Netflix has mistakenly revealed a set of new guidelines in its attempt to crack down on password sharing to global users. However, it didn’t go down well with the users who have threatened to cancel their subscriptions on social media.
The streaming service said the guidelines experimented in countries like Chile, Peru and Costa Rica had been posted accidentally across its help centre pages including in the US on Wednesday, but had since been taken down.
The latest guidelines come after Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix announced stepping down from his role as co-chief executive of the company last month and was replaced by Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters, the new company CEOs.
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In an interview with the news agency Bloomberg, both CEOs revealed details about ending password sharing last month.
“For a brief time yesterday, a help center article containing information that is only applicable to Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru went live in other countries. We have since updated it,” the video-sharing platform wrote, as reported in The Guardian.
Since last year, the company has been trying to experiment with “paid sharing” in the three countries where an account holder needs to pay for an extra person if the individual is located outside the account holder’s home in order to access the service, according to the report. In Costa Rica, a user has to pay $2.99 (£2.44) a month.
What does it entail?
In order to ensure that the Netflix account is not being shared outside of the household where it is registered, the users is required to connect their viewing device including TV, mobile phone or tablet to the wifi, and then use the app to watch something at least once every 31 days.
Even as the company is yet to share its exact plan to tackle account sharing worldwide, the trial appears to be the closest indication as to how it will get implemented globally.
Meanwhile, users on social media have vented their anger over the latest guidelines and many of them threatened to pull out of their subscriptions.
One of the users said after using the service for nearly 26 years the company is treating customers like criminals.
I have had @netflix since 1997 (Oh god 26 years) and their new password policies requiring monthly log-ins and travel codes (treating customers like criminals) AND the fact that they cancel every new series after the 1st season I’m genuinely considering canceling my subscription.
— Erin Biba (@erinbiba) February 2, 2023
Many of them even went ahead and cancelled their subscription to show their anger over the change in password sharing policy.
netflix: new shitty policy
me: stops subscription
netflix: pic.twitter.com/tKpG9RElx9
— 미샤 Misha | comms (2/5) (@mishamoonberry) February 2, 2023
very excited to cancel my netflix subscription pic.twitter.com/yN0E4rAWqt
— certified chai lover 💁🏾 (@ashenembers_) February 1, 2023
Been thinking about cancelling my Netflix subscription for a while now and seeing how I travel (a lot), in a long distance relationship, and increasingly have less disposable income… I have no patience for this shit anymore. https://t.co/zDi0y4xaXt
— Anisa Sanusi (@studioanisa) February 2, 2023
