One of the biggest reasons to use a VPN is about to disappear
In addition to protecting your privacy and blocking unwanted tracking online, one of the best reasons to use a VPN is to receive discounts you normally wouldn't. By using a VPN while shopping online, you can save thousands when purchasing airline tickets and other items by changing your IP address to one in a different country. This is because airlines use local pricing, so a ticket in one country may be much cheaper than a ticket for the same flight in a different country. However, some users have abused this trick to purchase games from a different country which has led the PC gaming giant Valve to update the account settings in its digital game store Steam. Steam also uses local pricing so buying a new PC game from Costa Rica for instance might cost $40 or $50 while purchasing the same game in the US would cost $60. In a recent post on Twitter, SteamDB explained how Valve's new changes will prevent users from buying games while connected to a VPN server outside their home country, saying; “Valve has recently made changing your store country more strict, which requires completing a purchase using a payment method from that country. This should hinder the ability of using VPNs to buy games cheaper.” Going forward, Steam will now monitor which country is specified in a user's account settings and only show prices in that country's currency. If a user moves to a new country or stays abroad for an extended period of time, they can only change their country setting after completing a purchase using a payment method from their new location. While this will certainly prevent users from pulling one over on Valve, it could potentially make life difficult for expats living abroad as obtaining a local bank account can sometimes be difficult. In a support document on its website, Valve explains that using a VPN to disguise your location is against its ToS and could lead to restrictions being placed on your Steam account: “No, using a proxy or VPN to disguise your location is strictly against the Steam Terms of Service and may result in restrictions on your Steam account. If you attempt to redeem a region restricted game and your location is inconsistent with your past Steam activity, a warning will appear.” While you won't be able to use a VPN while shopping on Steam anymore, PC gamers can still benefit from the added security, ability to bypass geo-restrictions and other benefits that these services provide. If you don't have a VPN yet, we recommend checking out our complete list of the best gaming VPNs to find one that suits your needs. Via GameIndustry.biz
Steam VPN crackdown
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