It was promised and as the months rolled by we forgot it was coming. We have been rudely reminded that it’s coming and that it’s almost here. Our days of sharing Netflix passwords are numbered.
It was almost a year ago that Netflix, the video streaming service, announced that they would be cracking down on password sharing.
After years of allowing the practice, even encouraging it at times, Netflix’s investors now want the mature company to start turning profits. Allowing 100 million people to mooch off their friends’ accounts is not in keeping with the new mandate. Gone are the days of growth, growth, growth at all costs.
Netflix has been testing out their anti-password sharing measures in a few countries in South America. We knew that to sweeten the deal, Netflix was going to allow account holders to add an extra user for a fee that’s less than the full plan price.
In Costa Rica a standard Netflix plan costs $8.99 but users can add an extra user for only $2.99. Netflix is hoping users take them up on this offer. They say that over 100 million households share passwords and if a decent percentage of them pay the extra $2.99, that translates into a few more coins in the piggybank.
That’s all dandy but how will Netflix stop us from sharing passwords?
Someone over at Netflix jumped the gun and updated their FAQ page to include details on how their anti-password sharing measures will work. They have since deleted that information but you know the internet, once something is out there it’s out there forever.
Netflix’s terms of service say you can share your password but only with people living at the same location as you. It doesn’t matter that it is your child, if they live elsewhere, you should not share your password with them.
To make sure that you abide by this, Netflix will force you to log in to the WiFi at your primary location every month. The now deleted FAQ answers said,
To ensure that your devices are associated with your primary location, Netflix is now asking users to connect to the Wi-Fi at your primary location, open the Netflix app or website, and watch something at least once every 31 days.
If you’re still using your ex’s password it’s going to be inconvenient to keep mooching. You will have to go over to their place and try to connect to their WiFi from some bush. So, pray that they don’t change their WiFi password regularly.
The measure above is simple but should be enough to be inconvenient for many moochers. Will it stop the determined moocher? No, but it will dissuade many a password-sharer from sharing.
How does Netflix know you’re not at your primary location?
It’s easy really,
Netflix uses information such as IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity to determine whether a device signed into your account is connected at your primary location.
I know the tech-savvy among us are screaming, ‘that can be fooled’ and yes, you can fool Netflix into thinking you are where you’re not. Only a tiny percentage of the 100 million households sharing passwords will be able to do this.
Won’t this whole ‘log in every month’ business end up punishing the good along with the bad? We talked about how DStv’s anti-password sharing measures seemed to inconvenience the good customer. Netflix knows that people do travel and so may be away from their primary locations sometimes.
Traveling users who want to use Netflix on a hotel smart TV, company laptop, etc. can request a temporary code from the service when signing in. This will give them access to their account for seven consecutive days.
When the 7 days are up you will have to connect to the WiFi at your primary location. So, if you can’t go without Netflix, you will have to plan your travels factoring in the above.
What do you think about Netflix’s upcoming anti-password sharing measures? They are still tweaking them but the leak suggests they will more or less look like what we discussed. Will they work or do you already know how you will go around them?-techzim