GeoComply zeros in on streaming geo-piracy with updates to GeoGuard DB

GeoComply Solutions, a geolocation security company that helps detect and prevent fraud, has introduced significant updates to GeoGuard DB, its VPN and proxy detection solution for the OTT and streaming video market.

GeoGuard DB is used by online broadcasters worldwide, including the BBC, Amazon Prime Video, CBC and Telstra, to protect their territorially restricted content from geo-piracy and geolocation fraud. It protects over 10 billion streaming requests and over 300 million unique streaming users per month.

With the new features and enhancements to GeoGuard DB, rights holders, including studios and sports leagues, who rely on territorial restrictions to maintain the value of their content rights, and OTT broadcasters, who are contractually obliged to combat this form of content leakage, can benefit from an advanced level of geolocation fraud protection.

GeoGuard DB’s advanced logic can now identify attempts by premium VPN providers to target high-value video streaming services using proxy over VPN techniques that effectively double-spoof the streaming provider in an attempt to go undetected. GeoGuard DB is also now fully integrated with leading CDNs including Akamai and Amazon AWS CloudFront, with more planned for the future. This makes turning on VPN and proxy detection as easy as flipping a switch. GeoGuard DB is the only solution fully integrated with Akamai, powering its Enhanced Proxy Detection (EPD) service.

With VPN providers adding IPv6 ranges that allow users to spoof their location, GeoComply has added IPv6 detection to GeoGuard DB. This allows OTT broadcasters to remain fully compliant with their contractual obligations and business rules while continuing to allow users to access their services on IPv6-only connections.

GeoGuard DB can also dynamically track and flag compromised residential IPs.

“Piracy continues to be a major problem facing studios, sports leagues and other content producers and distributors,” said Chris Odgers, former VP of technology at WarnerMedia. “Fortunately, one important component of content piracy, geo-fraud, can easily be addressed with GeoComply’s solution. Territorial exclusivity and ensuring that content is not leaking via VPNs is part of most licensing contracts and GeoGuard DB is the tested and trusted industry solution that can make it happen.”

“The pandemic is driving a huge surge in VPN and proxy usage to bypass territorial restrictions on content,” said James Clark, director of global sales at GeoComply. “This situation threatens the entire streaming ecosystem which relies on territorial exclusivity for its revenues. With VPN providers constantly developing new strategies to exploit weaknesses in the streaming infrastructure, our job is to ensure that GeoGuard DB stays one step ahead in the battle against geolocation fraud and geo-piracy.”