Netflix Could Start Cracking Down On Password Sharing In The New Year

If your siblings or ex are still using your Netflix account, it’s time they get their own, as the streaming site is reportedly planning to clamp down on password-sharing in early 2023.

According to the Wall Street Journal, persistent rumors suggest Netflix has been looking into different ways to combat the problem. Of course, people have been sharing passwords since the start of the site, so why crack down now? 

MacRumors notes that the company was able to ignore the issue for years due to its ever-increasing subscription rate. However, with this year being the first time it’s faced a decline in subscribers, Netflix’s CEO Reed Hastings has decided to tackle the problem. 

Starting next year, Netflix may make it mandatory to pay to share accounts with people not living in your home. A trial has been ongoing in certain countries, where an additional fee of US$3 is charged per user, and could be expanded to the US.

The WSJ report states that the firm could enforce these new anti-sharing policies by tracking users’ IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity. Netflix is well aware that the measures might cause a backlash, so it could decide to enact these rules gradually through different phases instead of all at once. 

Apart from eliminating password-sharing, the company has also looked to grow its subscriber network by offering a more affordable ad-supported tier recently, which goes for US$6.99 per month instead of the usual US$9.99 monthly fee. 

[via MacRumors and Wall Street Journal, cover image via Rafael Henrique | Dreamstime.com]