Is bypassing geoblocks (on Netflix etc) immoral?

Nuggets on 02/12/2015 - 21:27
Last edited 02/12/2015 - 21:54

So it's well established that you can't be prosecuted (in Australia, at least) for bypassing geoblocking using VPNs or otherwise.

However my sister recently got Netflix and asked why I seem to have a much wider range of movies and shows available and I explained how smart DNS services work.

She is taking some convincing about the morality of bypassing geoblocking so I thought I would appeal to the statistician in her by running a poll and seeing what OzBargain thinks.

What say you? Is accessing American Netflix while you're actually physically in Australia immoral?

Poll Options

  • 6
    Yes it's definitely immoral
  • 1
    Grey area, hard to say
  • 72
    No, nothing immoral about it
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Comments

  • oscargamer on 02/12/2015 - 21:40
    +2

    persecuted or prosecuted?

    • Nuggets on 02/12/2015 - 21:55

      fixed haha.

      What do you think?

      • oscargamer on 02/12/2015 - 22:01

        i reckon if you subscribe to something like netflix, you are not defrauding netflix if you access netflix via a vpn (which is itself legal)

        can't see how they suffer a loss

        but what do i know?

        • SlartiBartFozz on 04/12/2015 - 13:17

          Actually a part of the money that finances TV series on commercial networks is from advertising. The majority of advertising displayed on streaming media sites like Netflix is irrelevant to foreign viewers, and so advertisers want to ensure the money they pay is being watched by potential customers, hence the agreements between media services and their sponsors to prevent outsiders. Of course, some people will block the advertising anyway and still watch the content, leaving the advertisers with an ever-diminishing market.; Ironically, many of these same companies are selling products via the internet, and actively prevent overseas customers from buying from them, or set prices higher for overseas buyers, all of which encourages users to bypass geoblocking measures.

  • eatwell365 on 02/12/2015 - 22:16
    +1

    Cannot see anything immoral to exercise your civil liberty over the dictatorship of the entrepreneurs whose interest is to suck the most money out from you if possible, hence have created the Tower of Babel.

    • try2bhelpful on 03/12/2015 - 07:41

      Absolutely, and eloquently said.

  • FeRGan on 02/12/2015 - 22:43

    Don't worry, the yanks still get their money.

  • SimbaGirl on 02/12/2015 - 22:54
    +11

    I don't think it's immoral at all - in fact, I think if anything's immoral, it's that geoblocking is allowed in the first place!!

    • supnigs super skids on 02/12/2015 - 23:21

      yep. i concur. We should be able to watch all the stuff americans get to watch. Equal opportunity for all humanity

    • mrham on 02/12/2015 - 23:51
      +2

      But if there's no geoblocking how will the talentless middle men holding the distribution licences ever feed their children?

      • eatwell365 on 03/12/2015 - 04:23
        +3

        their missus will be crying that they have to drive Lexus instead of Lamborghini..so immoral.

  • altomic on 02/12/2015 - 23:52
    +1

    It would be amoral if you considered the issue to be a moral one in the first place and you deliberately went the opposite way.

    • try2bhelpful on 03/12/2015 - 07:45
      +1

      Definition - Oxford Dictionary:
      Amoral is distinct in meaning from immoral: while immoral means ‘not conforming to accepted standards of morality’, amoral implies ‘not concerned with morality’. The difference is illustrated in the following two examples: the client pays for the amoral expertise of the lawyer; the council judged the film to be immoral and obscene.

  • gringo on 03/12/2015 - 08:02
    -1

    Well you are viewing films you have no valid license to - probably technically illegal (no different from watching a copyrighted film off youtube).

  • [Deactivated] on 03/12/2015 - 08:53
    +2

    Geoblocking is immoral

  • inherentchoice on 03/12/2015 - 09:35

    If it's immoral to breach the T&C's then I suspect it is a breach of T&C's.

  • User167511 on 03/12/2015 - 12:26

    Caveat Vendit "let the seller beware"

  • User167511 on 03/12/2015 - 12:27

    Caveat Venditort "let the seller beware"

  • Axelstrife on 03/12/2015 - 12:51

    what's immoral is the Australian tax that's put on everything.
    if they want to say things like someone mentioned above "Well you are viewing films you have no valid license to - probably technically illegal (no different from watching a copyrighted film off youtube)."

    I could always go back to pirating everything and them not get a single cent.

  • lysp on 03/12/2015 - 13:12
    +2

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-29/geo-blocking-mps-commi…

    There was a parliamentary report actually recommending bypassing geo-blocking.

    A quote:

    He said the report had made 10 recommendations to lower prices, included educating Australian businesses on how to bypass geo-blocks.

    "What we want to do is make sure that consumers are aware of the extent to which geo-blocking applies to them and the extent to which they can lawfully evade them," Mr Champion said.

    "That seems to be an area where I think, what is the consumer's right to shop around, in effect."

  • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2015 - 10:01
    +2

    Bypassing geoblocking is not only moral and legal, but also cool. What's immoral is Capitalism

  • jatcave on 04/12/2015 - 10:13

    This is a great discussion.

    As has been mentioned before, it is the actual geoblocking itself that is immoral. This is a system they use to generate more cash into their pockets. They're not required to set it in place, it's purely greed. One of my biggest gripes for many years is with Steam. We get royally shafted in Australia with digital content on all platforms.

  • Kezzam on 04/12/2015 - 10:18

    Is it not Geographical discrimination if you tell me because I live in Australia I can't have the same shows/service as an American, Canadian, or Brit??
    I'm all for the use of VPN's and don't believe you are doing anything wrong. I pay for the Netflix service therefore I am entitled to the "whole" Netflix platform.

    • SlartiBartFozz on 04/12/2015 - 13:07

      Geoblocking is a form of racism, ergo bypassing it is anti-discrimination.

  • jvalkyrie87 on 22/12/2015 - 21:17

    Absolutely not immoral, and for one really great reason. Content isn't controlled as to whether you pay or not (Netflix costs ~$10 whether you are a US or AU customer), but rather individual country licencing agreements. Plus Netflix shows content to AU customers that they think they might like more, and to US customers content they might like more, and UK, and France, etc. Even if you are bypassing Geoblocks, Netflix still gets your $10 per month which is the same amount as if you were legitimately connecting from that country. So nobody is getting ripped off and no content stolen. Netflix simply geoblocks because it has to obey who is allowed to sell what content in Australia. Even the studios don't care, but the distributors (and certainly not the consumers) do.

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