Netflix, US streaming service, is considering a new
initiative to curb the sharing of password among unauthorised users.
According to BBC, the company’s spokesperson said the
development has become imperative to ensure only subscribers enjoy its
services.
“This test is designed to help ensure that people using
Netflix accounts are authorised to do so,” the spokesperson was quoted as
saying.
There are indications that the initiative — currently
undergoing trial — may lead to a larger crackdown around password sharing when
completed and applied.
Some users said they have started seeing a notification
which read “If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own
account to keep watching” on their screen.
With the new arrangement, users can verify they are allowed
to access the account by a code, sent via text or email.
Although the streaming giant has not revealed statistics of
people using its services without approval, password sharing among users is
said to have increased since the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
A recent report by Magid, a market-research company, showed
“one-third of subscribers to services like Netflix share their password with
someone outside their household”.
While Netflix and other streaming giants support the
creation of multiple profiles within an account among users, the terms and
conditions specify they are meant to be used by people in the household.
Reed Hastings, Netflix co-founder and chief executive, had
during a 2016 webcast, spoken on the seeming impossibility of addressing
password sharing among users.
“Password sharing is something you have to learn to live
with, because there’s so much legitimate password sharing, like you sharing
with your spouse, with your kids, so there’s no bright line, and we’re doing
fine as is,” he had said.
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