Netflix crack down on password sharing by trialling new non-household user costs

If you're still mooching off your parents' Netflix accounts, then this is important news for you!

Less than a week after Netflix announces a price increase for all Irish customers, the streaming service has confirmed that it is trialling a new costing trial in the hopes of cracking down on password sharing. The test is due to begin in three specific countries - Chile, Costa Rica and Peru - before being potentially trialled and/or launched fully elsewhere. The trial will allow account holders to share their account passwords with non-household users for an additional cost, with that cost being less than an entirely separate Netflix subscription plan. Under the current Netflix terms of service, it states that a customer's account "may not be shared with individuals beyond your household." Variety reports that Chengyi Long, the director of product innovation at Netflix, had the following to say about the new trial: "We’ve always made it easy for people who live together to share their Netflix account, with features like separate profiles and multiple streams in our Standard and Premium plans. While these have been hugely popular, they have also created some confusion about when and how Netflix can be shared. As a result, accounts are being shared between households - impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films for our members. "We’ll be working to understand the utility of these two features for members in these three countries before making changes anywhere else in the world." In those test countries, Variety reports that a Netflix user may be prompted to verify their account only if a device outside of their household logs in to the account. Netflix may then ask the user to verify the login from the device by sending a verification code.