YouTube is cracking down on users who use VPNs to pretend they’re in a different country to get cheaper rates for its Premium service. The company found out that some people are using VPNs to sign up for YouTube Premium at lower prices available in other countries.
TechCrunch reported that YouTube can now tell if someone’s sign-up country doesn’t match their location. When this happens, YouTube asks them to update their billing information to show their real country.
A YouTube spokesperson explained, “We have systems to determine where our users are from. If the country they signed up from doesn’t match where they are using YouTube, we ask them to correct their billing information.”
There’s been a lot of talk on Reddit about YouTube suddenly canceling Premium subscriptions. Many think it’s because they used VPNs to fake their location. While YouTube hasn’t said outright that this is the reason, it seems likely given the situation.
YouTube’s efforts show that it is serious about ensuring that people follow its rules and pay the correct price for where they live.
