A couple years ago, Netflix said they were considering "consumer-friendly ways" of stopping people from sharing passwords. And now, we might be seeing their first stab at it.
According to a recent article from the HollywoodReporter.com, some people have received an on-screen message saying, quote, "Start your own Netflix for free today. If you don't live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching."
Then, you're asked to confirm your account by entering a verification code, which would be sent to the owner of the account by email or text.
BUT . . . for now there's also an option that says "verify later," which lets you continue watching. It's unclear how long they'll let you put it off.
A Netflix spokesperson says, quote, "This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so."
Of course, if Netflix is ONLY looking to boot unwanted piggy-backers who gain access to someone's account and then never leave . . . this should do the trick.
But for people who are INTENTIONALLY sharing passwords, it just means that you'd occasionally also have to share codes, which could be tolerable, unless they force you to verify every time people sign in from different locations.
For now, Netflix is spinning this as one of hundreds of test features in various markets . . . so not everyone may see the message. It's also possible that they later abandon the experiment, or expand it.
