Although Netflix is one of the biggest streaming platforms in the business, it isn’t any surprise that some subscribers tend to share passwords with friends or family. It’s something that’s been a part of the platform’s history since the very beginning, and while they’ve taken little to no action regarding password sharing in the past, it seems Netflix is now more specifically targeting the issue. In particular, Netflix is testing a new feature which will make it a little more difficult for users to continue password sharing.
As you can see below, via The Streamable, some Netflix users are receiving messages while trying to stream content. The messages include the following:
“If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching.”
The message is delivered to those that don’t live with the user whose account they’re attempting to access. It then prompts those individuals to either sign up for Netflix on their own, or if it is their account, they’re given the option to verify with a special code.
https://twitter.com/DOP3Sweet/status/1369395237253222414?s=20
Netflix gave the following statement on the matter:
“This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so.”
Apparently the test itself can be traced back to something mentioned in Netflix’s terms and conditions. As you can see in the user agreement:
“The Netflix service and any content viewed through our service are for your personal and non-commercial use only and may not be shared with individuals beyond your household.”
While it might be annoying for those that rely on using the passwords and accounts of their friends and family to view Netflix, it does make sense from a business point of view. After all, there are no doubt plenty of losses that come from users taking advantage of Netflix without actually paying for the service. While they didn’t seem to care much in the past, with the onslaught of new streaming services now available, it might seem that Netflix is trying to regain their losses. Of course, this feature is still only in the testing phase, so it might be awhile to tell how things will continue to advance.