Many internet users who find they have been blocked from accessing content due to their geographical location turn to geo-circumvention. This involves the evasion of geo-blocking services in order to have free rein over geographical limitations on the internet, regardless of licensing.
Geo-blocking is the restriction of certain internet content due to the user’s geographical location. Within this protection scheme, through geolocation software, the user’s location is tracked so that the enforcers can either approve or deny content access according to local licenses and laws. This geolocation software identifies the location of internet users by using the device’s IP location.
A popular method of geo-circumvention is the use of VPNs (virtual private networks), for example using a VPN to watch a TV show which your country doesn’t have legal rights to.
Many geo-circumventers question the legality of their actions: they argue that if they pay for, say, British Netflix, it is legitimate to watch Canadian Netflix through a VPN as they’re still paying Netflix a subscription fee. But Canadian and British Netflix do not have the same distribution rights to certain TV shows and films, thereby making access to certain forms of media and entertainment illegal, even if you pay a monthly subscription fee in one country.
Essentially, the employment of geo-circumvention in order to access restricted content in your geographical area is a violation of copyright laws and terms of use.
GeoGuard’s advanced software solutions combat the illicit use of geo-piracy tools as a means of geo-circumvention, in order to protect internet content and rights.
