Netflix has begun cracking down on password sharing, according to a notice sent to some of those using other’s login details. The crackdown affects those sharing passwords but not members of the same household.
“If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching,” reads a prompt sent to some of the affected users.
The streaming service urges users sharing passwords outside the same household to either verify the account via email or text to continue watching. If that’s impossible, it advises users to signup for their free Netflix account.
According to Netflix’s terms of use, the service is “for your personal and non-commercial use only and may not be shared with individuals beyond your household.” However, until now, Netflix has not done anything to crack down on password sharing, which has become a common practice for end-users.
In response, Netflix says this is only a test “designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so.” But while at it, it also a strategy to crack down on the common practice of sharing passwords.
Netflix has hinted at cracking down on the practice in the past, but there’s been nothing done in this regard so far.
In 2019, the company’s Chief Product Officer Greg Peters responded to password sharing and said, “We continue to monitor it. So we’re looking at the situation (and look into) consumer-friendly ways to push on the edges.” At the time, he said Netflix has “no big plans” on tackling the widespread practice.
Arguably, the only limitation the streaming service has imposed is to limit the number of concurrent streams(devices streaming content at the same time).
The basic plan(Ksh 700/month) limits streaming to one device at a time, the Standard package (Ksh 900/month) allows two concurrent streams, and the Premium plan(Ksh 1200/month) is capped at four. However, there’s no specific limit to the number of logged-in devices.
The password sharing crackdown test is only being tested on TVs, and as always, tests may or may not make it to the public. But industry talk has raised concerns on the practice, and it might not be long before streaming services start imposing restrictions to try and curb the menace.
While the current news is doom for many, there’s some good news as well; Netflix is ready to offer a free trial to affected users. As you may recall, Netflix nixed 30-day free trials in October 2020 and began offering free upgrades to higher plans in the first month.
The free trial purge followed the streaming service’s open-up when it started offering everyone a chance to view select titles for free without an account in September.
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