Australia: circumvention goes mainstream

Over the last decade Australia has become an unlikely hotspot of circumvention activity. Frustrated by the high cost and slow delivery of first-release TV and movies from the UnitedStates - and by their own self-perceived status as 'second-class' media citizens - Australianshave taken to offshore streaming with a singular enthusiasm, signing up for VPNsand proxy services and using them to access US Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, and BBC iPlayer.Unlike many nations in the Asia-Pacific region, where circumvention has an overtly politicaldimension, the conversation in Australia has revolved substantially around access to entertainment rather than privacy, surveillance or censorship. Many Australians have acquired a working knowledge of circumvention tools simply because they were unable to watch episodes of their favourite television shows quickly and legally.