NETFLIX has promised to crack down on users who share their passwords with friends or family members.
It means that if you borrow someone’s login, you may have to start paying for your own account in full instead.
Netflix already offers some account-sharing features, designed to let people in a single household use one login.
Profiles let users switch between their own browsing history.
But Netflix worries that some users are sharing their logins among different households, with distant pals or even stranges.
Speaking at Netflix’s Q3 2019 earnings last week, Netflix product chief Greg Peters said the firm wants to address password-sharing without “alienating a certain portion of [the] user base”.
“We continue to monitor it so we’re looking at the situation,” he said.
“We’ll see those consumer-friendly ways to push on the edges of that.”
Netflix hasn’t detailed exactly what that means for users.
But experts told The Sun that we’re already seeing some early signs of a crackdown.
“They are policing this [already] by blocking the third concurrent screen if two screens are in use at the same time,” said Michael Pachter, a top analyst at Wedbush Securities, speaking to The Sun.
“That doesn’t help if the users are in different time zones, as many households with kids in college are.
“However, it definitely cracks down on widespread password sharing.”
He added: “They also have a way to track device usage and can require two-factor authentication, although they’ve haven’t rolled that out yet.”
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The news follows a major announcement by tech firm Synamedia about a new AI system that cracks down on account sharing.
It uses machine learning technology to track shared passwords on streaming services.
And this technology could then be used to force users to upgrade to a premium service, or even shut down their account.
“Casual credentials sharing is becoming too expensive to ignore,” said product chief Jean Marc Racine, speaking at the CES event in Las Vegas this year.
“Our new solution gives operators the ability to take action.
“Many casual users will be happy to pay an additional fee for a premium, shared service.
“It’s a great way to keep honest people honest, while benefiting from an incremental revenue stream.”
In other news, the BBC may give ever licence fee payer a free TV streaming stick “to combat Netflix”.
The BBC and ITV have teamed up for a new £5.99-a-month streaming service called BritBox.
Apple is preparing to launch its own streaming service called Apple TV+ on November 1.
And Netflix recently hiked prices for some users by up to £2 a month.
Do you think Netflix is right to crack down on account sharing? Let us know in the comments!
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