IPTV is quickly becoming the most common way to watch television. The format is cheaper and more convenient than cable TV.
One problem with using IPTV is the legality of it. As with most digital media, the law isn’t completely clear about using IPTV.
Whilst streaming IPTV isn’t illegal, but if the provider doesn’t have the rights to air the content, then you could potentially get in trouble.
It’s for that reason that we recommend using a VPN with IPTV.
What Is A VPN?
To understand VPNs, it would help to first understand how your internet connection works. When you connect a device to the internet, it connects to your ISP.
The ISP connects to the internet. As such, your ISP can see your IP address. They also have access to your web traffic, including data transmitted when connected.
When you use a VPN, the VPN masks your IP address and encrypts any transmitted data. Your ISP – along with anyone else looking in, such as hackers or the government – can’t see what you do online.
VPNs have earned something of a bad reputation because people use them to commit piracy and other illegal activities, but the fact is most VPN use is legitimate.
VPNs are useful as they protect your personal information. Once you have connected to any internet network, you run the risk of your personal data being breached. If you use a VPN server, the VPN creates an encrypted tunnel for data to travel in which keeps your data safe.
Why Use A VPN With IPTV?
There are several benefits to using a VPN with your IPTV service, including:
- VPNs improve connection speeds and improve the overall viewing experience
- Despite their reputation for slowing down internet speeds, the truth is that a VPN can improve your connection speed. VPNs do this in two ways. First of all, they let you bypass potential ISP throttling.
Certain ISPs have a reputation for throttling traffic to specific websites and services. They sometimes decrease speeds for streaming content in particular.
A VPN encrypts your traffic so your ISP doesn’t know what you’re doing and can’t throttle your traffic.
Another way that VPNs improve speed is by re-routing your connection to a better server. If watching content from an international server, you can improve the viewing experience by connecting through an international server using a VPN.
IPTV streaming can be illegal. This is because the content is copywritten by someone and if you are sharing content without owning the content, you can be prosecuted for it.
Connecting to a VPN service refrains your IP from being found as the VPN blocks the ISP from your IPTV online activities meaning that you are able to watch a streaming service without the worry of being arrested.
VPNs Give You Access To More Content
You can use your VPN to bypass any geographical restrictions on content. There are plenty of times when websites like Netflix and YouTube only allow users in certain countries to access the content.
If you live in a country where you can’t watch the things you want, you can use a VPN to connect from a country where you can watch that stream for the best possible streaming experience.
Many popular IPTV choices have geo-restrictions. This is due to copyright laws and contractual agreements between the companies and the content providers. Netflix is a prime example.
Of course, American netizens can also use a VPN to access content only available in Europe. The system works both ways.
VPNs Protect Your Privacy & Help Avoid Potential Legal Problems
Remember that ISPs can see what you stream without a VPN. Using a VPN encrypts web traffic and stops ISPs from doing this.
Encrypting your web traffic gives you more privacy and security when accessing the internet and streaming content.
Using a VPN also protects your data against advertisers, who love to harvest information. An encrypted connection restricts how much they can gather about you based on your internet history.
The privacy afforded by a VPN also helps to avoid legal concerns with using an IPTV. While using an IPTV service isn’t illegal in itself, you might run into trouble for streaming certain content.
Some recent legal developments have highlighted the importance of protecting yourself when doing something that may be considered illegal.
Cox Cable in the United States was recently hit with $1 billion and held liable for failing to prevent subscribers from committing copyright infringement.
Another recent case saw Dish sue six IPTV providers for copyright infringement. We wouldn’t be surprised to see more lawsuits in the future, highlighting the need for protection.
Final Thoughts
There are several reasons to use a VPN when using IPTV services.
Perhaps the most important one is that it protects you against claims of copyright infringement by masking your internet traffic.
Using a VPN for streaming IPTV content is a legal grey area, so be sure to take every precaution you can.
