Scalper1 News
Much like code-makers and code-breakers are locked in a seemingly endless battle, Netflix ( NFLX ) has a perennial struggle of its own: virtual private networks, proxies and unblockers. And now it has dragged PayPal ( PYPL ) into the fight. VPNs, proxies and unblockers have legitimate uses, but they can also be used to fake the geographic location of Internet traffic, which lets Netflix customers watch content they’re not supposed to. “People will always try to find ways to get the content they want, no matter the technological barriers,” an unidentified Netflix spokeswoman told Wired . “We recognize that, and that’s why we are trying to offer our content to members globally at the exact same time.” Until recently, Netflix hasn’t much cared that, say, Canadian customers use VPNs to watch shows restricted to the U.S. But as the company begins to roll out its plan for world domination (at least in video streaming), the situation appears to have changed . Cracking down on VPNs has some customers upset — especially ones in small markets like Portugal — and threatening to cancel their subscriptions. And now PayPal has either decided or been pushed into terminating its business relationships with unblockers that help customers circumvent geographic content restrictions. It looks as though Canadian VPNs are being targeted by PayPal for violating its terms of service, since video streaming Netflix America content from Canada violates copyright law. When asked for an interview with executives, a PayPal spokeswoman replied with the following statement: “As a global payments company, we have to comply with laws set by governments and regulatory agencies. PayPal does not permit the use of its service for transactions that infringe copyrights or other proprietary rights. This policy extends to services that unlawfully facilitate infringement by intentionally enabling access to copyrighted television shows or movies in places where distribution of the content is not authorized by the copyright owners. “In line with this policy, PayPal has recently discontinued service to certain businesses that actively promote their services as a means to circumvent copyright restrictions and violate intellectual property laws. We apologize for any disappointment this may cause our users.” Scalper1 News
Scalper1 News