back to article Consumer VPN service could be popular as regional paywalls go up

Consumer VPN firm AnchorFree is touting mobile data cost saving through compression as well as Wi-Fi security as means to gain more users for its software: buts it's likely that many of its users will be more interested in getting around regional media paywalls - or even national government firewalls. David Gorodyansky, chief …

COMMENTS

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  1. K
    Mushroom

    Lets do the time warp AGAIN....

    How the f*ck is this news? this article stinks of "sponsored news" (aka paid advertisement).. must be the 5th or 6th occurance in the past week.

    Keep this up... then watch all your long-term loyal readers gradually dwindle away.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Advertisment

    Don't you have to put an Advertisement header on this?

  3. Mystic Megabyte
    FAIL

    Nope!

    As the price is quoted in dollars I presume that AnchorFree is based in the USA. I won't risk extradition because of inadvertently breaching some copyright law. So no thanks, I'm not interested.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Smells like shilling

    and if it ain't then John Leyden has been around quite long enough to know that this isn't exactly news or innovation - lots of readers have been VPN-ing around IP blocks for years.

    And sadly it seems unlikely to last, or at least the VPN firms will have to up their game. Some GeoIP outfits now identify their static blocks as VPN exits and some firms already use this to reject tunneled connections (eg the purchasing side of Valve's Steam). I guess they'll need to start exiting through normal ISPs with dynamic IPs (business grade subscriptions to avoid being shuttered for violating terms of service)

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    +++ Advertisment +++

    Scothosts:

    I've been using them for years to watch UK and US content from outside of those countries.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Moan, moan, moan

    For all the moaning on here, this (or something else, like Tunnel Bear) is a very cheap way to improve Netflix a zillionfold. I've never been able to get the required bandwidth or data volume from a free VPN connection, but for a measly £2.00 a month I can happily stream Thor, 24, x-files, DS9 and other geeky goodness in London. Can't do that from Netflix's miserable UK selection.

    Yes I could torrent, but this way I feel as though I am actually doing the right thing and paying for content, without being subject to the stupid, anachronistic regional restrictions.

    1. K
      WTF?

      Re: Moan, moan, moan

      People are not moaning about the VPN - they're moaning because this ad is disguised as NEWS!

      If El Reg stated it was an ad, or even pushed as a "Hey guys, heres a service you might try for X, Y and Z reasons". Then they would be getting a pat on the back, not nagging readers... but the problem is they don't

  7. tkioz
    FAIL

    Geolocks suck. I hate the damn things. I'm perfect willing to see your ads, I'm perfectly willing to subscribe your service... but because of some stupid line drawn on a map centuries ago you wont let me? Then you complain about piracy... Get stuffed!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      +1

      I set up a steam account in the UK, but I can no longer use the credit card I used to use because its a UK card and I'm not on a UK ip address any more. I can see why they do it, but they could at least run you through something like the "new computer validation" system they have set up.

      I guess then bethesda wouldn't get their extra Australian markup.

      But I don't pirate stuff - I just don't buy.

  8. Crisp

    Consumer VPNs Exist?

    [Insert sarcastic post here]

    1. charlie-charlie-tango-alpha
      Big Brother

      Re: Consumer VPNs Exist?

      Yes. If you a re a reasonably savvy consumer (and of course, as a Reg reader you are, right?) For the price of a cheap NAS running debian hanging off your home ADSL router you can set up openVPN and tunnel out through that from wherever you may be. Or you could spend a few more quid and set up the tunnel end point on a rented VPS somewhere. Just check the terms of serrvce first.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Logging...

    "We don't want the technology to be used to download torrents and we discourage that"

    This is code for: "we DO log what you do". And since they are based in the US you can be damn sure that they do because if you did torrent a movie they want to be able to track you down and cut you off (when they get the DMCA notices from hollywood).

    If you want a proper non-loggging service then use something like the danish-based citizenvpn.com which has a special setup to avoid logging regulations.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Well, it looks ok

    Though I agree with those who say the article walks like an ad, talks like and ad and has the distinctive odour of an ad :).

    Only issue I'm having is working out if a VPN connection with them would give me a British IP address so I can access iPlayer and my UK Netflix account while travelling on business (could use corporate VPN but that might be seen as misuse).

    1. thecult

      Re: Well, it looks ok

      Unotelly allows you to pick the location you want for . Been using it for a while now. Seems to do the job

  11. JB
    Unhappy

    Awful!

    Used ExpatShield for about 5 minutes before having to restore Windows to a previous restore point - the software just took over my machine. Went with a paid-for VPN and have had absolutely no problems watching iPlayer and ITV player here in the US. You really do get what you pay for!

  12. Barry Mahon
    Thumb Down

    advertorial....

    ....yep, careful reg.... if you even made a small effort to test it, ok.

    worry is that the publicity will wake a few sleeping content owners.

  13. top vpn services
    Happy

    Sounds good...!!

    Well its seems like to save the data at some extend. But the payable firewalls are not good.

  14. kevinkanode
    Thumb Down

    promotional

    nothing is wrong with being promotional as long as it is useful and relavent. And that is not the case in this article.

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