Netflix VPN detection - actual engineer needed
Laszlo Hanyecz
laszlo at heliacal.net
Fri Jun 3 21:07:15 UTC 2016
On 2016-06-03 19:37, Matthew Huff wrote:
> I would imagine it was done on purpose. The purpose of the Netflix VPN detection was to block users from outside of different regions due to content providers requests. Since HE provides free ipv6 tunnels, it's an easy way to get around the blockage, hence the restriction.
>
>
I know this isn't news to anyone on the list but I want to point out
that the root of this problem is in trying to attach an Earth location
to a network packet. The only good solution we have for this is to ASK
the user where they are located. Netflix has a broken system that is
causing a lot of collateral damage because the whole thing is based on
the premise that they can determine where the users are by guessing. If
you just got your netblock it's probably going to be banned because it's
not in their GeoIP database. Maybe if you jump through all the right
hoops, in a few months time they will update the database.
Working around it just sends the message that this is an acceptable
practice and you will own the problems they caused. This a widespread
problem and not specific to Netflix.
There's also another angle to this in that old IP addresses (that work
with Netflix/youtube/whatever) become more valuable and newly registered
netblocks (like the ones everyone should be getting for IPv6) are not
useful. This might be a good way to keep new ISPs out too, unless they
can pay for a well aged IPv4 block so their subscribers can access
Netflix and friends.
-Laszlo
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