Netflix begins blocking users for password sharing without paying fee

Netflix has started blocking users for password sharing in the US and UK without paying a fee.

Back in 2022, Netflix announced its plans to roll out a new scheme that prevents users from openly sharing accounts with people outside of the primary household, such as their parents, for example.

Then later in the year, it was announced that by 2023 the crackdown will be in full force by adding an extra layer that would result in charging an additional fee for outside users. Other rules were in place that required the primary account holder to log into their household at least once every 31 days or risk having the account blocked.

Questions have also been asked: how will Netflix stop password sharing if you were on your travels? Thankfully, there is at least a solution in that respect. In that case, Netflix will require you to request a temporary code in advance that would be valid for a seven-day period.

This week, Netflix announced that it will outright ban users that share passwords without paying the required additional fee. As reported by our friends at UNILAD, emails were sent out to subscribers explaining that password sharing outside of the primary household is forbidden, unless the outsider pays the aforementioned fee. That additional fee is £4.99 in the UK and $7.99 in the US, which is on top of your standard subscription charge.

“We use information such as IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity to determine whether a device signed into your account is part of your Netflix Household," explained Netflix in a statement.

It continues: “We do not collect GPS data to try to determine the precise physical location of your devices. If a Netflix Household hasn’t been set, we will automatically set one for you based on IP address, device IDs, and account activity.”

It’s reported by The New York Times that Netflix has around 223 million subscribers worldwide, so it will be interesting to see 12 months from now whether that subscriber count has increased or decreased.

In related Netflix news, the entire Harry Potter movie collection recently arrived on the streaming platform and is already proving to be a massive success with subscribers and even comes with a vital feature.