Sharing a Netflix account is technically not allowed, but incredibly easy to get away with. All one has to do is hand over their log-in and password details to whoever they want, then that person can access the account and watch anything they want without paying, so long as they aren’t trying to have more than a few people watch at the same time.
Of course, Netflix isn’t thrilled about that, as they’d much rather have every person watching on their service pay for an individual subscription. In the past, Netflix’s CEO has stated that password sharing is something the company would “have to live with,” as there are many instances of legitimate password sharing and no easy way to identify illegitimate account sharing.
That may be changing, however, as one of Netflix’s new test features seeks to put a stop to those who have no right to use someone else’s account. Some users have recently noticed a new warning message when trying to use another account that says, “If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching.” The service then prompts the user to verify their identity using 2-factor authentication, or ‘identify later,’ which gives them an unspecified amount of time to watch before forcing them to identify.
Netflix has confirmed that this feature is getting a limited rollout in order to test it out, arguing that the feature exists to ensure that users are authorized to access the accounts both by the owners and by Netflix’s own terms of service. This move has left people wondering if crackdowns on account sharing may start to make their way to other streaming platforms as well.
Previously, Netflix hasn’t shown much interest in fighting this, but the implementation of this feature suggests a change in strategy. While other companies like WarnerMedia, which is behind HBO Max, have also not indicated they will combat account sharing. Instead, they have suggested they are aware of the issue and that they believe the industry will eventually find a way to be more rigorous about enforcing the rules.
It’s certainly not great news for those who share accounts, as it seems they may have to be more strict about how they do so. While Netflix will probably appreciate the extra subscriptions they rake in from the move, it’s hard to say exactly how many people will be affected by this change, as the numbers on account sharing aren’t easily available to the public. Whatever the case, hopefully, the feature rolls out smoothly without many false positives.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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