Geoblocking: how access to information is restricted and who needs it

This week the European Commission discusses the issuewhether it is worth opening access to audio and video content to users who have previously faced geo-blocking of digital providers such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. As a reminder, since 2018, the use of geo-blocking for commercial purposes to increase profits has been prohibited. However, geo-filtering access to content is allowed to protect intellectual property. What is geo-blocking and why in the age of digital opportunities the consumer is limited in his choice, let’s talk in the material. We will also show you how to bypass geo-blocking.

What is geo-blocking?

Geoblocking is a system for restricting access to content in a specific location. The user, entering the site, sees the inscription “Viewing is prohibited”, or redirects from a foreign online resource to a local website.

Typically, geo-blocking is used in the following cases:

the government is waging an information war with another state and does not want data of national value to go outside the country;
Media providers broadcast content created by various cultural figures and see no other way to protect copyrights and take care of paying royalties other than through geo-blocking;
Marketplaces are introducing geofilter as a marketing ploy, believing that residents of high-income countries can pay more for a product than others.

How does geo-blocking work?

To understand what geo-blocking looks like in practice, consider the following example. Until 2009, the iTunes Store used a blocking technology called FairPlay, which encrypted audio and video recordings. Access was provided only to those users who entered the system from an authorized device. These restrictions played into the hands of Apple: users who wanted to purchase something from the iTunes Store using their mobile phones had to use a limited selection of devices, mainly made by Apple.

Take a look at another example. An EU resident pays for a Netflix subscription and goes on a business trip to Africa. The user is sure that he will be able to watch interesting films anywhere in the world, but when he tries to turn on the recording, he sees the inscription: “Your access to content in this region is limited.” The system determines the location of the user, not the status of his Netflix subscription, and imposes a ban on viewing based on geolocation.

Finally, there is a situation that everyone can face when preparing for the New Year and buying gifts in foreign online stores. A Belgian consumer discovers a better priced gadget in a French online store and plans to place an order. Before the last stage – making a payment – the system cancels the transaction and redirects the user to a Belgian site with less attractive prices. It turns out that, living in the age of digital technologies and the universal availability of information, we are faced with restrictions at every step, and even having the ability to pay, we are forced to limit ourselves to what the region in which we live offers us.

The above situations illustrate the principles that govern the geo-blocking mechanism. This technology is based on the idea of protecting intellectual property and copyright, and was originally designed to combat piracy. The system calculates the user’s IP address, then the location – and blocks access to some content, even if the person has subscribed to updates for this media channel within the home country.

How does the government use geo-blocking?

China is one of the clearest examples of the use of geo-blocking for national interests.

When computers and the Internet appeared in the Middle Kingdom, the government appreciated the technical capabilities quite high and repeatedly spoke out in favor of the computerization of the nation. The authorities believed that advanced technologies could make the country economically stable. However, those in power had their own ideas about technology. Since the early 1990s, China has invested in network infrastructure, and by 2015, the Internet had become available to 668 million users within the country. The number of local websites by that time had reached 3.35 million, while 250 million bloggers were actively using new technologies.

However, from 1998 to 2003, the Chinese government tested (and then widely adopted) a technology known as “Golden shield“by restricting access to information available to other residents of the globe. On the one hand, the government blocked the world’s recognized social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogspot. The actions were explained by the fact that the government did not want important information in the course of global communication, regarding China has gone beyond the country. On the other hand, the authorities offered the Chinese an entire entertainment industry, which was implemented after the launch of video services such as Youku, Tudou, Xunlei, LeTV, Bilibili. A dynamic video culture literally swept the digital market in China, and the attempt only 20% of locals show unblocking using a VPN like Vimeo or Google+.

Another example is Turkey. Locals faced geo-blocking in 2007, when thousands of websites were banned, including Twitter. As for YouTube, the service was blocked several times until 2010, but during this time information appeared on the network how to bypass geo-blocking by changing the DNS settings. However, in 2014, YouTube was blocked again, and with it most DNS providers. Then the residents of Turkey resorted to using a VPN to gain access to prohibited sites.

In general, in order to be able to broadcast content, Turkish portals must agree to censorship and obtain permission from the state broadcasting monitoring and regulation agency RTÜK. The local government explains its actions by the fact that foreign services incorrectly cover political international conflicts in which Turkish residents take part. And locals, in turn, use circumvention tools if they want to watch foreign news.

What to do if digital content is blocked?

Developed countries are tackling the issue of geo-blocking by launching their own content providers.

For example, interesting in this regard Australia experience, which over the past decade has faced both geo-blocking media and foreign shopping sites trying to cash in on local economic prosperity.

To begin with, most of the television shows and movies that interest Australians are from the United States. American providers, at the same time, sell subscriptions to leading channels, but leave the most interesting content for their fellow citizens. It turns out that by paying for a subscription to American Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now and BBC iPlayer, the Australian will be able to watch a rather limited number of shows. And this is not fair.

Therefore, unlike other countries in the Asia Pacific region, in Australia the problem of geo-blocking is associated with a limited selection of entertainment programs, rather than a lack of privacy and censorship.

However, Australians complain about not being able to watch their favorite TV series and purchase online circumvention tools. Let’s say the series “Game of Thrones” and “House of Cards” gained incredible popularity in Australia precisely because of streaming without authorization and torrent sites. When these shows hit screens, they were only available as part of the paid content provider Foxtel. At the same time, “Game of Thrones” became available to viewers a week after its US premiere. House of Cards was pinned to a paid provider because Netflix was geo-blocking Australia until 2015. It turns out that very few Australians watched these series by logging in, the majority preferred streaming services.

Another country that boasts popular streaming services is Sweden. Moreover, local channels are much more rated than the famous international digital providers that implement geo-blocking.

So, at the end of 2012, Netflix launched its own streaming service in Sweden. Around the same time, a subscription service, HBO Nordic, was launched in the country. Swedish media has become a powerful platform for the two largest streaming channels. However, to this day, neither Netflix nor HBO Nordic can compete with local channelsallowing Swedes to view interesting content without authorization.

Is geoblocking legal?

In 2015, the EU Commission concluded that geo-blocking promotes discrimination and hinders the implementation of a single online shopping space. Therefore, a veto was imposed on any manifestations of geo-blocking associated with obtaining additional profit, as is the case with trading floors wishing to earn more on residents of developed countries. At the same time, if a media provider can prove that geo-blocking is caused by a desire to protect content creators, such a filter has a right to exist. However, recently the EU has questioned the need for geo-blocking in general. We will find out in the near future what conclusion the European Commission will come to. But one thing is certain: there are still companies that illegally use geo-blocking, which means that you need to know how to bypass this mechanism.

Streaming without geo-blocking

There are several ways to get around geo-blocking. The most popular is associated with the need to change the virtual geolocation and “deceive” the system by including in the settings the region in which streaming is possible.

This is a virtual private network. VPN opens access to the information that, for some unknown reason, remains the property of the inhabitants of the country – the content producer.

For example, you can turn on a VPN on your router and view the American version of Disney + while living in Russia. Why is this needed? It’s no secret that the British and American versions of popular digital providers contain far more engaging content than the option available to residents of other countries.

In addition, a VPN provides access to social networks that the state has banned. There is an opportunity for intercultural communication and exchange of professional experience with representatives of other countries.

Finally, a VPN allows you to make purchases in any country in the world, looking at exactly the prices that the seller actually offers, excluding marketing markups.

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