Beware! Plex blocks the multimedia servers of a hosting company notorious for abuse

Plex: a new anti-piracy policy

Plex is a multifunctional software package that gives users easy access to all their entertainment in one place. Whether it's movies, music, TV shows or photos, Plex can organize and index content, making it ready to play on a wide variety of supported devices. The technology itself is content-neutral and can be used for legitimate purposes, such as managing personal videos or enriching purchased media with metadata. However, some use Plex as a gateway to piracy, creating archives of copyright-infringing content and sharing them via a Plex server with others, sometimes for a fee.

Rights holders are aware of this abuse and have taken action accordingly. Many shared servers have been shut down and, in at least one case, the owner has been traced. Despite these enforcement efforts, the problem persists. Plex is not satisfied with this abuse and is actively working with rights holders to provide legal entertainment, while abuse of its platform is an obstacle. It seems that Plex decided to take action yesterday.

Plex bans problem host

In an e-mail sent to customers using Plex servers at the large German hosting provider Hetzner, Plex announced that access would be blocked next month. It's not clear whether Hetzner is the only host concerned, but several customers have confirmed that they have received the same e-mail. The Plex e-mail does not mention Hetzner by name, and copyright infringement is not cited as the reason. The e-mail simply refers to violations of its terms of use.

"You are receiving this notice because the IP address associated with a Plex Media server on your account appears to originate from a service provider that hosts a significant number of Plex Media servers that violate our terms of use," the Plex e-mail states.

"Due to the large-scale breaches occurring at this host, we will soon be taking steps to block access and activity on Plex Media servers hosted by this host."

Plex's blanket ban on hosting providers could also affect legitimate customers. Apparently, such a drastic measure is necessary to remedy ongoing breaches.

Plex did not immediately respond to requests for comment from us. The most logical explanation is that this is an effort to deter piracy by banning one or more hosts where this type of abuse is common. Hetzner cannot comment in detail on the matter, but the host is clearly disappointed with Plex's decision.

Radical approach

In the Plex forums, many users report that they use Hetzner servers for legitimate purposes, including storing their personal media collection. One user claims to have received this notice because he has a server on Hetzner, which contains his music library, with no pirated content. Another Plex user describes the measure as an "incredibly poor solution". It essentially punishes a large group of legitimate customers with a radical approach that will only turn into a perpetual cat-and-mouse game.

VPN Proxy

Curiously, some people claim that they don't use Hetzner to host a Plex server. Instead, they use its services as a VPN to mask the location of their real Plex server. However, this will not prevent these VPN proxies from being targeted. Although we don't know the exact actions Plex will take, it is likely to block the host's IP addresses. This means that customers will be able to switch to another provider and use it as a VPN gateway instead. These and other workarounds are being actively shared on Reddit. This includes using a third-party VPN to disguise the fact that a server is actually hosted at Hetzner.

In recent years, copyright holders have repeatedly called on Plex to take firmer action against piracy. This latest change seems to be another step in that direction, and, workarounds or not, it probably won't be the last.