BBC Worldwide advised the Australian government earlier this month that VPNs were responsible for much of their content piracy problem. The government responded by calling on Netflix to block VPN traffic to their site so that Australian users would be denied access to the streaming service. Hulu did the same last month, but HMA tells Aussies not to worry about being cut off because the top VPNs are still working to provide them with access to the content that they are being denied.
Netflix is a Second Choice
Australians are worried that they may soon be unable to use VPNs and other similar services. Users down under have come to love VPNs because these tools deliver content instantly. They usually get new content months or even over a year after it has been released in other countries. This is too long to wait, so they are more than willing to pay for good VPNs and Netflix streaming services that get the job done.
Aussies would rather go local, but their services are just too slow. Local cable companies and other content providers have caused a content traffic jam because they want to protect their own interests. This is why they are fiercely lobbying the Australian government to push for bans on VPN-like services. Meanwhile, users still clamor for faster content delivery, the main reason why they use VPNs for Netflix.
The Real Issue with Banning VPNs
Banning VPNs would solve the complaints of Twentieth Century Fox, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros, among others. But it is also very wrong to go down this path just because content owners think it would make things easy for them. They, like BBC, think that VPN users are content pirates. But many VPN users have VPNs for security and access to legitimate accounts. Many Americans who are traveling, for instance, use VPNs to get to their Netflix USA accounts, which they are entitled to. They also use VPNs to protect their online accounts and activities from hackers and spies, even when they are on US soil.
