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Roku bans XTV

Recently, Roku banned XTV, a channel that was not certified, but that had earned a lot of popularity. The problem with XTV is that it offers content that is against of copyright laws. The action taken on XTC follows the issues that Roku faced in Mexico, where a lawsuit lead to a ban on Roku devices. While XTV was a very popular option that was removed from Roku, it wasn’t the first one. Roku has been taking action on private channels that were offering illegal content since August.

Are there illegal channels on Roku?

Some users may not be aware of this, but there are some channels that are not publicly available and when you try to add them to your Roku device, you get an error message that states that the channel has not been certified. Roku has some terms and conditions that all channels must follow. All channels are required to offer legal content only, but if you try to access a channel that hasn’t received the certification, it is possible that you come across content that is not appropriate or that may be offensive for some viewers. Roku warns you about this before you access the channel and it also lets you know that if the channel happens to be in violation of copyright laws, offers illegal content or if it goes against Roku’s policies, it may be removed without notice.

Was XTV a pirate channel?

According to Roku, XTV was offering illegal streams, which resulted on the channel being banned from the Roku platform. Now, Roku is asking developers to use a verified email address, to link one Roku device at least or add a payment method to their Roku account. These requirements are designed to identify independent developers that are creating channels for Roku. It seems like XTV was offering pirated content and in order to avoid future issues, Roku is cracking down on other channels that are doing the same.

How do you know if a Roku channel is legal?

You may be wondering how can you find out if the Roku channel you are watching is legal or not. Well, generally speaking, as long as you are watching channels that are available on the official Roku Channel Store, you should be fine as these channels should be in compliance with Roku’s policies. One thing to keep in mind about the channels that are available on the Roku store is that they may vary between regions. For instance, the channels available in the United States, are not the same as the ones that you can get in the United Kingdom. The private channels that you can’t find on the Roku store are in a gray area and it is not possible to find out what content they offer unless you check them.

What will happen with private channels on Roku?

Originally, Roku supported the creation of private channels to give developers the chance to test their channels before the became available publicly in the store. It is unclear at this point if Roku will opt for removing private channels completely.

Should you try private channels?

While not all private channels offer illegal content, they are more likely to be involved in online piracy. Of course, many of them are just being tested by the developers as it was originally intended. However, if you decide to check private channels that are offering streams that are not authorized by copyright holders, it is important that you keep the risks in mind. In some countries, accessing such content is illegal so it would be better to avoid such content. If you decide to check these channels, you are doing it at your own risk.

It is advisable that you consider using a VPN to protect your privacy, not only when using Roku, but in any case. A VPN will encrypt your internet traffic to prevent others from seeing what you are doing online, this means that the content that you watch, your conversations and everything else will remain private. In addition, a VPN allows you to change your IP address, which can be useful to bypass online restrictions and get access to the content that you want. We recommend reliable options like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, IPVanish and Private Internet Access. These are well-known providers that will keep your privacy protected at all times.