Interesting. I'd thought that Plex was a self-hosted streaming platform? Am I to understand that while they may provide that functionality, they are maintaining another set of servers in the stream that can be used to cut off end users from streaming backends on servers that are operated by private individuals? I.e. I set up plex for myself, use their app, and then conceivably they have a gatekeeping capability that could cut me off from my own stream box?

If that's the case, then WTF Plex? If I actually cared, that'd be a custom Server/client rewrite and loss of business from me.