Netflix to Begin Cracking Down on “Password Sharing” with New Measure
Are you letting a family or friend use your Netflix account? Or are you using a ffiend's? The ease of that, may be changing, sooner than you think.
Netflix which has more than 200 million subscribers around the world, is looking at ways to curb password sharing for both business and security reasons.
This new measure will prevent people who are not authorized to use the account from accessing it.
Netflix says, This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so.” If Netflix detects that someone is trying to use the account without being an account owner, they’ll be asked to verify later or verify being an account owner through an email code or text code.
If someone is unable to verify account ownership within a certain timeframe, they won’t be able to stream any Netflix content. Instead, they’ll be asked to make their own account. While this may not prevent all password sharing — hypothetically, an account owner could send their friend the code as it comes through — the idea is that it will prevent some password sharing.
One of the biggest questions Netflix subscribers might have is what constitutes a household account. Netflix’s terms of service state that streaming content on the platform is “for your personal and non-commercial use only and may not be shared with individuals beyond your household.” That may mean a physical household, but the terms of service aren’t super clear. Families with kids away at college or living in different states may sign up for the family plan, for example.