Netflix says new password-sharing rules were released by accident | Tech News

Netflix says the update to combat password sharing was issued in error.

Following widespread disappointment on social media, with many threatening to cancel their memberships, the streaming giant claims some new account rules it was trialling in other countries were accidentally added to help pages elsewhere.

Subscribers have been expecting the company to roll out anti-password sharing regulations since last year, when the platform got tough during membership stagnationDegree The crackdown announced earlier this week Caught some people off guard.

One of the changes is a feature that allows users to add subaccounts for up to two people who don’t live together, essentially aiming to monetize the way subscribers have shared passwords over the years.

It has been tested in parts of South America and costs the equivalent of £2-3 extra per month.

Netflix – home of shows like this one crown, squid gameand strange things – Says a help page about “pay to share” was live “briefly” in other countries and has since been removed.

To strengthen the fight, Netflix wants to treat devices using your account as trusted. In practice, this means using them regularly on your home wifi network.

You’ll need to open the app and watch content on a trusted device at least every 31 days, or risk constant verification requests to make sure no one outside your household uses your account.

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O Yeong-su (left) with the rest of the Squid Game cast in the Netflix series.Photo: Associated Press
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Squid Game is one of Netflix’s most popular shows.Photo: Associated Press

Why is Netflix doing this?

Despite the backlash, Netflix expects to place greater emphasis on password sharing this year.

In December, the Intellectual Property Office clarified that password sharers may indeed be violating copyright law, but it’s up to the streaming services themselves to enforce them.

Netflix has already started trying to get people Transfer profiles from one account to another.

With more competition from similar companies disney+ and amazon Prime and the cost of living crisis, the company is looking for ways to grow revenue and grow its subscriber base, which exceeds 230 million.

But fans weren’t happy with that, and were quick to point to a 2017 tweet in which Netflix proudly proclaimed: “Love is sharing passwords.”

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