{"id":475230,"date":"2022-07-18T15:00:52","date_gmt":"2022-07-18T12:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-do-streaming-services-know-youre-using-a-vpn\/"},"modified":"2022-07-18T15:00:52","modified_gmt":"2022-07-18T12:00:52","slug":"how-do-streaming-services-know-youre-using-a-vpn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-do-streaming-services-know-youre-using-a-vpn\/","title":{"rendered":"#How Do Streaming Services Know You\u2019re Using a VPN?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a276afd3d6f1\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a276afd3d6f1\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-do-streaming-services-know-youre-using-a-vpn\/#%E2%80%9CHow_Do_Streaming_Services_Know_Youre_Using_a_VPN%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;How Do Streaming Services Know You\u2019re Using a VPN?&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-do-streaming-services-know-youre-using-a-vpn\/#How_Services_Can_Spot_VPNs\" >How Services Can Spot VPNs<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-do-streaming-services-know-youre-using-a-vpn\/#Residential_vs_VPN_IPs\" >Residential vs. VPN IPs<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-do-streaming-services-know-youre-using-a-vpn\/#Identifying_VPN_Traffic\" >Identifying VPN Traffic<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-do-streaming-services-know-youre-using-a-vpn\/#Checking_DNS_Server_Information\" >Checking DNS Server Information<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-do-streaming-services-know-youre-using-a-vpn\/#GPS_Data_Collection\" >GPS Data Collection<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-do-streaming-services-know-youre-using-a-vpn\/#Staying_Ahead_of_Netflix\" >Staying Ahead of Netflix<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CHow_Do_Streaming_Services_Know_Youre_Using_a_VPN%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;How Do Streaming Services Know You\u2019re Using a VPN?&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<!-- UNCACHED CONTENT --><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage size-full wp-image-818074\" data-pagespeed-no-defer=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/vpn-phone.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"A VPN app on a phone.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/man-hands-holding-phone-app-vpn-1208297779\">DenPhotos\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you\u2019ve ever tried watching Netflix using a VPN, you\u2019re likely familiar with some of the issues surrounding VPNs and streaming. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and many other streaming services don\u2019t want you to access their content with a VPN and will either restrict what you can watch or block you entirely. So how do they even know that you\u2019re using a VPN?<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Services_Can_Spot_VPNs\"><\/span>How Services Can Spot VPNs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The only ones in a position to answer that question definitively are the streaming services themselves, and they, unsurprisingly, didn\u2019t reply to our messages. However, among VPN providers, there are some educated guesses as to the how and why of their connections getting blocked.<\/p>\n<p>Most VPN providers agree that streaming services block specific IP addresses\u2014the set of numbers that shows your location in the real world\u2014 associated with VPNs. According to Daniel Markuson, cybersecurity expert at <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.anrdoezrs.net\/links\/3607085\/type\/am\/sid\/817615\/https:\/\/nordvpn.com\">NordVPN<\/a>, \u201cstreaming services check incoming requests and the IP addresses they\u2019re coming from, then they match these IPs to those known to belong to VPN services.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There are several ways in which this list of VPN-associated IP addresses could be created. Most VPN services we reached out to agree that there\u2019s a good possibility they\u2019re using special IP databases like <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ip2location.com\/database\/ip2proxy\">IP2Location<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ipqualityscore.com\/features\/block-proxies\">IPQualityScore<\/a>, which track which IP addresses are used by VPNs or proxies.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Residential_vs_VPN_IPs\"><\/span>Residential vs. VPN IPs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This is because not all IP addresses are created equal. Some of them are associated with the homes of regular people and are thus called \u201cresidential.\u201d Others are associated with companies or with hosting providers\u2014-or even with proxies and VPN services.<\/p>\n<p>In an email, Dimitar Dobrev, director of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/vpnarea.com\/front\/home\">VPNArea<\/a>, explains it like this: \u201cif an IP address is owned by an ISP like Verizon, it would usually count as residential and it will not be in a database. If it is owned by a hosting provider, it will most likely be used for hosting and that would be the kind of IP that finds itself in those special proxy\/VPN databases.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How these databases classify these IP addresses is a bit of a mystery, however. They themselves claim to use special algorithms, while Mr. Dobrev suspects that they likely mine public IP registrars for them. Whatever the case may be, it\u2019s proving effective against people trying to use a VPN for streaming.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Identifying_VPN_Traffic\"><\/span>Identifying VPN Traffic<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>All the VPN services we <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roached also thought it unlikely that streaming services rely solely on these databases, there\u2019s a good chance that they analyze their traffic using their own methods and so figure out if an IP address is suspect. It could be as simple as seeing that several different user accounts are simultaneously using the same IP address\u2014a highly unlikely occurrence under normal circumstances\u2014and then flagging that IP address.<\/p>\n<p>There could be more going on, though Mr. Dobrev thinks it unlikely: \u201cI\u2019m pretty certain they don\u2019t analyze the traffic in-depth as that would require them having some access to such traffic somewhat upstream and I\u2019m fairly sure it would be illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, that\u2019s not to say that streaming services are content with merely creating or buying lists and dutifully checking incoming IPs against them. Staff at another top-tier VPN\u2014who wished to remain anonymous to avoid the wrath of Netflix\u2014also pointed out two other ways in which streaming services could possibly identify VPN traffic other than tracking IPs or upstream analysis.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Checking_DNS_Server_Information\"><\/span>Checking DNS Server Information<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>When using a VPN, you\u2019re not just spoofing your IP address, you\u2019re also changing\u00a0your DNS server information, the system that connects domain names to IP addresses. However, according to our source, a streaming platform could potentially override a user\u2019s current DNS settings, which would reveal where they\u2019re actually connecting from.<\/p>\n<p>Though it\u2019s unclear exactly how a streaming platform could do this\u2014one possibility is by forcing DNS over HTTPS\u00a0in the service\u2019s app rather than on a website\u2014the result is always the same: the service knows where you really are and could block access.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"GPS_Data_Collection\"><\/span>GPS Data Collection<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Another option is that streaming services could possibly use the GPS information collected from their mobile apps or your browser\u00a0(if you\u2019ve allowed location access) and check if it matches with your IP address. For example, if your phone\u2019s GPS information shows you\u2019re connecting via a U.S.-based IP address but your GPS data shows you\u2019re in the UK, you\u2019d get blocked.<\/p>\n<p>It seems a little out there and a little dystopian, but it\u2019s definitely a possibility: for example, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.technadu.com\/how-does-hulu-know-you-use-vpn\/296794\/\"><i>TechNadu<\/i><\/a> suspects that Hulu is using GPS information to double-check your location. The legality of using this method is up in the air, too, but we have a feeling that if this is happening (and there\u2019s little hard proof), it might be an issue anywhere location tracking has been forbidden.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Staying_Ahead_of_Netflix\"><\/span>Staying Ahead of Netflix<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>However they do it, the fact is that many streaming services invest a lot of effort into blocking users who use a VPN. For their part, VPNs are doing what they can to get past these measures, creating a tug of war where one side is always trying to get one over on the other.<\/p>\n<p>Right now, you can stream with a VPN fairly well, but there\u2019s no guarantee that will still be the case tomorrow. Though we\u2019re not sure how they do it, there\u2019s no doubt streaming platforms are bent on making sure you don\u2019t use a VPN.<\/p>\n<p>While the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> of cat and mouse continues, it\u2019s worth noting that some VPNs are better at getting around streaming service restrictions than others.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/817615\/how-do-streaming-services-know-youre-using-a-vpn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;How Do Streaming Services Know You\u2019re Using a VPN?&#8221; DenPhotos\/Shutterstock.com If you\u2019ve ever tried watching Netflix using a VPN, you\u2019re likely familiar with some of the issues surrounding VPNs and streaming. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and many other streaming services don\u2019t want you to access their content with a VPN and will either restrict what&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":475231,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/vpn-phone.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-475230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/475230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=475230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/475230\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/475231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=475230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=475230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=475230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}