But that was then, and that is now.
The California-based streaming big is shifting to crack down on password sharing — emphasizing that “a Netflix account is for people who live together in a single household,” with individuals who don’t stay on the similar handle seemingly quickly requiring their very own accounts — resulting in users lamenting the top of an period and recalling tales of affection, friendships and breakups made doable by shared passwords.
Sharing a Netflix password was “one step closer to ‘I do,’” lamented one Twitter user, whereas one other noted: “netflix really went from ‘love is sharing your password’ to ‘we’re gonna block your access if you dont return to your parents house across the country within 31 days.’”
The newest backlash started after Netflix inadvertently up to date its Help Center page on Wednesday for some international locations, stating that users must hook up with WiFi networks at their “primary location” not less than as soon as each 31 days to make sure their gadgets nonetheless have entry to their account. Devices that aren’t related to the account’s major location could also be blocked from Netflix, until the account proprietor pays extra so as to add an additional member.
The coverage sparked outrage with international users, and Netflix stepped in to say the coverage hadn’t been carried out in every single place but. “For a brief time yesterday, a help center article containing information that is only applicable to Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru, went live in other countries. We have since updated it,” mentioned Netflix spokesperson MoMo Zhou. The firm has not given a date for when the change would possibly apply to users in the United States or elsewhere. About 30 million households in the United States and Canada share passwords, in accordance with Netflix.
Nonetheless, the injury appears to be finished, with Netflix users around the globe arguing that the method misunderstands what trendy households — which frequently embody long-distance {couples} or households with youngsters in school, in addition to particular person users who journey for work or don’t have one secure residence — are like.
“I’ve had Netflix for 13 years, genuinely going to cancel over this. My sister & I share an account, does it really matter that we don’t live together? It’s still 2 people using it either way. Awful,” commented one particular person.
“This policy comes with an assumption: that there is a commonly understood, universal meaning of “household,” and that software program can decide who’s and isn’t a member,” remarked one other.
Moving in with my boyfriend to thwart Netflix’s anti password sharing scheme
— Jenna Danyew ❄️ (@Damnyew) February 2, 2023
Others, together with gymnastics star Simone Biles, have spoken of the sheer inconvenience of getting to re-login to Netflix each 31 days to affirm their major location and credentials.
Late evening discuss present hosts in the U.S. have made jokes concerning the resolution, urging Netflix executives to vary their thoughts. Others have joked that they might want to diarize “Happy Monthly Netflix Log In Day.”
making a spreadsheet of all of the gadgets I’ve @Netflix on and setting my calendar alert as soon as a month to spend an hour logging in to all of them Happy Monthly Netflix Log In Day y’all ?
— Erin Biba (@erinbiba) February 2, 2023
Users have additionally decried the inconvenience to individuals who incessantly journey for work — a specific concern amid the rise in distant working.
“As somebody who often isn’t home for long periods of time, ease of use was a big deal,” one Reddit person wrote, including that he plans to cancel his account “and use Netflix for three months a year, because in my specific situation this is too much hassle.”
Others nervous concerning the information privateness implications, with digital rights activist Evan Greer tweeting: “Has anyone done a deep dive on the privacy and security implications of Netflix fingerprinting your home WiFi Network and essentially creating a record of when you are home or not … just to crack down on password sharing?”
The streaming big has argued that “monetizing unpaid viewing” is crucial to its future. “Today’s widespread account sharing (100M+ households) undermines our long term ability to invest in and improve Netflix, as well as build our business,” a letter to buyers final month mentioned.
Users, nonetheless, have accused Netflix of hypocrisy, drawing consideration to Netflix’s earlier messages, which have at instances appeared to have a good time, or wink at, password sharing.
At the CES expertise present in 2016, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings mentioned the corporate “loved” that individuals share Netflix accounts and described it as “a positive thing, not a negative thing,” according to CNET.
And in 2020, a Twitter person mentioned his brother’s ex-partner “had been stealing our Netflix for the past two months” and had named her account “settings” to keep away from being discovered. “I ain’t even mad. I’m just really disappointed in myself for actually believing that an account named “settings” would legitimately be Netflix settings,” the person mentioned.
Netflix’s official account merely replied: “Respect.”
In 2021, following a pandemic-related growth in demand for streaming companies, and amid a veritable explosion of latest rival streaming companies reminiscent of HBOmax, Netflix started testing methods to restrict password sharing amongst some users.
The firm has acknowledged that it may face a wave of preliminary cancellations on account of cracking down on password sharing. However, citing some success in rising engagement in Latin America following the paid sharing take a look at it rolled out final yr, the corporate mentioned that “as borrower households begin to activate their own stand-alone accounts and extra member accounts are added, we expect to see improved overall revenue.”
And, whereas the corporate had a difficult begin to 2022, it added 7.7 million new subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2022, beating forecasts. The development was largely pushed by the success of content material reminiscent of TV sequence “Wednesday,” an Addams Family spinoff, and royal documentary “Harry & Meghan,” each hits with international audiences. Netflix now has 231 million paid subscribers worldwide.
Rachel Lerman contributed to this report.