Online streaming service Netflix has revealed how it intends to stop users from sharing their passwords with other people. The crackdown is intended to stop viewers from ‘freeloading’ by using accounts they haven’t fully paid for.
The entertainment giant announced last year that it intended to stop users from sharing passwords, which has reportedly been hurting its revenues. Netflix had previously turned a blind eye to the practice, but now intends to put an end to it.
Netflix accidentally updated the help pages on its website this week, inadvertently revealing to users what it intends to do to stop from sharing accounts with other people. Here’s what the changes will mean and when they will come into force.
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Why is Netflix stopping password sharing?In short, Netflix is stopping users from sharing their passwords and accounts because the practice is costing it money. The service, which has more than 230 million subscribers worldwide, has said that password sharing “undermines our long-term ability to invest in and improve Netflix”.
How will Netflix stop password sharing?At present, an individual Netflix account can host up to five profiles curated for individual people, with tailored viewing recommendations. While Netflix’s terms of service have long said that account users must live in the same household, this has not been actively enforced up to now.
This means that many users have been sharing accounts with multiple people living in different homes. Netflix now intends to take action to stop users from doing this.
To enforce this restriction on password sharing, Netflix will regard devices that are used to access individual accounts as trusted if they are regularly connected to a user’s home Wi-Fi network regularly. Netflix users must therefore log in to the service via their home network at least once every 31 days.
This means that users will still be able to access their Netflix account while on the move, so long as they log in to the service through their home network at least once within every 31-day period. If this is not done, users may have their Netflix account blocked.
Netflix may also require users to verify devices which are used to access their account from outside their household. The service will send a link to users via email or text message, containing a four-digit code that will then need to be entered on the untrusted device within 15 minutes.
Will I still be able to share my Netflix account?Netflix users will still be able to share their account with other people living in the same home. However, to share Netflix accounts across multiple households, users will need to pay a fee of an extra £2.40 a month to add an extra user to their account.
“As we roll out paid sharing, members in many countries will also have the option to pay extra if they want to share Netflix with people they don’t live with. As is the case today, all members will be able to watch while travelling, whether on a TV or mobile device,” Netflix said in a recent update to shareholders.
When will Netflix stop password sharing in the UK?Netflix is currently trialling its new restrictions on password sharing in Costa Rica, Peru and Chile. It told shareholders in a recent update that it intends to roll out the new rules “more broadly” during the first quarter of this year, but it has not yet specified a particular date.
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