Netflix and other streaming services now blocked on federal government networks

Federal government employees are no longer able to stream Netflix, Disney+ and other streaming services while at work.

The government agency responsible for providing IT services, Shared Services Canada (SSC), confirmed in an email that it blocked the streaming sites on all networks it manages late last year.

Though there are some exceptions, Shared Services Canada oversees the majority of government networks.

The agency says it made the decision because streaming services aren’t necessary for federal bureaucrats to do their jobs.

In a statement, Shared Services says they saw “limited” traffic to streaming sites from government systems, and that it had an “insignificant” impact. 

It also said some departments already block paid subscription streaming sites, and that was part of the decision to ban them across all networks managed by Shared Services Canada.

“While network traffic monitoring shows limited traffic to these sites from government systems and an insignificant impact on network bandwidth usage, streaming services are not considered work tools and offer no business value for the Government of Canada,” said the statement.

In addition to all the departments to which it provides network services, it will apply to the government Wi-Fi and for employees, visitors and non-government users accessing the internet while on government premises.

An email notification went out to some federal employees warning them about the ban in mid-November. The full list of blocked websites includes Hulu, Disney+, Netflix, AppleTV+, Amazon Prime Video and Crave, and the ban came into effect on Dec. 2, 2024. 

YouTube, Facebook and other social media sites will remain available for government workers.