New Netflix sharing rules

Netflix has introduced new rules to prevent password sharing. The company has been testing ways to stop users from sharing passwords in some South American countries for a little while now. The USA is now reaping the benefits of that testing.

If this is a surprise to you, you have good reason to be surprised. Netflix itself had once, around six years ago, tweeted "Love is sharing a password." That sentiment has changed.

Netflix posted new rules, or guidelines, about what they're doing to make it difficult to share passwords.

When someone signs into your account from a device that is not associated with your Netflix household, or if your account is accessed persistently from a location outside of your household, we may ask you to verify that device before it can be used to watch Netflix. We do this to confirm that the device using the account is authorized to do so.

To verify a device:

1. Netflix sends a link to the email address or phone number associated with the primary account owner.
2. The link opens a page with a 4-digit verification code.
3. The code needs to be entered on the device that requested it within 15 minutes.
• If the code expired, you will need to request a new verification code from the device.
4. Once successful, that device can be used to watch Netflix.
5. Device verification may be required periodically.

If you suspect unauthorized use of your account, we recommend you reset your password immediately. You can also sign out of all the devices connected to it.

The idea is to make it difficult to share passwords. None of these steps will stop password sharing, but it may make it more difficult to use a shared password.

I don't share Netflix passwords. Heck, I rarely use Netflix myself, and I don't share my Netflix password with others. Does that make me a bad person? Actually, quite the opposite. The fact is that Netflix is simply enforcing rules that others have ignored for years. Even Netflix ignored the rules, as that tweet from 2017 indicated.

Some will still share passwords and go through the process to verify access, but Netflix is hoping people will just get their own Netflix account. You know, like they should. What will happen, I think, is that it will make it more difficult for legitimate users. Well, for some, at least.

Will it make users of shared passwords get their own account? Maybe. Probably not. Some will simply stop using Netflix. Others will jump through the new hoops. People have a way of reacting in unexpected ways. Netflix is an important part of many people's Streaming Life. However, they may about to upset a lot of those people.