Kodi Crackdown Explained – Will it affect Australians?

Kodi is a media player launched for Xbox, initially known as XBMC. It allowed Xbox users to use their gaming consoles as a media streaming device.

But as its popularity grew, XBMC saw its launch on various other devices, and now, it’s one of the best ways for online streaming.

Kodi Crackdown

But Kodi also is infamous for pirated streaming movies and shows. So, those who considered the Kodi crackdown hoax should know that the rumours of a crackdown on Kodi are real, but only partially. How? Let’s help you understand.

Is Kodi illegal?

The legality of Kodi still falls in a grey area, and to understand it, you have to know how Kodi functions. Kodi, as said above, is a media streaming app.

There are add-ons to increase support for services. Without those addons, you can only play audio and videos saved on your device.

So, there are addons available to stream YouTube videos or SoundCloud. Then, you can get BBC shows with the BBC iPlayer addon or watch Netflix without switching apps.

Using the official addons is legal, and you won’t face any changes using them. But there also are many addons made by independent developers.

legality of Kodi

These add-ons allow users to get premium services for free. Authorities worldwide are using various measures to shut down such addons, and with the Kodi crackdown, the USA government aims to curb Kodi piracy.

Other than those addons, Kodi is safe and legal to use.

The effects of Kodi crackdown

The government banned many add-ons, and many of the others went offline. People selling fully-loaded are either fined or imprisoned.

effects of Kodi crackdownOh, if you don’t know about Kodi boxes, they are set-top boxes that come with pre-installed third-party Kodi addons. Authorities are looking for people who are selling such boxes and thus, promoting pirated content. (Learn How To Get Netflix On TV)

But since Kodi is available on many devices, users also have to be careful while streaming Kodi. Although the end-user – you – isn’t in any immediate danger of facing legal consequences, nothing can be said for sure.

Your ISP is bound to share your connection details with the Australian metadata laws in place whenever the government wants.

Safety from Kodi crackdown

It isn’t easy to know if you are using Kodi the legal way or not. So, even if you don’t use the pirate-friendly third-party addons, it’s better to be on the safe side and use a VPN.

A VPN will keep your internet activity hidden. They don’t save any records of you, and thus, even the government can’t force them to reveal your secrets. (How does a VPN work? Find out here)

ExpressVPN is one such service trusted by users all over the world. And to avoid getting caught streaming from pirated sources, connect yourself to an ExpressVPN server.

With its encryption algorithm, you can be safe from getting any copyright violation notice. You can browse the web and Kodi gallery as much as you want, without any fear.

How does a VPN help?

When you connect to a VPN server, the server encrypts any data passing through it. Thus, hiding your data from your ISP or anyone else trying to peek at your connection. It is one of the ways a VPN helps, and other benefits include –

  1. Bypassing geo-restrictions – Some Kodi addons like BBC iPlayer are available only to viewers in thekodi and vpn UK. Another example worth considering is Netflix, whose content differs with regions. With your device connected to a UK VPN server, you can watch the BBC and UK Netflix. Quite useful.
  2. Accessing blocked content – The government is blocking access to many addons with each passing day. You can connect to a foreign server where those addons still function and unblock your favourite streams if you want to access them.
  3. Getting rid of throttling – Another measure ISPs take to control piracy is lowering the Internet speed when you stream Kodi. With your Internet activity hidden from their sight, you can avoid that.
  4. And then, of course, the privacy. Watch your favourite shows as much as you want without the fear of someone keeping an eye on you.

And what’s more, ExpressVPN is easy to set up on most of the devices you use. It has apps supported by Android and iOS devices, PC, Mac, gaming consoles, and streaming sticks and set-top boxes. (Learn How to Install Kodi on Xbox One)

What are you waiting for? Sign up for the service and hide your activity before someone tracks and cracks you down.

Getting a good VPN like ExpressVPN also helps you with a better streaming experience along with the peace of mind it offers.