Netflix binging is about to get a lot harder for globe-trotting viewers. Yesterday, David Fullagar, Netflix's vice president of content delivery architecture, announced that within the next few weeks, Netflix costumers using "proxies or 'unblockers'" to access content not normally available to users in their country will notice those work-arounds no longer work.
Netflix users using VPN (virtual private networks) to access content not available in their country might have noticed a crackdown by Netflix as early as last January. But this year's push seems more absolute, as Fullagar was able to give an immediate timeline ("in coming weeks") of when the backdoor methods will become useless.
But for those living abroad, or the unfortunate souls in the middle of binging a show while on an international vacation, there is still hope. Netflix does aim to reach a point where its content is truly universal. As Fullagar wrote on Netflix's media site, "We look forward to offering all of our content everywhere and to consumers being able to enjoy all of Netflix without using a proxy. That’s the goal we will keep pushing towards."
Until then, if you find yourself shut out of your favorite show, it might be time to rediscover the DVD box set — or just buy it on iTunes.
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