netflix.

Of course, this type of usage has long been a violation of Netflix's Terms of Service, so it should be no surprise they are cracking down. The positive news is that Mr. Fullagar also mentions that they are working to license content globally so that geofencing becomes less of an issue.

Another silver lining for Canadians is that with Shomi now available to all, and with CraveTV promising the same sometime this month, we have some other options available to access content that is not available on Canadian Netflix, but might be available on U.S. Netflix. New subscribers to Shomi get two months free, so it might be time to give it a shot and see how it compares to Netflix.