> Sites like Netflix that region lock media will force you to show your ID just to sign up
I bet that'll come with an uptick of piracy then.
Won't stop massive copyright holders like Disney from forcing their licensees to region lock. Their actions have shown that they don't give a damn if their policies encourage piracy
Netflix region locks content that they have to license, not their original content. Sometimes content is restricted because of previous exclusive licenses given to traditional channels (e.g. cable).
I imagine that as everything moves to “streaming first”, and old licenses expire, we ‘ll leave región locking behind. Video games are not región locked, even though prices are adjusted for different markets.
Movies and series should move more and more towards a global market. When I was a kid movies took months to arrive to theaters in my country (for various reasons, like reusing celluloid or making better predictions of performance)... now big blockbusters premier simultaneously everywhere because a good portion of marketing is global.
This is gonna happen sooner or later, but I really don't like it. Once most users have a cryptographically signed national ID on their PC, a lot more websites will require you to provide it. Sites like Netflix that region lock media will force you to show your ID just to sign up
Won't be long before companies get away with the invasive crap they tried and failed to do in the past: "Users Revolt Over Blizzard's Requirement Of 'Real Names' In Forum Comments": https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100708/03054610123.shtml