Plex Takes a Stand Against Piracy: What You Need to Know

By iptv.legal , in News , at September 16, 2023

Plex, the popular media software and service, has long been a favorite for millions who wish to curate, organize, and stream their video content.

While many use it for legitimate purposes, it’s no secret that some have exploited it as a gateway to piracy.

Plex has taken a significant step in a recent move that seems to be aimed at curbing this misuse. Here’s a deep dive into what’s happening.

Understanding Plex’s Utility

Plex is a versatile tool that allows users to consolidate all their entertainment content, be it movies, music, TV shows, or photos, into one accessible platform.

The software organizes and indexes this content, making it ready to stream across various devices.

While the technology is neutral, the user’s intent can sometimes steer it toward the darker side of copyright infringement.

The Issue at Hand

The misuse of Plex for sharing copyright-infringing content hasn’t gone unnoticed. Rightsholders are well aware and have taken measures to shut down many shared servers.

Some server owners have even been tracked down. Despite these efforts, the problem continues to persist.

Plex, on its part, has been striving to collaborate with rightsholders to provide legal entertainment.

The misuse of its platform only hampers these efforts. It seems that Plex has now decided to take matters into its own hands.

Plex’s Recent Action

In a surprising move, Plex sent out emails to customers who run their servers at the German hosting company, Hetzner.

The email, while not naming Hetzner or directly citing piracy, alludes to violations of Plex’s Terms of Service.

It states that due to large-scale violations from that hosting provider, Plex will soon block access and activity from servers hosted by them.

This decision could potentially impact even those customers who use Hetzner for legitimate purposes. Such a sweeping measure indicates the gravity of the ongoing violations.

Reactions and Implications

Hetzner, understandably, expressed disappointment at Plex’s decision. Christian Fitz, Hetzner’s spokesperson, mentioned their regret over Plex’s action.

Plex’s community had mixed reactions. Many users on Plex forums reported using Hetzner’s servers for legitimate purposes, like storing personal media collections.

One user highlighted the unfairness of the decision, stating that their server on Hetzner only contained their music library, devoid of any pirated material.

Another user termed it a “sledgehammer approach”, predicting that those misusing the service would merely shift to another provider, leading Plex into an endless game of whack-a-mole.

Workarounds and the Future

Interestingly, some users mentioned using Hetzner not for hosting a Plex server but as a VPN to mask their actual server’s location.

If Plex goes ahead with its plan, it might ban the IP addresses of the hosting company. This would mean users could switch to another provider and use that as a VPN gateway.

Several workarounds, including using third-party VPNs to hide that a server is hosted at Hetzner, are being discussed on platforms like Reddit.

Over the years, copyright holders have pressured Plex to intensify its actions against piracy. This recent move seems to be a step in that direction.

Whether it proves effective or leads to more such measures in the future remains to be seen.

However, one thing is clear: Plex is committed to ensuring its platform is used responsibly and legally.

For more information on this story, refer to the report from TorrentFreak.

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