Netflix is testing a way it can limit password sharing, in what could signal a notable shift of the streaming giant’s posture toward users.
“Is this your account?” an on-screen notification asks some of those trying to log on with credentials from someone outside their household, according to users’ screenshots. “If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching.”
Presumably, Netflix is relying on IP addresses to determine whether or not the currently logged-in user is part of the account owner’s household. If so, VPNs might be able to get around the restriction. And, of course, even if you’re using the account of someone who lives in a different area, you could always just ask them to read off the verification code for you.
For Netflix, this test is probably a step in the right direction; at least, as far as revenue is concerned. The company also claims it’s hoping this anti-account sharing measure will boost security. The rationale here is, if somebody discovers your login credentials and attempts to watch from another location, theoretically, this could stop them in their tracks and alert you to the breach.
Netflix hasn’t rolled this test out worldwide yet, and we don’t know exactly which regions it’s live in yet. However, provided the public outcry against it isn’t too significant, we wouldn’t be surprised to see it become a permanent fixture of the service in the near future.
