From this week on, Netflix account owners may be greeted with a new sign-in pop-up asking them to verify their identity via SMS, or emailed verification code.
"If you don't live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching," the message reads, along with the option to "Join Free for 30 Days."
While Netflix has been exploring ways to curb password sharing for years, a representative for the leading on-demand streaming service stressed the importance of maintaining account security for customers.
"This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so," a company spokesperson for the streaming service told Reuters this week.
Naturally, netizens of all ages took issue with the change, and some even accused the company of attempting a money-grab under the guise of digital security.
please it happened to me yesterday. 😭 pic.twitter.com/G3FMeFuDva
— isabel. (@heshrry) March 11, 2021
yeah, like, its mine i can share the password with who tf i want
— Vinni 🦋 (@Vinnivats) March 11, 2021
that’s a bold face lie they just want more money. we get emails whenever someone logs in and if it’s unauthorized, we can log them out like??? that’s why HBO max is the superior streaming app🙄
— sɪᴍᴏɴᴇ ᴍɪssɪᴄᴋ sᴛᴀɴ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ (@heyyitsjanea) March 11, 2021
Netflix testing out a new feature to crack down on password sharing. This will play when someone logs in pic.twitter.com/cA0mFSyHcC
— BluRay𝔸ngel (@BluRayAngel) March 11, 2021
Netflix: well we are in the midst of a huge and terrible economic crisis... Seems like perfect time to Crack down on Password sharing, right?
— 💚Maelee Thee Zombie💁🏽♀️ (@Mae_DayJ) March 12, 2021
Speaking as a Netflix account holder, If I give somebody my Netflix password it’s because I want them to have it. Netflix is charging way too much, considering they used to be like $8, to be putting up with bs. pic.twitter.com/LLwgg5FiHs
— 𝙼𝙰𝙽𝚂𝚃𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚂 𝙳𝙸𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙴𝚂 𝙾𝚄𝚃 𝙽𝙾𝚆 🐑 (@DarrellC_Scott) March 11, 2021
This is like when fast food spots made us start paying for water cups to stop us from getting Pepsi.https://t.co/PtzTgxsZMR
— Roy Wood Jr- Ex Jedi (@roywoodjr) March 12, 2021
seems.. difficult to enforce and the plans we purchase explicitly allow multiple screens
— Bill Dinger (@adazlian) March 12, 2021
Netflix presently offers basic ($8.99), standard ($13.99) and premium ($17.99) packages.
Customers paying for the standard and premium packages are allowed to simultaneously stream content on two and four devices, respectively.
It's worth noting that users are able to skip the new prompt and verify their identity at a later time. It is unclear how many skips are allowed, or if skips will eventually lock a user out of the Netflix account.
