Netflix Profile Transfer Feature Hints at Upcoming Account Sharing Crackdown

[AppleTO]

there's also the fact that they might not actually do anything at all, and just the talk of doing it might trigger some people into stopping sharing.

play the mind games card.

That’s exactly what I was thinking. This actually may be more of a social engineering trick rather than a technical one. As others have said, it would be a near impossible task to accurately detect who is actually using a device as there are so many variables involved. They’ll just end up frustrating users with identity questions and text codes and such…

 

[Dan From Canada]

Netflix: Cutting off their nose to spite their face.

 

[gsurf123]

I share with two others. If they go this route they will not gain 2 extra subs, they will actually lose one. Tough luck!

One extra sub is an improvement over just one sub. They are only concerned about paying customers.

 

[progx]

Yeah. All your woes are from “account sharing.” Not the constant price increases. Flooding the platform with originals and other content. No, it’s this one because it’ll make you a couple extra bucks. Incredibly stupid and expensive to police this one.

 

[ijordano]

How can they possibly police account sharing? They have multi user support built in by default so are we do believe they mean us only to is it in the same physical home? What about downloading content for watching while travelling? Can I use the account if I’m in a hotel or staying at a friends?

Even if they monitor IP addresses how can they police whether or not I’m simply moving between two homes regularly

 

[coso]

I wish to look at their faces when this change will make the subscriptions drop even more. For sure I'll not keep mine, too much filler content. There more stuff on Amazon Prime Video, which is incidentally the only reason why I pay Amazon Prime (way cheaper here in EU, for now). Also Disney+ has a lot of content. It's incredible how Netflix lost their lead.

 

[belvdr]

How can they possibly police account sharing? They have multi user support built in by default so are we do believe they mean us only to is it in the same physical home? What about downloading content for watching while travelling? Can I use the account if I’m in a hotel or staying at a friends?

Even if they monitor IP addresses how can they police whether or not I’m simply moving between two homes regularly

Likely a composite of cookies, IP address, and possibly geo-location. If your device travels between multiple residences or even hotels, the cookie would be the same.

 

[aajeevlin]

still curious as to how they can accurately detect that "password sharing" is taking place.
you are allowed to use your own netflix account no matter where you are, and depending on the account you are allowed multiple streams at multiple locations - this is permitted in the Ts&Cs.

so how exactly are they going to tell if what you are permitted to do is not what is actually happening.

You should look into how YouTube TV is doing it. Basically you have a home zip code (those that is actually making the payment). Any device you use will have to be locked to the geolocation. You CAN take the device out and use it but the said device must “sync” (there is probably a better word) to the home zip once every 90 days by bring it inside the zip code geolocation. If not, the said device is disabled from using the service. YouTube TV has had to do this due to local content rights and such. Buts it’s not hard to do.

 

[chenks]

I wish to look at their faces when this change will make the subscriptions drop even more.

in reality most people won't cancel.
a lot of people like to loudly voice what they will do if something happens, but when it comes to it they do jack s**t, and companies know that.

 

[chenks]

You should look into how YouTube TV is doing it. Basically you have a home zip code (those that is actually making the payment). Any device you use will have to be locked to the geolocation. You CAN take the device out and use it but the said device must “sync” (there is probably a better word) to the home zip once every 90 days by bring it inside the zip code geolocation. If not, the said device is disabled from using the service. YouTube TV has had to do this due to local content rights and such. Buts it’s not hard to do.

that won't work for netflix, as their mult-stream plan does allow it to be used in more than 1 location concurrently.

youtube tv is differnet as it's providing live tv so does need to know where "home" is.

also, no idea how small a "zip" code is in the US, but in other countries they can cover extremely large areas, and almost certainly where your friends who are sharing it are also living. and if it's basing it on IP geo-location then it'll fail because my IP thinks i'm about 300 miles away in a different country.

 

[aajeevlin]

correct, yes it can. but netflix permits the use of your account (plan permitting) to be used by more then 1 person at more than 1 location.

so how can they tell if it is being used as per the permitted use or not - they can't.

if i go on holiday but other family member (in the same house) doesn't then we can both use netflix as per the permitted plan use - that's 2 devices in 2 different countries at the same time.

They don’t care about all that. All they had to do is force you to bring your device back within the home zip code geolocation once every 90 days or something. So if you are traveling you will be okay unless you are gone for more than 90 days from your home. This will prevent you from sharing your Netflix with said your sister or friends who is on the other side of the country on their Apple TV unless they can periodically bring their Apple TV within your home zip code geolocation. If they can’t then Netflix on the device is disabled automatically.

 

[aajeevlin]

that won't work for netflix, as their mult-stream plan does allow it to be used in more than 1 location concurrently.

youtube tv is differnet as it's providing live tv so does need to know where "home" is.

also, no idea how small a "zip" code is in the US, but in other countries they can cover extremely large areas, and almost certainly where your friends who are sharing it are also living. and if it's basing it on IP geo-location then it'll fail because my IP thinks i'm about 300 miles away in a different country.

Yes used in multiple location concurrently by the user of the same household. So if your wife or kids decided to go on vacation for a few days they will be okay.

In the US zip code can cover a large area but not large enough. 300 miles is nothing. Most people who goes out of state for school will easily exceed that distance.

 

[chenks]

and how are they going to tell where a non-mobile device physically is? basing it solely on IP address geo-location data which is often widely inaccurate?

IP address geo-location accuracy isn't accurate enough to know if the device is in your house, or even street.

 

[chenks]

Yes used in multiple location concurrently by the user of the same household. So if your wife or kids decided to go on vacation for a few days they will be okay.

In the US zip code can cover a large area but not large enough. 300 miles is nothing. Most people who goes out of state for school will easily exceed that distance.

so a pointless exercise then if you're saying that 300 miles is "nothing".
300 miles here could put you in a different country or even continent!

your idea of using a home "zip" code geolocation system is totally unworkable. it's also fairly trivial to spoof geo-location.

 

[aajeevlin]

and how are they going to tell where a non-mobile device physically is? basing it solely on IP address geo-location data which is often widely inaccurate?

IP address geo-location accuracy isn't accurate enough to know if the device is in your house, or even street.

Good enough is good enough. By using zip code they will already be able to catch quite a few people I believe.

 

[aajeevlin]

so a pointless exercise then if you're saying that 300 miles is "nothing".
300 miles here could put you in a different country or even continent!

your idea of using a home "zip" code geolocation system is totally unworkable. it's also fairly trivial to spoof geo-location.

Unworkable? YouTube TV has been doing this for years. If you think you are smarter than the entire YouTube engineer then hats off to you.

Also I’m taking about the states. I’m sure they can/will figure out a cleaver ways to deal with other smaller counties.

 

[chenks]

also, the netflix app (on iOS anyway) doesn't ask for access to location, and you can bet that if they did add it no-one would enable it, thus foiling any plan they had on using that to enforce such a plan.

 

[chenks]

Unworkable? YouTube TV has been doing this for years. If you think you are smarter than the entire YouTube engineer then hats off to you.

Youtube TV is a US only service, netflix isn't.
also, tell me how it knows if a TV (with no GPS chip) is in the "zip" code or not?

 

[aajeevlin]

Youtube TV is a US only service, netflix isn't.
also, tell me how it knows if a TV (with no GPS chip) is in the "zip" code or not?

ISP IP are given out locally. They can easily tell by the IP if you are local or not. At least in the states they can.

Also I don’t work for Netflix, so no need to get all work up here with me. They most likely will do it as money is a big driver. I’ll be impacted just as much as you and most people.

 

[chenks]

ISP IP are given out locally. They can easily tell by the IP if you are local or not. At least in the states they can.

Also I don’t work for Netflix, so no need to get all work up here with me. They most likely will do it as money is a big driver. I’ll be impacted just as much as you and most people.

as i said, IP geo-location is often inaccurate.
no-one is getting worked up, I'm just suggesting that your rather simplistic idea of how they could do it is flawed, and almost certainly not how the will do it (if they do it at all).

shock horror that a company is driven by making money though! who'd have thought it?

and i never said i would be impacted, my comments have been about having intelligent discussion about how they could achieve such a policy, I'll keep looking to have that intelligent discussion.

 

[coso]

in reality most people won't cancel.
a lot of people like to loudly voice what they will do if something happens, but when it comes to it they do jack s**t, and companies know that.

My reasoning is that if they'll be able to stop account sharing, one that is paying 1/4 of the price of the subscription will need to make a new one and pay 4x. I don't think that will happen, I also think the original subscriber will not be happy to pay 4x than before and could as well terminate the subscription. I know I would. Netflix costs double than Disney+, with less content (at least in EU). It's a no brainer.

 

[chenks]

assumption there is that people who are sharing are asking those to pay part of the sub, i might suggest that is rarely the case (and certainly not the majority) and those people are just letting them use their account gratis.

so that person isn't going to be paying more, the only affected people will be those that were getting access to someone else's account.

 

[aajeevlin]

as i said, IP geo-location is often inaccurate.
no-one is getting worked up, I'm just suggesting that your rather simplistic idea of how they could do it is flawed, and almost certainly not how the will do it (if they do it at all).

shock horror that a company is driven by making money though! who'd have thought it?

and i never said i would be impacted, my comments have been about having intelligent discussion about how they could achieve such a policy, I'll keep looking to have that intelligent discussion.

Sure simplistic or not. At least that’s how YouTube TV has been doing it for the states. I don’t now how it works out for your country but here IP/zip is accurate enough.

Netflix will simply figure out another way. Like I said whatever they do they don’t have to catch everyone. They could have easily do away with device authorization. Lets a subscriber authorize up to 6-10 device and locked down.

 

[glockenSquish]

Nice.

Netflix, since you’re clearly “innovating” right now, and if you’re listening…

Can’t tell you how many times I have been in a group over at someone’s house and we all wanted to watch something on Netflix, but the person whose house we’re at doesn’t have Netflix. There are a cool 6 subscribers in the room though — a good 85% majority. Someone shares their password and snap, you lost a potential customer due to a share that stays permanent. HOW ABOUT a temp share QR code login thing? Huh? Might solve all your problems.

 

[daniel4]

The only reason to pay for a Netflix subscription is cause you can share it with others. Once they stop this, they'll be no more reasons to pay.