Netflix is testing a new feature that can prevent non-subscribers from returning the account of a friend or family member and preventing people from sharing passwords for the streaming service.
The new feature is being tested under a small, random sample of customers worldwide. Selected users are asked to confirm that they are the account holder – or live with them – when entering referrers to sign in to the video streaming platform. A code is sent to the subscriber which the user then has to give. Test subjects also have the option to move past the appointment and verify the account later to continue streaming, or to create a new account.
“This test is designed to ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so,” a Netflix spokesman told CBS MoneyWatch.
Netflix currently offers three different memberships – top classes can share their accounts with up to three additional household members.
A source familiar with the Netflix test said it was not a ‘suppression’ but that the company was looking for ‘consumer-friendly ways to address password sharing and engage members in the process’ protect. ‘
The streaming platform also wants to protect hundreds of millions of members from unauthorized use of their accounts. “The only way to keep it going is to test us after this type of verification,” the source said, adding that how Netflix can proceed, “remains in the air.”
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings had earlier paid attention to sharing passwords without pointing out that there were plans to take action. “Password sharing is something you have to learn to live with,” he said in 2016. “There is so much legal sharing of passwords, like sharing with your spouse, with your children, so there is no clear line, and we are doing well as well.”
Netflix has more than 200 million subscribers around the world and recently increased its prices as its popularity continued to increase during the coronavirus pandemic. Power plans cost between $ 9 and $ 18 a month.