Netflix is testing a new feature that can prevent non-subscribers from piggybacking on a friend or family member’s account and effectively prevent people from sharing passwords for the streaming service.
The new feature is tested on a small random sample of customers around the world. Selected users will be asked to confirm that they are the account holder or cohabiting when they enter credentials to log in to the video streaming platform. A code is sent to the subscriber who is then prompted to the user. Subjects also have the option to go past the prompt and later verify the account to continue streaming or create a new account.
“This test is designed to ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so,” a Netflix spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch.
Currently, Netflix offers three different memberships: top-tier subscribers are allowed to share their accounts with up to three additional family members.
A source familiar with Netflix’s test said it is not a “ crackdown, ” but that the company is looking for “ consumer-friendly ways to handle password sharing and protect members. ”
The streaming platform also wants to protect its hundreds of millions of members from unauthorized use of their accounts. “The only way to keep that in check is to test our way to this kind of verification,” the source said, adding that how Netflix can proceed remains “in the air”.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings previously talked about password sharing without specifying plans to take action. “Password sharing is something you have to learn to live with,” he said in 2016. “There’s so much legitimate password sharing, like sharing with your partner, with your kids, so there’s no clear line, and it goes good with us as it is. “
Netflix has more than 200 million subscribers around the world and recently increased its prices as its popularity continued to grow during the coronavirus pandemic. Streaming plans cost between $ 9 and $ 18 per month.