Netflix Is Cracking Down on Viewers Who Have Shared Their Password

Netflix is testing a new login policy this dissuades users from sharing their password with other people who live outside of their household. The streaming company is reportedly testing this feature with select customers and is not yet rolling it out to all accounts.

According to CNBC and The Streamable, which first reported this trial, Netflix recently started monitoring select users. Specifically, the company was looking for people sharing their account credentials with people outside of their household.

When an account raised suspicion, Netflix would prompt the user to sign up for their own account.

The dialog box would read: “If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching. In order to continue, they need to verify the account with a E-mail or Text Code, or create a new account with a 30-Day Free Trial.”

It is not clear how Netflix determines that the user may be outside the household. The company may be scanning for multiple logins from different geographical locations or looking for access from separate IP addresses.

When asked for a comment by CNBC and The Streamable, Netflix said this is one of “hundreds” of tests that it conducts each year. With this particular test, the streaming service is testing ways to “ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so.”

According to Netflix’s terms of service, an account can only be shared with members of the same household. Users who are outside the household must have their own accounts.