Netflix might have more than 200 million subscribers worldwide, but the actual number of people using the service is probably significantly higher. How is that possible? Well, password sharing is a real thing. Personally, I subscribe to Netflix on my own (I swear, Mr. Netflix), but I’ve heard that some of the less-savory folks out there are brazen enough to use passwords and login information from their parents, friends, and even former significant others. For shame! But apparently, some folks on social media are beginning to see that Netflix might be testing a way to verify that password-sharing isn’t happening.
According to GammaWire, who saw this development appear on Twitter, Netflix has been testing a profile verification system for a small number of users that will prompt them to verify their identities using email or text notifications. If you are an upstanding citizen and actually pay for Netflix yourself, then you shouldn’t have much of a problem verifying using your phone or email. But if you’re one of those amoral rapscallions that are trying to put one over on Mr. Netflix, then you may have to figure out how to get that text/email verification to work. God forbid you’ve been using your ex-partner’s login and would have to contact them for verification. Not fun, at all.
However, it must be noted that the sample size seems to be very small with this new feature test. And depending on how it goes, maybe Netflix wouldn’t want to roll it out on a major level. That said, this is typically what companies do when they’re figuring out how to make changes, so don’t be surprised if your misdeeds are caught by the Netflix overlords. You may just have to spend the money to buy your own subscription or figure out a new login/password to use.
Evil-doers, you’ve been warned. Netflix is onto you.
