45,000 People Ask Netflix to Stop VPN Crackdown

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A letter signed by nearly 45,000 people calls upon Netflix CEO Reed Hastings to reverse the company's broad VPN ban. To enforce geographical restrictions Netflix started blocking VPN users more aggressively this year, but according to OpenMedia there are better alternatives that respect the privacy of users.

Earlier this year Netflix announced that it would increase its efforts to block customers who circumvent geo-blockades.

As a result it has become harder to use VPN services and proxies to access Netflix content from other countries, something various movie studios have repeatedly called for.

With the application of commercial blacklist data, Netflix blocks IP-addresses that are linked to such services, something which also affects well-intentioned customers who merely use a VPN to protect their privacy.

This broad blocking policy has sparked wide protests and 44,446 Internet users have signed a petition launched by digital rights group OpenMedia, which asks Netflix to stop the VPN crackdown.

Today, OpenMedia sent a letter to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, delivering this message. The letter starts off by saying that the petition signers all love Netflix, but that they don’t like how the company handles their privacy.

“Watching quality content, and knowing that creators are being compensated in the process is great. But we also love our privacy. And lately, as your subscribers, you just haven’t been treating us well,” the letter reads.

“[Blocking VPN connections] is a huge problem for our privacy ­conscious supporters, who use VPNs as an essential, user­ friendly tool to protect their privacy in a post ­Snowden world.”

The letter acknowledges that Netflix has to cooperate with rightsholders, but according to OpenMedia there are better ways to make sure that geographic restrictions are enforced.

“We are not unreasonable. We do understand that you have contractual obligations to the rights­holders whose content you distribute. But we believe that there are better ways for you to respect creators, and enforce your geographic restrictions and contractual obligations than by outright blocking your privacy conscious customers from using your service.”

The group invites Netflix’s CEO for a meeting to discuss these alternatives. Talking to TorrentFreak, OpenMedia spokesperson David Christopher previously said that Netflix could link content libraries to credit card addresses, for example.

“We hope that you will consider the needs and privacy of the millions of Internet users around the world who value your service, by demonstrating that you are open to new and innovative solutions – the very root of what Netflix was founded on,” the letter adds.

Thus far Netflix hasn’t shown any willingness to address the concerns. During an investor call last month Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said that the recent crackdown on VPN users hasn’t hurt the company’s results, and that the complaints came from a “small but vocal minority.”

 

OpenMedia’s letter

OpenMedia is a community-based organization that safeguards the possibilities of the open Internet.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016 Dear Mr. Hastings, I am writing on behalf of OpenMedia, a community-based organization that works to keep the Internet open, affordable, and surveillance-free. We work toward informed and participatory digital policy by engaging hundreds of thousands of people in protecting our online rights.

We love Netflix.

 We’re customers because we love your services and we love supporting creators. Watching quality content, and knowing that creators are being compensated in the process is great.

But we also love our privacy.

 And lately, as your subscribers, you just haven’t been treating us well. Over the past few months, Netflix has begun blocking VPN users from accessing any content in the Netflix library, as a way to enforce national licensing restrictions. This is a huge problem for our privacy-conscious supporters, who use VPNs as an essential, user-friendly tool to protect their privacy in a post-Snowden world. On a recent earnings call, you said that VPN users were “a very small but quite vocal minority,” that are “really inconsequential to us.” Well, we’re not small, and we’re not insignificant – but you did get one thing right: we

are

 vocal. And we think it’s important that our voices be heard. So far nearly 45,000 people have joined our campaign asking you to not block pro-privacy VPN technology. VPNs are one of the best and most accessible tools that Internet users have to protect our privacy. Whether it's from malicious criminal activities, government surveillance and censorship, or simply connecting to a weakly-secured hotel wi-fi system, our personal and private digital information is constantly being put at risk and made vulnerable online. In countries without net neutrality protections, video streaming is being throttled by Internet service providers. Under repressive governments, immense quantities of content are being blocked by governments trying to control what their citizens can and cannot access. And in ALL countries around the world, the very structure of the Internet exposes each of us to incredible threats to our private and personal data, which we must take care to protect. We need easy, accessible, and effective tools to protect our privacy online while still enjoying the Internet we love – and VPNs do just that.

We shouldn’t have to choose between Netflix and privacy.

OpenMedia Engagement Network // P.O. Box 21674, 1424 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5L 5G3 // 604 – 633 -2744

 

OpenMedia is a community-based organization that safeguards the possibilities of the open Internet.

There is a wide range of reasons that Internet users rely on VPNs to secure their Internet traffic.  According to Global News, the primary reason that 2 of 3 VPN users utilize a VPN service is not for accessing Netflix content. But thanks to your recent changes, VPN users can no longer access domestic Netflix content without exposing themselves online. Yes, we think that content should be globally licensed, and that geoblocking content is a tactic that undermines the very ethos of the internet – a globally connected world, where everyone has access to the same information and resources, regardless of the country you live in.

 And your own business model supports this!

On your own site, you mention that you want to make your content globally available. Much of your own original content is available in all of the countries Netflix is operating within. But the second that we as users decide to add our privacy into the mix, it all falls apart and our access is completely denied. We are not unreasonable. We do understand that you have contractual obligations to the rights-holders whose content you distribute. But we believe that there are better ways for you to respect creators, and enforce your geographic restrictions and contractual obligations than by outright blocking your privacy-conscious customers from using your service. We would like to invite you to meet with OpenMedia to discuss this issue in person. We have a few ideas, and we’re sure that you do too. They might not be as easy, but they will definitely help position Netflix as a privacy-conscious leader in this field, and show your support for a large and critical portion of your users. We hope that you will consider the needs and privacy of the millions of Internet users around the world who value your service, by demonstrating that you are open to new and innovative solutions – the very root of what Netflix was founded on. Sincerely, Laura Tribe Digital Rights Specialist, OpenMedia

OpenMedia Engagement Network // P.O. Box 21674, 1424 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5L 5G3 // 604 – 633 -2744

  https://torrentfreak.com/45000-people-ask-netflix-to-stop-vpn-crackdown-160511/