Netflix is testing a new feature that can prevent non-subscribers from signing out of a friend or relative’s account and effectively prevent people from sharing passwords for the streaming service.
The new feature is being tested among a small random sample of customers worldwide. Selected users are being asked to confirm that they are – or live with – the account holder when they enter their credentials to log in to the video streaming platform. A code is sent to the subscriber, which the user must provide. Test participants also have the option to go beyond the prompt and verify the account later to continue streaming or to create a new account.
“This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so,” a Netflix spokesman told CBS MoneyWatch.
Netflix currently offers three different memberships – top-tier subscribers are allowed to share their accounts with up to three additional family members.
A source familiar with the Netflix test said that it does not constitute a “crackdown”, but that the company is looking for “consumer friendly ways to deal with password sharing and protect members in the process”.
The streaming platform also wants to protect its hundreds of millions of members from unauthorized use of their accounts. “The only way to control this is to test our path to this type of verification,” said the source, adding that the way Netflix can proceed remains “on the air.”
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings previously mentioned sharing passwords without indicating any action plans. “Password sharing is something you have to learn to live with,” he said in 2016. “There is just as much legitimate password sharing as you share with your spouse, with your children, so there is no clear line, and we are doing well as it is. “
Netflix has more than 200 million subscribers worldwide and recently raised its prices as its popularity continued to grow during the coronavirus pandemic. Streaming plans cost between $ 9 and $ 18 a month.