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Netflix cracks down on password sharing
The streaming service Netflix warned us it would crackdown on password sharing, and it has finally begun. The FOX 5 I-Team's Dana Fowle explains some nuances to the rules that may make the shift easier to manage.
ATLANTA - The streaming service Netflix warned us it would crack down on password sharing. And it has begun. But there are nuances to the rules that might make the shift easier to manage.
No one outside your household is supposed to use your password to access your Netflix account. It's always been the rule, but the company has looked the other way. Now you must add people to your account for an extra $7.99 a month. But what's a household? Does that include a college student who lives on campus part of the year? Netflix explains that "it's the people you live with."
So that college student may now have to pay that fee to log on to mom and dad's account. If you realize you've been busted using someone else's password to watch Netflix for free, you will have to get your own account. But the streaming service will allow you to take your viewing history and preferences with you.
Netflix has always known passwords were being shared. But they looked ignored it because, frankly, there wasn't a lot of competition. Now there is. If they catch your log-in at another location, the primary account holder will be asked to verify with a four-digit verification code.