Netflix could soon start cracking down on password sharing. The company has started showing messages to some Netflix subscribers using a “borrowed” password that “If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching.”
To continue watching, subscribers need to confirm the account by entering a verification code that will be sent to the linked email address or mobile number.
Netflix has known about “password sharing,” in which one subscriber shares their account with their friends and family who are not living in the same house. The company never actively cracked down on such users, but it looks like that’s about to change.
As The Streamable reports, Netflix right now is only testing the account verification prompt on TVs.
A Netflix spokesperson told The Streamable, “This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so.”
It is not clear how Netflix is determining whether multiple viewers using one account are in the same household or not.
Netflix’s terms and conditions state that one account can only be shared among family members living in the same household. The company already has limitations on streaming devices across its various plans. The Basic plan allows streaming content to only one device, while the Standard plan allows streaming on up to two devices. The Ultra plan allows streaming on up to four devices at once.
It is unclear when and how Netflix plans on rolling out an account verification prompt for all its subscribers. It is also unclear if the company has taken this step to crack down on password sharing or for other reasons.
[Via The Streamable]