Netflix is one of the most popular streaming platforms in the world. Millions of their customers often share one account to watch their favorite movies and TV shows no matter where they are.
Rumors have circulated for years that the company would begin cracking down on password sharing between households in the United States, citing concerns about online hacking and the loss of billions of dollars in revenue each year. But recent discoveries suggest that many people are wondering if this will finally happen.
Ask
Is Netflix Cracking Down On Password Sharing In The US?
Source
- Netflix
- Email sent to Netflix subscribers
Answer
Yes, Netflix is cracking down on password sharing in the US.
what we found
On May 23, Netflix said in a press release that it would limit password sharing and begin paying account owners to share their accounts with people outside their US homes.
In an email to account holders, which is verified to have been received from several Netflix customers, the company explains that the accounts are meant to be shared between people living in the same household, which it calls “a collection of Internet-connected devices at a main location.” defines as To watch Netflix.” This also applies to T-Mobile Netflix On Us subscribers.
The company said it uses information such as “IP addresses, device IDs and account activity” to decide which users and devices are part of a household. He also said that everyone in the same household can continue to use Netflix regardless of where they are, even while traveling or on vacation.
Netflix said that account owners may need to “verify” devices if they are connected to a different Wi-Fi network than the one connected at home, but did not specify how that process would work.
Those who do not live in the same household will need to sign up for their own account to watch Netflix or a Standard or Premium subscriber to add another person to their account for an additional $7.99 per month An additional member space can buy Netflix’s Standard and Premium subscription plans currently cost between $15.50 and $20 per month, while the Basic plan costs $9.99 per month.
Netflix allowed password sharing to go unchecked for years as its streaming service attracted subscribers. While the company looked the other way, an estimated 100 million people worldwide were receiving passwords from family and friends. But after a year of low subscriber growth that included its biggest loss of subscribers in more than a decade, Netflix decided to change course.
In March 2022, Netflix announced that it was testing ways to deal with password sharing between households in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru. A spokesperson for Netflix told VERIFY at the time that these tests would not take place in the US. However, in January 2023, Netflix stated that it had plans to share passwords for users outside those three countries sometime this year.
In February 2023, Netflix faced a backlash on social media after the company mistakenly posted a set of guidelines on its website to deal with password sharing with all global users. The company removed those guidelines, but said on February 8 that it would be “(and more widely in the coming months)” on password sharing in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain to give users more control over your accounts. Will start cracking down.
In April, Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters acknowledged that the crackdown on password sharing was likely to increase subscriber terminations, but expressed confidence that the company would improve in the long run once people conform to its new policy. .
VERIFY has contacted Netflix for comment but has not received a response as of press time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
English version: Yes, Netflix Is Cracking Down on Password Sharing in the US
