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Since the beginning of 2020 Netflix has been waging a war against its own users to prevent them from using proxy, VPN and unblocker technology to access Netflix content even though this action is legal in many countries. In Australia Netflix has reported "connection errors" to paying customers, advising them to "check their network" including to "restart their router" in order to "fix" a problem accessing Netflix. The issue is that there was no such problem. It was Netflix deliberately blocking paying customers from accessing the service they paid for. As of June 2020 Netflix shows a proper error message and redirects users to a page stating that using a proxy or VPN is disallowed. While Netflix can set the terms of service it can't deceive customers or act fraudulently. Netflix did not post information to its customers that it was blocking VPN, for example, it just cut the connection. This deceptive behaviour could see Netflix run afoul of the ACCC Non-delivery of products & services which states that It is illegal for a business to accept payment for products or services they do not intend to supply.
What would you do if you were paying for a service and the vendor refused to provide the service and did not tell you why?
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2020, @01:25AM (3 children)
Eh? You're entitled to legally distributed content. I thought the reasons Netflix blocks certain content is because they're not legally allowed to distribute in some countries as other medias already licensed to do so - specifically 3rd party content. How can Netflix be responsible for the crude arrangement, they're just doing it as the industry current rolls.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday June 09 2020, @03:46AM
Yes, won't somebody think of the bureaucrats?
My real concern is that VPNs are so easy to detect and block. Guess we need something new.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 5, Informative) by driverless on Tuesday June 09 2020, @06:05AM (1 child)
For those outside the US and Europe, here's a quick summary of streaming in Australia, specifically of Britcoms:
Netflix: We don't have it.
Lightbox: We don't have it.
Amazon: We have it but you can't watch it there.
BBC: We have it but you can't watch it there.
Apple TV: We don't have it.
(Some of the "we don't have it's" may actually be "We have it but you can't have it in Australia). So your option, after exhausting half a dozen paid $treaming $ervice$, is pirate it or don't watch it. There are no other alternatives apart from gambling with yet more paid subscriptions in case one of them carries it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2020, @05:14PM
netflix is disgusting and anyone who funds them is a fucking idiotic whore. "Pirating" (aka sharing) is by far the more moral option.