Here’s how Netflix will crack down on account sharing

TO UPDATE: Netflix’s approach to cracking down on account sharing for US users isn’t set in stone, at least not yet. A company spokesman told PCMag: “A Help Center article with information specific to Chile, Costa Rica and Peru went live in other countries for a short time yesterday. We have since updated it.”

Netflix uploaded briefly on Tuesday, according to the Internet Archive(Opens in a new window) the Help Center article to request it for the US market before deactivating it.

Original story:

Netflix is ​​finally revealing more about how it will crack down on account sharing.

The good news is, if you live in the same house as the paid Netflix account holder, you can still share access — even if you’re at work or traveling. TVs, phones, and laptops that regularly stream from the account holder’s “main location” are referred to as “trusted devices.”

The bad news: Devices that routinely try to watch Netflix from outside of the account holder’s main location can expect to be blocked. The account holder must opt ​​into the paid sharing option in order for someone outside the household to stream from their Netflix account.

The updated policy document for users in Peru. (Image credit: Netflix)

Details have been shared in updated support documents(Opens in a new window) which currently apply to Chile, Costa Rica and Peru, where Netflix has been testing the new policy. The company plans to roll it out to the rest of the world later this quarter.

A lingering concern about the upcoming crackdown on account sharing is whether it will affect paid Netflix subscribers who regularly stream from different locations, e.g. B. in the gym, at the airport or on a bus. The support doc basically says don’t worry. Paying subscribers and anyone living with them can continue to get uninterrupted access — as long as they connect to Wi-Fi at their main location and watch something on Netflix at least once every 31 days.

“This creates a trusted device so you can watch Netflix even when you’re not in your primary location,” the support doc states. Netflix adds that it uses a combination of “IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity to determine if a device logged into your account is connected to your primary location.”

However, the company warns that if you use Netflix through a VPN, even if you’re at the subscriber’s main location, you could lose access. This is probably because a VPN changes your device’s IP address to a different country, making it appear as if a stranger is trying to access your Netflix account.

If the account holder is traveling and encounters a ban, they can make a request(Opens in a new window) a temporary code that grants them access to their device for seven consecutive days. Additionally, the paying subscriber can update the primary location for their Netflix account if they plan to be away from home for more than 31 days.

On the other hand, the policy will make it more difficult for paying subscribers to freely share a Netflix account with people living outside their household. How much Netflix plans to charge US subscribers for the paid sharing option remains unclear. But in Latin America, the company has asked account holders to pay an additional $2.99 ​​per month for it.

Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Meanwhile, the US support document(Opens in a new window) for account sharing needs to be updated.