Netflix Cracks Down On Password Sharing

Until now, streaming platforms have made it pretty easy to password share with family and friends; however, Netflix may be having second thoughts.

Netflix has now begun testing account restrictions with a select group of people worldwide. Users are required to verify if they are the account holder or live with them in order to proceed. The notification reads: “If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching.” A code is then sent to the subscriber, which the user is asked to provide. The users can also move past the notification and verify the account later to continue streaming services, or create a new account right then and there.

Users have begun to feel the wrath of the new Netflix trial test run. User ‘Dop3Sweet’ took to Twitter to vent, jokingly tweeting: “O no. Netflix doing the purge?!?” We’re with you, girl. Hopefully my cousin Benito won’t go acting brand new along with Netflix.

 “This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so,” Netflix said in a statement.

One-third of all users share passwords. Top tier subscribers are allowed to share their accounts with up to three additional household members. At the moment, Netflix isn’t necessarily sure if this trial will lead to safeguarding the platform from having multiple people on one account, but the company is striving to improve their account security.

“The way to rein that it in is testing our way into this type of verification,” a Netflix spokesperson said.

In 2016, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings addressed account sharing. “Password sharing is something you have to learn to live with. There’s so much legitimate password sharing, like you sharing with your spouse, with your kids, so there’s no bright line, and we’re doing fine as is.”

Netflix has more than 200 million subscribers, and as the popularity continued to grow during the pandemic, so did its prices. Three different membership tiers range from $9 to $18 per month. Their competitors include Disney+, AT&T’s HBOMax, NBCUniversal’s Peacock, and ViacomCBS’ new offering, Paramount+.

Photographs provided by Kwaku Alston/Netflix/Twitter.