Since not all Netflix shows are available worldwide, many of its subscribers turn to Virtual Private Networks, which hide their location and deceive the streaming service, offering them a content catalog for another region.
However, if you tried to do this earlier, you might find that Netflix was able to detect and block your VPN connection. But how can this do it? In short, the streaming service uses various tools to identify VPN connections, including a database of known VPN IP addresses.
WHY NETFLIX IS BLOCKING A VPN?
You may be wondering why Netflix has made so much effort to block paid subscribers from accessing regionally blocked content.
The short answer is that copyright holders do not receive income when content is distributed illegally from an unlicensed region. Over the past few years, Netflix itself has become a content creator, releasing thousands of original Netflix episodes and movies. This gave the company a serious financial incentive to combat the use of VPN.
SET OF DIFFICULT VPN LOCKING TOOLS
VPNs are commonly used to trick Netflix’s location servers by routing your Internet connection through the IP address associated with a specific location. However, most VPNs only have so many IP addresses to offer users, so when you connect, you can be assigned an address that hundreds or thousands of other clients have already used.
That’s why the most effective method that Netflix uses to block VPN connections is to simply check if the IP address you are using is associated with the VPN. There are many companies that collect IP information. As soon as it becomes obvious that the user is tunneling through the VPN, his address is marked as associated with the VPN in the database.
When Netflix sees this, it blocks this address, and sometimes other IP addresses belonging to the same host. That is why if you intend to use a VPN to access Netflix, many people turn to the likes of ExpressVPN or NordVPN. These companies support huge server networks and tens of thousands of IP addresses that are regularly updated, which means that you are more likely to find an IP address that Netflix has not yet recognized as associated with the VPN.
MISCELLANEOUS LOCATIONS OF THE DNS SERVER SHOW USE VPN
Another way Netflix detects and blocks the use of VPNs is to check for conflicts between IP addresses and DNS (Domain Name Server) settings. On some devices, often those running iOS or Android, the Netflix application can redefine DNS settings by opening your real ISP server. If Netflix recognizes this mismatch, it will become apparent that you are using a VPN.
Changing the device’s network settings or setting up a VPN connection on a router rather than a streaming device can bypass this type of discovery system.
HOW DOES NETFLIX DETECT AND BLOCK USE OF VPN?
Netflix does not want its users to broadcast shows and films in regions where they do not have a license to distribute them. To prevent this from happening, Netflix monitors connections with inconsistencies in the location of the DNS servers, as well as with the IP addresses that are known to belong to the VPN.