Bad news for people who share a Netflix account with another household as clampdown begins

Written by on 12th March 2021

Netflix is testing a feature to clamp down on people sharing passwords with other households.

Some users have started to get notifications which ask them to verify they live with the account holder.
The message states: “If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching.”
Users are then prompted to use a code texted or emailed to the account owner to continue.
According to a Netflix spokesperson, “hundreds” of tests are done every year with customers on this issue.
The trial could also be used to help with account security, and not necessarily just for cracking down on password sharing.
A statement from the company said: “This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorised to do so.”
The Netflix terms and conditions say: “The Netflix service and any content viewed through the service are for your personal and non-commercial use only and may not be shared with individuals beyond your household.”
Speaking in 2019, the company’s chief operating officer Greg Peters said the company will “continue to monitor the situation” of people sharing passwords.
He added the company had no “big plans” at the time to clamp down on the practice.


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