Amazon Prime Video blocking sonic IP

[msandrof]

Today, Amazon Prime Video is blocking my ability to watch their content with the message: Your device is connected to the Internet using a VPN or proxy service. Please disable it and try again. For more help, go to amazon.com/pv-vpn.

Seems like Amazon has misclassified some or all of the sonic IP blocks as not in the United States or as part of known VPN/proxy blocks. I'm trying to work with Amazon's CS, but they seem mostly clueless and can provide only scripted responses (Did you restart your router?). So far they have been unable to fix the problem.

Anyone else have this same problem and did they get Amazon to fix it?

[syntaxsid1]

Hello,

I'm sorry to hear about that trouble. We haven't experienced this with other customers, but we can check a few things before you'd need to call support. I can see you are using your own RG. Have you already plugged the device you're streaming with directly into the Fiber modem (ONT)? This will be our service in the purest form and if you still have a problem streaming on Amazon, we can absolutely look into this. If however a direct to the modem connection works on Amazon just fine, you'll need to check your router settings to discover the issue. I hope this helps.


Jeff

[dane]

I don’t think that’ll make any difference Jeff, the service that Amazon is using has likely decided that some Sonic IPs are offshore or are a VPN service facilitating offshore usage. Clearly that’s not the case for a residential connection.

This happened before with a single provider of geolocation information a year or so ago, and a group of Sonic customers couldn’t access HBO and a couple other streaming services for some months.

Of course, the only fix is to get your streaming service provider to fix their IP geolocation service’s data issue. We don’t even know if they do this in house or if they outsource it, not are we their customers experiencing the issue so we don’t have a good path to resolution.

I’d encourage you to continue to report it to any service that is blocking you despite your IP being clearly inside the US, and hopefully you can reach someone who can actually affect change. Using Twitter and other public channels to try to escalate beyond front line support is probably not a bad idea either. And maybe try jeff@amazon.com with a concise report of the issue, who knows, it might get routed to their content delivery team.

[ozware]

Sorry to hear about your problem.

I have had the same problem with Amazon Prime Video since Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Calls to their service department have met with much ignorance and no viable escalation. There is no way to get an informed response from Amazon. I am not using a VPN nor a proxy server, I am not connecting from outside the U.S. I am not sharing my logon information with anybody. I tested the connection to Prime Video via Smart TV, two computer browsers and Roku, but I still get the same message. I checked just now and I can view an Amazon Prime video from work on my laptop which will not connect to Prime Video from home. Amazon is in violation of their service agreement.

Because my service is dynamic, my Sonic IP address does change occasionally, however rarely. I suspect my Sonic IP address is new because it doesn't match previous addresses I have recorded.

I ran an IP tracker on the new IP address which shows Sonic.net as the owner (of a static IP--hum) and indicates that the IP address is linked to a physical address in the heart of Boston Mass. I reside in the San Francisco East Bay Area. Is this funny business? Does Sonic allocate in Boston? Inquiring minds. . .

I checked two former IP addresses and they are currently linked to physical addresses in Berkeley and Oakland.

I suspect that the problem is that Amazon is checking an incorrect IP location listing and is unhappy that I seem to be connecting from Boston but my computer or TV resides in California. This is a faulty algorithm which I will report to the State of California--forget what division, consumer affairs?--because I am sure this violates the terms of agreement with Amazon. That will not help my current situation, but it is worth the effort to report.

I will request a new IP address from Sonic, which should clear up the problem. I suggest you do the same.

PS. I have no idea how the IP trackers obtain their information, or who makes such location information public. Or if someone spoofed the IP address.

Thanks,

Stan

[ozware]

FYI: jeff@amazon.com now bounces emails.

[dane]

The trouble is that IP geolocation information is really private - but content providers have an obligation to assure that users who view the content are inside the US. So, for this reason (as well as marketing etc "singles in your town" etc), there are companies that try to locate IPs geographically.

Amazon Video, HBO etc purchase this "best guess" info, and make decisions based upon it. I don't know which firms they use, nor how to get the data corrected to the California localization that all of our customers are based in.

But remember, you are the customer of Amazon, so their error on this is something they really need to get corrected for you. It's not something Sonic has any control over. We don't provide your actual location to anyone, nor would or should we.

[ozware]

Thanks for your reply, Dane,

Agreed that it is Amazon's issue.

I was steamed up and left a message on one of the Amazon forum threads where a number of users were complaining and where staff seemed to be responding--there are many complaints going back to 2019 in about 10 independent threads-->nothing to do with Sonic.

I made a point that Amazon was in violation of the user agreement, etc.

Just checked in at home and my IP is no longer banned. So, two hours to resolution after posting to an Amazon forum.

All is good. But I seem to still live in Boston!


Regards,

Stan

[dane]

Nicely done!

[msandrof]

I’ve been out of town since I posted originally, but my prime video service is now working as well! Not sure if it was my original complaints to them or ozware’s, but problem resolved!

And Dane, I told Amazon exactly what you said. This is obviously their problem, not my equipment or Sonic’s. But getting someone who isn’t just answering from a script at a company like Amazon is near impossible.

[jmhunter83]

I'm wondering if this might be part of my issue. I just started a new thread... I've been having trouble accessing websites and files hosted on AWS, including my school bocce.online.berklee.edu

Anyway... I posted in amazons fire stick forum to see if that helps?