One of the largest Internet providers in New Zealand is now letting customers pretend they're somewhere else when it comes to buying things online. That's likely to be a thorn in the side of digital content providers such as movie producers and e-book publishers, but it could also set up online retailers for a whole host of complications. What happens when your transaction is subject to the laws of a country you're not expecting?
Slingshot, the third-largest ISP in New Zealand with about 10 percent of the market, last week rolled out its Global Mode service, which lets users block Internet geolocation. That's used by many digital content providers to prevent movies and e-books from being viewed in regions where they haven't officially been licensed.
