Federal government employees are now prohibited from accessing streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and others during work hours. Shared Services Canada (SSC), the agency overseeing IT services for the government, announced that it implemented a block on streaming sites across its managed networks towards the end of last year. While there are a few exceptions, SSC is responsible for the majority of government networks.
The decision to block streaming services was made based on the belief that these platforms are not essential tools for federal employees to carry out their duties. SSC stated that there was limited traffic to streaming sites from government systems, with a negligible impact on network bandwidth usage. Some government departments had already restricted access to paid subscription streaming sites, leading to the comprehensive ban across all networks under SSC management.
According to a statement from Shared Services, streaming services do not provide any business value to the Government of Canada. The ban extends to government Wi-Fi and applies to employees, visitors, and non-government users accessing the internet on government premises. A notification email was sent to federal employees in mid-November to inform them of the ban, which included popular platforms like Hulu, Disney+, Netflix, AppleTV+, Amazon Prime Video, and Crave. The ban officially took effect on December 2, 2024.
While streaming services are off-limits, government workers will still have access to websites like YouTube, Facebook, and other social media platforms.