The boom in Sora from OpenAI has made everyone want to test the new tool – including users from Poland, where Sora is not yet available. Of course, VPN was used because it is the simplest and fastest way to bypass regional blockades.
However, it turns out that OpenAI is very effective at blocking traffic from Europe, as the users themselves say. Is Altman’s company itself introducing a new type of AI-based VPN detectors?
Sora and VPN, or the fight against time and restrictions
The premiere of Sora, an AI video generator from the creators of ChatuGPT, received wide attention. The tool is impressive and is available to almost all users in the world. Almost, because the only excluded countries are the EU, the UK and Switzerland. However, users of blocked countries came up with an idea to connect to Sora effectively, quickly and seamlessly using a VPN connection. Although this solution worked at first, after 48 hours practically no VPN is able to provide Sora service from banned areas.
In this case, has OpenAI introduced some innovative location detection system that goes beyond the capabilities offered by the Virtual Private Network? Is something like ACTA AI, i.e. full Internet censorship using AI, creeping towards us? Various theories began to appear on the Internet about the effectiveness of OpenAI in detecting VPNs. It turns out, however, that deducing the location of a given Internet user is becoming easier and easier in the era of such a highly centralized Internet.
VPN detection is getting easier
From a technical point of view, VPN detection is not particularly complicated. Services such as Netflix and Hulu already effectively identify and block traffic from IP addresses assigned to popular VPN services. Why is it so easy? Well, publicly available IP addresses used by popular VPNs are known and can be easily blocked by service providers.
More and more service providers use algorithms to analyze the user’s location and verify whether it is consistent with his previous activities. Analyzing login patterns, such as the country you usually log in from or the place you made a payment from, allows you to identify unusual activity. Simple scripts or more advanced AI algorithms can easily detect deviations from the norm. Even if a VPN changes your IP, other data – such as unusual platform usage patterns – may give you away.
Private VPN? It may help, but…
One possible workaround is to set up your own private VPN server in a country where access to a given platform or solution is unlimited. Such a server, running on physical hardware located in the appropriate country, could in theory bypass blocking mechanisms. A condition for success? A new account created on this server, with no previous connections to your previous activities.
However, keep in mind that even when using a private VPN, logs of your past activities may still pose an obstacle. If the website analyzes historical data, such as login patterns or payment locations, it can quickly detect inconsistencies.
When might Sora be available in EU countries?
The availability of Sora in the European Union is a topic of much speculation, but at the moment there is no official information from OpenAI regarding the introduction of this tool to European markets. The problem may be primarily stringent EU regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which requires technology companies to strictly comply with the rules regarding the processing and storage of personal data.
An additional challenge is the diversity of regulations in individual EU member states, which means that the introduction of a tool as advanced as Sora requires a thorough legal and technical analysis. OpenAI will be forced to adapt its algorithms to specific requirements, such as limiting the use of certain technologies for commercial purposes or ensuring transparency in the video data processing process.
It is likely that before Sora reaches Europe, OpenAI will have to develop specific technological and legal solutions that will guarantee compliance with European regulations. In the meantime, EU users (instead of breaking the blockade with VPNs) can follow the development of the situation and official OpenAI announcements.
However, the prospect of introducing Sora to Europe is realistic, given the growing demand for advanced tools for creating multimedia content and the strategic importance of the European technology market for companies such as OpenAI. It is worth being patient and waiting for the next steps in this direction.
Will VPN become obsolete?
With the development of detection technologies, traditional VPN services are becoming less and less effective. While they can still be useful for protecting online privacy, their role in bypassing geoblocks is diminishing. Users must be aware that even the best VPN may not guarantee full access to regionally restricted content.
If you’re planning to use a VPN in hopes of bypassing Sora geoblocks, you might want to think twice. Increasingly sophisticated detection mechanisms make this strategy less effective, and service providers’ decisions are based on many factors, not just your IP address.
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