Netflix is testing a new feature that could prevent non-subscribers from withdrawing from a friend or family member’s account and effectively stop people from sharing passwords for the streaming service.
The new feature is being tested among a small, random sample of customers around the world. Selected users are asked to confirm that they are – or live with – the account holder when entering credentials to connect to the video streaming platform. A code is sent to the subscriber, which the user is asked to provide. Test subjects also have the option to skip the prompt and check the account later to continue the submission or create a new account.
“This test is designed to ensure that people who use Netflix accounts are allowed to do so,” a Netflix spokesman told CBS MoneyWatch.
Netflix currently offers three different subscriptions – top-level subscribers are allowed to share their accounts with up to three household members.
A source familiar with the Netflix test said it was not a “repression”, but that the company was looking for “consumer-friendly ways to approach 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 counter this is to test our way to this type of verification,” the source said, adding that the way Netflix can proceed remains “in the air.”
Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, previously touched on password sharing without indicating plans to take action. “Password sharing is something you have to learn to live with,” he said in 2016. “There are so many legitimate password sharing, like sharing with your husband, with your children, so there is no bright line. and we do well as such. “
Netflix has over 200 million subscribers worldwide and has recently increased its prices as its popularity continued to grow during the coronavirus pandemic. Streaming plans cost between $ 9 and $ 18 per month.