Netflix removes anti-password sharing rules days after posting them

It's a fable that has been passed down from generation to generation for what might be a couple of years now - don't accidentally post something you weren't meant to.

You might be several summers deep in your situationship's Instagram profile when your clumsy claws likes the photo with them and their previous flame. Now you wish for the world to disappear but there's nothing to do. It's embarrassing, awkward and cringey, and it seems the same thing has happened to Netflix.

As per Sky News, those unfriendly password sharing rules weren't meant for everyone. Last week, the streaming service said that those who want to use the same account as someone else must connect to the Wi-Fi at the account holder's primary location, open the Netflix app or website, and watch a film or show at least once every 31 days.

I cancelled Netflix ages ago, and to be honest, the only thing I miss is Arcane - check out the trailer for the League of Legends spinoff below:

It doesn't take a deerstalker to work out that this is not feasible for a lot of viewers. So, it's coincidental that the company has walked back on these password sharing rules, saying that they were in fact "new account rules being trialled in other countries" and were inadvertently added to help pages in regions outside of this try-out.

As annoying as some subscribers might see these new rules, it could be counted as a crime to share your password in the United Kingdom. "Piracy is a major issue for the entertainment and creative industries," said Intellectual Property Office last year, adding "accessing without paying a subscription" to its list of infringements in criminal and civil law.

Nevertheless, it's down to Netflix to pursue password sharers, and given the fact that this total comes to a whopping 100 million users, these new measures are a marginally more efficient way of weeding out the reprobates.

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