Netflix crackdown on password sharing

I got my Netflix email this week.

Yes, I know. I talk about how I don't watch Netflix. And I don't. So, why did I get an email from Netflix? Well, having a Netflix account doesn't mean I watch Netflix. But I am paying for Netflix for someone else. For the time being, anyway. At this writing, the subscription ends in June. I may extend it with the ad-supported plan.

Back on topic: I got my Netflix email this week. You know the one. The one where Netflix is letting people know that you can't share passwords with people who live outside your household:

Your Netflix account is for you and the people you live with — your household.

You can easily watch Netflix on the go and when you travel — either on your personal devices or a TV at a hotel or vacation home.

To control how your account is used, you can:

• Check who’s using your Netflix. Review which devices are signed in to your account. Sign out of devices that shouldn’t have access and consider changing your password.

If you want to share Netflix with someone outside of your household, you can use these features:

• Transfer a profile. Anyone on your account can transfer a profile to a new membership that they pay for.
• Buy an extra member. You can share your Netflix account with someone who doesn’t live with you for $7.99/month more.

We know you might have questions. Our Help Center has detailed information for you.

Thank you for choosing Netflix. We appreciate your membership and we look forward to bringing you more great TV shows and movies.

The Netflix team

I'm logged in to a few devices at home, but I haven't used them in a long long time. My girlfriend is logged into one device at her house, and that's the only one that has been active. The account is in my name, but she's the only one using it. Is that a violation of Netflix rules? Well, maybe. But I'm not using the account at two different households. She doesn't watch Netflix at my house, and I don't watch Netflix at all.

So, I don't know if I got the email because they detected logins at multiple locations, or if they simply sent the email to everyone with a current account.

She already is used to the idea of not having Netflix. One of her children was sharing passwords with her, and she had her own profile set up on that account. But she was told about the crackdown and was disappointed, as she had just started watching some series. So, I restarted my account using the ad-supported plan and logged in on her device. Then upgraded to the regular plan.

So, now I'll either drop to the ad-supported plan in June, or drop it altogether. She hasn't watched anything in the last few weeks, so I'm thinking I'll just drop it.

I understand why Netflix is doing what it's doing. They're bleeding money, and if this increases revenue, then good for them. I don't watch it because it doesn't have enough value for me. I have enough to watch without it. My Streaming Life has survived without Netflix for quite some time, and will continue to do so. I'm hoping my girlfriend feels the same way.