Netflix Is Now Friendlier With VPN Users but Not Entirely
Last updated July 31, 2021
- Netflix has decided to allow VPN users to browse its content library after all, but they won’t get everything.
- All geo-restricted content will remain hidden from the results, and only globally licensed titles will be shown.
- Some VPN tools remain undetected by Netflix, so they are serving well for user privacy and unlocking geoblocks.
Netflix has relaxed its VPN blocking policy and started treating users who hide behind virtual networks a little bit more affably. Previously, and for the last five years, many VPN or proxy service users were blocked by the streaming platform, after copyright holders expressed their concerns on geographical restriction circumvention. On the other hand, users were very disappointed by this decision, as many of them used VPN solutions to secure their privacy, not to access content that was otherwise blocked in their area. So, this entire approach had a double side, mistreating some clients just to keep others from “pirating” content.
Netflix had to do something to balance this system, and so they did. VPN users are now more free to access the streaming service and browse content. Still, at the same time, geographical restrictions will work and remain in place. It means that even if you use VPN products, content that would be unavailable in your region will be hidden from the library. So, how is Netflix doing this without knowing where you’re based at? Simply put, it only detects if you’re using a VPN tool or not, and if you are, it serves you with content that is licensed for global access.
It means that if you’re using a VPN to access Netflix, all geographical restrictions will apply to you no matter where you are. This will reduce the number of available titles significantly, but it’s an improvement over the previous situation, where Netflix was straight out banning VPN users out of the service. A technical and also practical detail is that Netflix is merely hiding the titles from VPN users right now, so if you have a direct URL to use, you will still be able to access and enjoy the hidden title.
All that said, we should also mention that some VPNs remain undetected, so Netflix won’t be able to discriminate their users. We have already compiled a list of the seven best VPNs that worked well during our tests with Netflix, so you may want to begin with one of these. The benefits that will come from using a VPN tool with Netflix include unblocking geographically locked content, enjoying a better and more stable streaming performance - and also avoiding Netflix-related charges imposed by your internet service provider. It means that your activity will remain hidden from your ISP, and this alone should be a convincing reason to use a VPN tool.
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