The best VPN services (or virtual private networks) come with effective encryption that hides your IP address and keeps your Internet activity private

The online anonymity that VPNs provide often allows you to unlock geo-blocked content for streaming, no matter where you are in the world In addition, VPNs can enhance the streaming experience by reducing the potential for bandwidth throttling, or buffering issues

With all this in mind, it is little wonder that streaming VPN services are a popular choice when accessing TV shows and movies while abroad or viewing foreign content that is blocked in-country

However, is it strictly legal to use a VPN in this way? Furthermore, if the streaming service detects that you are using a VPN to access restricted content, it can cancel your account This article provides more details surrounding these important questions

Due to several factors, including the high cost of licensing agreements in certain regions, streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and HBO Max do not have the freedom to distribute all content equally worldwide As a result, it is standard practice for streaming services to block access to certain content based on the user's location, and restrictions vary from country to country

VPNs can circumvent these regional restrictions by making it appear as if the content is being streamed from an approved location, when in fact it is not VPNs allow users' Internet traffic to be directed to a remote server in a region where the desired content is not blocked, and to a remote server in a region where the content is not blocked It accomplishes this by redirecting the user's Internet traffic to a remote server in a region where the desired content is not blocked

Such use of VPNs is a contentious issue for streaming services because it undermines regional licensing agreements It may also violate the terms of the agreement that only content accessible in one's region can be viewed

No Streaming geo-blocked content using a Netflix VPN is not illegal in most countries, even though it violates the terms set by the streaming service The only exceptions are in some countries, such as North Korea, Iraq, Oman, and Belarus, where the use of VPNs is banned outright [China, Russia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, etc To be considered legal, VPNs must first obtain strict government approval As a result, many VPN providers are completely banned in these countries, and approved providers are likely to function in part as government tools to enforce censorship and surveillance

Under no circumstances can the use of VPNs to conceal obviously illegal activities (such as illegal downloading or sharing of copyrighted content) in any region be immune from the law or its enforcement, but individuals can avoid strict government censorship of VPNs by often disobey blanket bans

Streaming services such as Netflix utilize technology that can detect the location of VPNs and their associated servers If you use a VPN to view regionally restricted content, the streaming service may detect this behavior and block access

In this case, you will likely receive an on-screen error message telling you that a VPN has been detected and, as a result, you will not be able to stream the restricted content However, it is highly unlikely that any further action will be taken, such as account suspension or closure

Streaming services find VPNs annoying, but it makes much more commercial sense to block access to selected content than to cancel a user's account entirely

Streaming regionally restricted content using a VPN is against the terms of the streaming service, but is not illegal

However, it is important to remember that while most countries do not impose strict restrictions on VPNs, some countries prohibit their use altogether Therefore, using a VPN for streaming (or for any other purpose) in these countries could get you into legal trouble

If the streaming service detects that you are using a VPN, it will display an on-screen message instructing you to disable it and prevent you from viewing restricted content To reduce this possibility, it is worth exploring good VPNs for streaming such as ExpressVPN and Surfshark