Netflix’s new test to prevent password sharing is confusing users during its pilot program in Costa Rica, Chile, and Peru. Netflix’s new password-sharing pilot program is simple: it hits users who share passwords with an additional charge. The streaming service is defining a household as the immediate people that a subscriber lives with. So you can share your password with your roommates, but not your family member who lives across the country. If you do want to share your account with those outside your home, you can add additional users for a fee of course. A spokesperson for Netflix says that the fee is around $2 USD, but it varies from region to region.
Netflix started testing this new program in March and user reaction has been mostly negative. Some users have canceled their Netflix subscription entirely, while others have continued to share their passwords with no repercussions from the company. Note that Netflix is testing different versions across Peru, Cost Rica, and Chile.
Competition from streaming services like Hulu and HBO Max is giving consumers a choice, something Netflix probably wasn’t too worried about in the past, but now it is a different ballgame. The company’s Terms of Use already say password sharing beyond households isn’t allowed, but for now, it seems passwords in the U.S. are still shareable without fear of being charged a fine. For the moment.
Source Gizmodo
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