Hulu makes you disable your VPN to use it
I’m surprised that nobody has built a sort of Tor-style proxy system which only allows users to connect to streaming services, and nowhere else. That way, you wouldn’t have to worry about what some random shmoe is doing or downloading while proxied through your Internet connection. Think of it like a Tor for streaming, where everyone proxies each other’s streaming connections, so the streaming service has no clue where any of their users really are.
I don’t think this would be illegal, and it sure would piss a whole lotta assholes who are already too rich and powerful off.
Use expressVPN to access other vpn doesn’t support
This Geo-restriction stuff is pure BS. Let me give you a great example.
There is a TV show i’d like to watch (Crime Beat). This is a Canadian TV show, and I am in Canada trying to access it via Amazon Prime.
Amazon Prime lets me know that I can pay another $12.99 to get access to “STACKTV”?
"Included with STACKTV on Prime Video for CDN$12.99/month after trial (plus any applicable taxes)."
If I try to watch “season 1” i get this : “This video is currently unavailable to watch in your location”
My understanding is that this is included on Amazon Prime USA for free.
I’ve got a friend in the US and she bugs me to watch “Amazing race” but i can’t as it isn’t available in Canada as well.
Why exactly is a Canadian program on amazon prime video for free in the US but another $12.99 in the show’s home country?
Both Prime and Netflix suck in Canada vs the US.
So does Netflix. Try switching your connection point a few times.
To prevent people from getting around their geo blockers I dare say. What assholes!
So does Netflix, so does Amazon Prime
It’s because of their contracts with the media providers you dingus.
This is due to licensing of their media, which is still a sucky thing but not really the streaming service’s fault. When hulu buy the license to show something, it normally stipulates which countries it can be shown in. If someone uses a VPN there’s no way of knowing whether they’re really in a country that the license allows, so they have no choice but to block anyone using a VPN otherwise their license could be invalid and companies would stop selling them at all.
Is that really asshole design tho?
Hulu has been doing shit like this more and more. May be time to cancel it.
The problem is that now you’re routing your login data not to some company but some random dude on the internet. The seconds problem is that the exit node system of tor wouldn’t work here. If I understood correctly, the second issue is fixed simply by using HTTPS, which these services use either way. The sencond one would be a lot more problematic, though.
Please note that I’m not an expert when it comes to tor and web security.
And this is why piracy is becoming popular again. Anybody not willing to fiddle with these arbitrary licensing restrictions (and don’t get me started on the even more ridiculous ones imposed by DRM) can just go to TPB and grab unencumbered copies of pretty much anything.
I bet most of these people would gladly pay for the privilege. Piracy is almost never a cost issue, it’s a service issue.
This. I use surfshark and it’s usually enough to change around the servers.
Indeed. Shit like this is why I torrent most of my shit
Locking shows under some geo restriction bullshit is being a asshole. Ok if the producers are forcing you to restrict there is no other choice. But blocking vpns is something the site does so they support this bullshit 100%
Damn really? I didn’t know that locking shows under geo restriction and blocking vpns so they can’t get around it isn’t being an asshole. Oh yes and you pay the same price as us people even tho your country library is like 50% smaller. Yeah he is lost
Proper TLS connections (HTTPS) will make the man-in-the-middle problem of proxy use a non-issue. I think the bigger issue would be getting volunteers to run publicly accessible proxies for others to use. IMO the best solution would be to have the network keep track of node “reputations”. Nodes would only service you if you serve other nodes first, so you get what you give.
Nope my buddy. Every country has their own censorship. And the content which Hulu leases (in simple term) is not worldwide but for a specific region. You pay x amount of money doesn’t mean that you will be able to browse their entire catalog.
They will have to block VPNs because that is one of the way you can change your region. They do not have any option.