Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Courtney Eales

Netflix will charge for sharing passwords but is it morally wrong?

Sharing your Netflix password across households is something millions across the UK do.

Everyone knows someone who still uses their ex's password or lets their mum and dad use theirs so they can afford other luxuries - like paying the gas bill. Even if you don't know someone like that then there's a good chance you are that person yourself.

Read more: TV licence rules for Sky, Netflix, Amazon Prime and other streaming service users

But this all looks set to change as the streaming giant has issued a warning that they are going to be looking for password sharers, and potentially banning them from the streaming platform. They have said they will be focusing on people who share passwords between households, with industry watchers speculating they have become keen to track down password fraud now that their subscriber numbers are shrinking.

The warning from Netflix has confirmed the crackdown will begin in the first quarter of the year - either February or March. From then, people hoping to share an account across multiple households will need to fork out an additional fee for the privilege.

Netflix’s director of product innovation, Chengyi Long, explained: “Today’s widespread account sharing between households undermines our long term ability to invest in and improve our service. So we’ve been carefully exploring different ways for people who want to share their account to pay a bit more.”

Netflix seem to be effectively saying people who share passwords are stealing from them. Do you agree? If you think sharing is fine then what makes you think that? Would you rather drop Netflix completely than pay for sharing? Let us know in the comments.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.