Following Netflix's lead, Hulu and Disney+ are now taking steps to crack down on password sharing.
Disney+ has begun a crackdown in Canada and is now emailing US members to announce new terms and conditions, which include restrictions on sharing passwords between households …
A relatively common way to save money, especially among young people, is to use your parents’ to log into a video streaming system at home, or for friends from different households to use the same account.
The savings for the viewer, however, represent a missed opportunity to sell an additional subscription to the streaming companies.
Netflix launched the project a year ago, first outside the US, and then brought it to the US last May.
In a post on its innovation blog, Netflix announced that it will now begin notifying subscribers who share accounts between households to pay.
“A Netflix account is intended for use by a single family,” the company says. “Everyone who lives in this home can use Netflix wherever they are—at home, on the go, on vacation—and benefit from new features like profile sharing and access and device management.”
Crackdown on Hulu and Disney+ password sharing
Disney+ followed suit last year example in Canada and has now started notifying US account holders that it will be doing the same here.
We're adding restrictions on sharing your account outside of your household and explaining how we can evaluate your compliance with those restrictions.
The Verge notes that Hulu is also participating .
Hulu just laid the groundwork for kicking friends, family and freeloaders from its streaming service unless they pay for it. your own accounts. This week, the company revised its Terms of Service to explicitly prohibit the sharing of passwords outside of “your primary personal residence” and began telling subscribers that they will need to comply with them until March 14, 2024.
Various signals are used for verification
Checking the IP address is one of the ways which companies can use to check whether people are logging in from more than one location. Most of them are aimed at detecting and blocking the use of VPN services.
But other signals are also used, such as detecting situations where two or more users are viewing different content at the same time. While this is permitted within a single household, it is likely to be done less frequently within a household.
To allow for Netflix use while traveling, Netflix allows you to use it from different geographic locations as long as you log in with your registered address at least once a month.
Photo by Brian McGowan on Unsplash
