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Piracy Privacy Movies Television

Netflix Tests Cracking Down On Password Sharing (hollywoodreporter.com) 81

Posted by BeauHD from the piracy-crackdown dept.
Netflix is testing a new feature that could signal the start of an effort to crack down on password sharing. Hollywood Reporter reports: Spotted by GammaWire, some viewers attempting to use somebody else's account are now being stopped by a screen that says, "If you don't live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching." Netflix confirmed the new feature, which is getting a limited rollout at this time. "This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so," a Netflix spokesperson said.

In order to continue watching, the viewer is given the option of either verifying their identity (with a texted or emailed code to the account's owner), or opting to "verify later," which gives the viewer an unspecified additional amount of time to continue watching and later confirm they are a valid account user. A source familiar with the tests said the extent of the rollout varies from country to country, but noted that one reason for the feature is a desire to help protect subscribers from security concerns that can arise from unauthorized use of their account.
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Netflix Tests Cracking Down On Password Sharing More

Netflix Tests Cracking Down On Password Sharing

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  • Sometimes I Just Want to Netflix and Chill (Score:3)

    by Arzaboa ( 2804779 ) on Thursday March 11, 2021 @05:03PM (#61149342)

    When I go on vacation, I rarely bring the same phone I use for dual authentication. If I do, its rarely turned on for a whole host of reasons.

    I get why they're doing this, but this would cause me some issues.

    Sometimes I just want to Netflix and chill.

    --
    Diet Coke is the only way I get through filming because I get so tired. - Lily James

  • unauthorized use of their account

    Really, is that the real reason ? At least they did alluded to the reason: "need more revenue", which we all know the real reason for this.

    • Re: Nice flip to security (Score:5, Funny)

      by Anonymouse Cowtard ( 6211666 ) on Thursday March 11, 2021 @05:48PM (#61149514) Homepage

      There's no profit motive at all: a desire to help protect subscribers Netflix is being altruistic. Netflix is nice. You like Netflix. Netflix cares for you.

      • Re: Nice flip to security (Score:4, Insightful)

        by No Longer an AC ( 4611353 ) on Thursday March 11, 2021 @08:19PM (#61149942) Journal

        In a sense, they're protecting subscribers like me from having to pay more. I'm on their lowest plan. I've got the Basic plan which means every once in a while I get a message that I'm already streaming somewhere else in my own house. This is a very minor inconvenience. I have to go into another room and either shut down Netflix or just watch it there.

        I have no idea what the split will be between people who will drop it and people who will suddenly be forced to subscribe. I'm sure they'll be paying close attention. Maybe they'll keep single-stream-at-a-time plans cheap to encourage the freeloaders to subscribe instead of sharing.

        Nobody has ever asked if they could "borrow" my NF account, but if they did my response would be the same as the guy in the Hey Love record commercial from the '80s [youtu.be]

        No, my brother, you've got to buy your own

        One month of Netflix has more content, better content (in my opinion, anyway) and is cheaper than that "Giant 3 record set" even though it's ~35 years later.

  • By by Netflix (Score:5, Insightful)

    by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Thursday March 11, 2021 @05:17PM (#61149396)
    I share it with my kid and my brother (who uses it almost entirely to watch Star Trek). Do this and I'll go buy Star Trek DVDs and call it a day.

    Seriously NF, you don't have enough must watch content to get away with this. You need at least one break out hit to pull this crap.

    • Pretty much the only thing I watch on Netflix is old Star Trek TV series. Plus maybe once a year, their best signature motion picture of the year like The Ballad of Buster Scruggs or The Irishman. If they force me off their platform, it won't be a big loss.

      • There's a lot of content that appeals to a very broad range of people, but a lot of it is mediocre. Some of it is good though, but it's often hard to tell before you watch it unless you rely on whatever other people are saying, which I rarely do because they often don't like the same things I do.

        I've watched a few series I've never heard of before, some NF productions, some not that I've thought were great, but I've abandoned more after a few episodes. And then there are the ones where I get up to episode

    • I share it with my kid and my brother (who uses it almost entirely to watch Star Trek). Do this and I'll go buy Star Trek DVDs and call it a day. Seriously NF, you don't have enough must watch content to get away with this. You need at least one break out hit to pull this crap.

      Why doesn't your (presumably adult) kid and (presumably) adult brother just pay their own $10/m or whatever it is? Just how fucking cheap are they? I doubt NF is going to lose money over this, as they aren't losing actual customers, they're losing the freeloaders like you.

      Us customers might even come out ahead because the freeloaders aren't there anymore.

      • despite a 4 year degree in a "real" job field. My brother's job is continuously on the skids because of all the mergers and acquisitions following the Trump tax cuts (I know it's not popular to get partisan around here, but facts are facts, those tax cuts were used for mergers & acquisitions and when those happen people lose their jobs, if you didn't want to know, don't ask). He's on his third round of layoffs if the most recent merger costs him his current job.

        The problem Netflix has is that our ec
      • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by egyas ( 1364223 )

      Personally I'm fine with the change. Their Terms of Service are clear on password sharing.

      But you're right. They should start on the worst offenders first. Primary user in New York, secondary users in Texas and North Dakota? Start pruning. lol

      • So what about the people who they sold Netflix with their T-Mobile family plans?

        Who then upgraded to pay for 4 simultaneous streams.

        Kid goes to college? Spouse travels for business? Grandma is on the family plan? Where does it stop? Like, either sell us “x streams of quality y”, or ... something sane.

    • > I'd focus on the heaviest users,

      They pretty much have to. If you lend your netflix user/password out to Granny, who uses it twice a month, how can they distinguish that from you watching your own Netflix from Granny's house when you visit her at the same time your wife is watching Netflix at home?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by NFN_NLN ( 633283 )

        > how can they distinguish that from you watching your own Netflix from Granny's house when you visit her at the same time your wife is watching Netflix at home?

        Easy...

        Grandpa watches Netflix Cuties on repeat when you're not there.

        When you visit Grandma she turns she turns on the Queen's Gambit.

    • Honestly I would guess... hardly any are splitting the bill, and in almost cases 1 party is footing it. Are parents going to quit netflix because their grownup 'kids' in a different household can't watch it any more? Doubtful.
      • Comment removed based on user account deletion

        • I've known people who indirectly split the bill. One pays for Netflix, and the other for Hulu or HBO or something else. They each pay for one and let the other use their account. Each get to watch more and each service gets a subscriber they may not otherwise have.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by AC-x ( 735297 )

      TBH it sounds like anyone knowingly sharing their account will just be able to carry on, as the account owner just has to send them a code -

      In order to continue watching, the viewer is given the option of either verifying their identity (with a texted or emailed code to the account's owner)

  • Good for netflix (Score:3, Insightful)

    by mveloso ( 325617 ) on Thursday March 11, 2021 @05:24PM (#61149424)

    Making everyone have their own account will increase revenues tremendously. Don't worry about losing those people, they aren't customers.

    • Making everyone have their own account will increase revenues tremendously. Don't worry about losing those people, they aren't customers.

      Netflix is not stupid and they will know, how much revenue is lost through password sharing and how many viewers would just drop Netflix, if you couldn't devide the cost between a few friends. I'm currently pooling with 2 friends and on average watch Netflix one day a month. Netflix would lose that account if they'd enforce the sharing rule - I would not pay full for something I rarely use. My friends think the same.

      It's probably better to just increase the price of the 4 screen plan than to fight sharing t

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

        Netflix is not stupid and they will know, how much revenue is lost through password sharing and how many viewers would just drop Netflix, if you couldn't devide the cost between a few friends. I'm currently pooling with 2 friends and on average watch Netflix one day a month. Netflix would lose that account if they'd enforce the sharing rule - I would not pay full for something I rarely use. My friends think the same.

        It's probably better to just increase the price of the 4 screen plan than to fight sharing t

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by NFN_NLN ( 633283 )

          > simply stop the oldest stream (or a random stream) so the new stream can play. As an added bit of fun, forget the position of the stream you stopped.

          I don't even share my Amazon Prime account and it already has the feature.

      • As long as one of you buys your own subscription, Netflix breaks even. If this costs them too much, perhaps they will introduce per-day plans. You and your friends watching one day a month will pay 1/3 of monthly subscription each, and you get to watch anything during a 24hr window once a month (window stats when you start watching). According to you, all of you previously thought that price was worth it, so you will all pay, with no change to your spending.

    • Except that the dead beat who's using my account probably uses it more than I do.

      I have plenty of other free alternatives for content (I have free trials for most of the other streaming networks that end in a +), so I'd probably just cancel my Netflix account if it started hassling me.

    • Don't worry about losing those people, they aren't customers.

      Have you ever tried just telling a cocaine addict that you're cutting their supply unless they pay? I don't think I've heard of one saying, "Well I'll just go do crystal meth instead! I don't need cocaine!"

      What are these people going to do? Not watch TV? Certainly if they will then look at starting TV they will pick the streaming service which continues to show them the series they are half way through. If Netflix are smart they'll only send out these warnings to people who are half way through a series.

    • This is joking or you are the second Netflix guy here?

  • They want to stop a large family from sharing one account, and brother and sisters and grandparents....

  • What the fuck does 14 different location logged into HBO watching 16 different streams have to do with NetFlix?

  • Netflix is a poor, struggling company while all Americans are cheap, rich people who hate paying. Especially now, more Americans are awash in cash than ever before. Netflix needs all the cash to pay the domain name, hosting, and developing. That is why Netflix needs to crack down and boost their bottom line. Netflix needs the money and the average person does not. Same with the rest of the world. So much rich entitled people using this service and not wanting to pay. We are in a world of millionaires, every

  • But if you are sharing your password... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by SlashDotCanSuckMy777 ( 6182618 ) on Thursday March 11, 2021 @05:46PM (#61149506)

    You'll just flick a text to your mate to ok the verify text or email.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

      It will probably trim off some of the more remote users though. That old roommate who kept the password that you've completely forgotten about, that kind of thing. Those are also the cases where the paying customer is least likely get pissed off about it.

  • CowboyNeal (Score:3)

    by BeerFartMoron ( 624900 ) on Thursday March 11, 2021 @05:52PM (#61149528)
    CowboyNeal manages my watch list.
  • I share my parents Netflix account and my brother's Amazon account. I rarely use either. I also setup a plex server with sonarr, radarr and usenet and torrent for auto downloading. I think it has 50TB and a 1Gbps full line speed on an old (powerful) server. Everyone uses that and they can even request content via ombi.

  • They ain't got anything left I want to watch anyway.

    And I'll still be able to use my friend's Hulu account, haha!

  • Migrate profile (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Anrego ( 830717 ) on Thursday March 11, 2021 @06:20PM (#61149652)

    Would be nice if they added an option to bring your profile with you.

    Sounds silly, but I can't be the only one with family that still use my account not to save money but because they don't want to lose all their lists and recommendation history and all that.

    • Also worth noting that Netflix’ terms used to define a household in a much looser way that would have allowed a lot of the sort of sharing that is no longer permitted. For instance, the terms were previously loose enough that they would have allowed things like parents sharing an account with their college student children, or siblings who are both away at college to share with one another, even if they’re geographically distant.

      I shared my account with a family member back when that sort of sha

  • . I let my college kids use my profile. If netflix cuts them, it's time for me to cut netflix.
  • They are way overthinking this and making it more complicated than it needs to be. It should be fast and easy to connect considering all of the devices we use. We could be on a Roku with the family, on a laptop by myself, on my phone on the go, and between spouse and kids and all the multiple devices it can add up. Instead, they should focus on simultaneous streams. Limit it two or three simultaneously and you will limit it to just immediate family. Someone who shares it with many friends and distant family
  • LMAO! No, they want to BOOST subscribers by cutting off the leaches.
  • I'm curious to see how this plays out. I know one family, for example, which bought one big Netflix account. I forget how many seats/screens they can have at once, but I think it's the highest plan Netflix has, around $19/month. The family is currently spread out over four locations (two sets of grandparents, parents, and kid), but they have enough subscriptions that one person in each house can watch at the same time. If Netflix starts nagging for confirmation or asking for 2F authentication of some kinds

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

      Yup. I think I get five simultaneous streams. I use one and other members of my family (all different households) use a couple more. I'm paying for them, what business is it of Netflix where they're physically located? And no, people with kids, you're not special cases.

  • 'protect subscribers from security concerns', ya right. And pigs can fly. Protect their income. Security does not give income, security is expense only.
  • I would consider Netflix by myself if the Basic subscription had HD, I won't mind the restriction to one device, as I'm alone anyway. But I have to buy the more expensive subscription to have HD, that's just ridiculous as their competitors even have 4k in their basis subscription. I'm willing to pay 8 euro's for the basic with HD (really the max), but da fuck that I'm paying 11 euro's for HD.. Everybody has an HD screen these days, so HD is 'Basic'.. Ahwell, we can also enjoy most Netflix series and movies

  • They used to encourage password sharing as a way of bringing in new subscribers, and the message came straight from the top.

    https://techcrunch.com/2016/01... [techcrunch.com]

    This doesn't look too onerous yet, after all, the family and friends I share my account with can call me and we can take care of the verification. But if this starts being a regular thing, that sucks. Ironically I will immediately downgrade my plan from the 4-screen plan to the Basic if they do crack down on it. Account sharing is the only reason I'm pa

  • Is it my imagination, or has Netflix seriously gone downhill over the past few months compared to even a year or two ago? I mean, two years ago, I regarded Netflix as almost life-essential. Now, I go for days (occasionally weeks) at a time without watching ANYTHING on it.

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