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back to article Kiwi ISP offers geo-block workaround

A newly-launched New Zealand ISP, FYX, promises to try and avoid geo-blocking regimes that restrict access to certain content to residents of a select group of nations. Geoblocking is particularly annoying in nations beyond Europe and North America, as smaller market sizes and lower profit potential mean content producers make …

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  1. P. Lee
    Go

    Geoblocking is particularly annoying in nations beyond Europe and North America, as lower mobility and grey import laws mean content producers rip off consumers.

    There, fixed it for you.

    You'll still probably need a foreign credit-card to make this work properly for most people. Now that could be an interesting money-spinner for the ISP...

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  2. Andraž 'ruskie' Levstik

    Geoblocking is particularly annoying in nations beyond Europe...

    ... /me checks... yes in Europe, yes in EU, being ripped off for everything yes, being geoblocked in everything yes...

    So no not beyond Europe... even in Europe.

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  3. \\\

    Ignoring VPNs & proxies .......

    With the case of the landlady showing football using a foreign decoder, and the ECJ upholding the freedom to provide services, I've always wondered why I can't subscribe to a Spanish ISP, for example. Would be great if the UK snoop law goes ahead.

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    1. Dave Bell
      Reply Icon

      Re: Ignoring VPNs & proxies .......

      You'd still need to use a British source for a physical connection, so it isn't so easy to get round the UK laws. In the decade since 9/11 I think the security business has developed a paranoid fear of failure, while some governments have devoted huge effort to a de facto provocation of terrorism, through their choices of action.

      None of them seem able to figure out that they might be playing the wrong game. Or is it that they want an excuse to snoop, and are willing to spend wealth and lives to provide that excuse?

      It almost makes me wish I believed in Eternal Damnation, but for that to have an effect, a politician has to be able to look beyond the next election.

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    2. PyLETS
      Reply Icon
      Big Brother

      Re: Ignoring VPNs & proxies .......

      Easy enough today to hire use of a virtual server which you can configure as your own VPN endpoint in your preferred location. Your ISP, in terms of your visibility to those you contact, becomes the ISP which hosts your server. You will still need a contract with an ISP which delivers bits to and from your home address, but all they need see is an encrypted tunnel.

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  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Because..

    ..everyone knows that Azerbaijanian sheep pron is the best.

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  5. Robin Bradshaw

    Sigh!

    And the worlds media companys wonder why people steal content.

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    1. Dave 126 Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Sigh!

      The pressure from people who pirate has led to popular shows being broadcast at much the same time as they are in the States- 'Mad Men' for example. Without this pressure, we'd still be six months behind (though getting the show through the TV door sooner rather than later allows more time for DVD sales, too)

      With films released in the cinema, there is another factor as to why we don't have to wait months: traditionally, reels of cellulose film were expensive to duplicate, so movies would play out in the US before the physical film was shipped to overseas theatres. The same technologies that allowed piracy are the same that have allowed movies to be released simultaneousness worldwide (ie fibre optics and a digital medium)

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  6. M Gale

    Notes to block VPNs

    What notes would they be? "Oh, there's the exit points, we'll block them"?

    And within a week, new exit points spring up. Well done.

    Maybe some people will see sense and just let Global Mode be. Of course, those interested in carving markets up into artificial geographic divisions will carry on trying to prevent it. All that stress and high blood pressure, and for some cheeky sod to work their way around your latest filter like it's not even there? I'd be pissed off too, but I don't imagine many people would be sympathetic.

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  7. Dave 126 Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    The Daily Show with John Stewart

    ...used to be a favourite of mine. Its producer, Comedy Central, used to make it available to people here in the UK on their website. Some time ago, it posted an apology, stating that it doesn't make the show available online in territories where it had licensed the rights to broadcast to a 3rd party. Which is perfectly reasonable - I could watch it on Channel 4's 4OD service, and take in their advertising. That is until Channel 4 ditched the show from their schedule in favour of something with Charlie Brooker in it.

    Comedy Central haven't reinstated the service on their website (including the archive of old shows which Channel 4 never provided access to) at the request of Channel 4. Channel 4 are playing stupid and claimed, in an email to me, that they have no influence on Comedy Central's policy. It's a dog-in-the-manger situation. What happened to you, Channel 4? you used to be cool! [a long time ago, before Big Brother]

    Its been a while since I've looked about for a work around.... I got halfway down a list of possible proxies, but gave up...

    </rant>

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