as legal advice. But I have spent most of my adult life thinking about the
ways we consume media.
For those who live in a place where content is blocked because of
censorship, I believe it is entirely moral to use a VPN to circumvent the
block. Art and commentary should be accessible to people who want it.
When the content you want cannot be accessed through normal,
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watch a stream. More than a few times, I’ve wanted to see a weird
movie—usually an older, non-US title—that simply isn’t available for
sale or streaming in the US. In these cases, I’ve tried my best, but the
capitalist system I live in has simply failed.
If the content you want is available, but it’s of poor quality or for some
other reason rendered unenjoyable, I think it’s moral to obtain a stream
through alternate means. A great example is the Olympics, which, in the
US, is available from only one company and heavily edited. A devoted
gymnastics fan, for example, is poorly served by this coverage. I don’t
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not available in the US (I’m told the CBC does a great job).
Now, if the content you want is available, easy to obtain, and of
enjoyable quality, then it becomes shadier to stream via VPN. I’ve found
it a far bigger headache to avoid paying for something than to simply
pony up the cash. Every dollar I spend is a minute saved fussing with
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For instance, several available streaming services specialize in sports
programming, and a few of them actually cost less than a VPN
subscription. (You ought to have a VPN subscription anyway.) There
might not be ethical consumption under capitalism, but it will still feel
good to dissolve your cable subscription and embrace cord-cutting.
A FREE-ISH FUTURE
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Max Eddy
