Netflix responds to shared account information and clarifies that it was posted in error

On Wednesday, Feb. 1, the media echoed rules Netflix was expected to implement to limit the use of shared accounts by people who don’t live in the same household. The streaming platform has been testing for several months to find a way to prevent password sharing, with the option, among other things, to charge the account holder extra for additional users. And it seems that, contrary to what is reported, they continue to carry out these tests and have not yet arrived at a definitive formula.

After much speculation, The Streamable published a document (later deleted) from the Netflix Help Center specifying the method for managing shared accounts, consisting of blocking access to devices that connect outside the main home and need to play any content at least once every 31 days from head office to keep your account active. The news spread quickly and caused a strong rejection on social media, for which Netflix was forced to take a stand, clarifying to the same media that the information was published in error and does not refer to all territories in which the streaming service operates.

Thus a company spokesman explains the situation in the official press releases collected by The Streamable: “Yesterday, a help center article was published in other countries for a moment containing information that applies only to Chile, Costa Rica and Peru. We have since updated it”. While he doesn’t give any more details about it, What the company confirms is that when it opts for a method, it will inform its users before launching it. It remains to be seen whether or not it corresponds to what was published in reference to the aforementioned Latin American territories.

When will it be approximately?

Netflix’s denial doesn’t mean, far from it, that they’ll give up on their plans to restrict access to users outside the main house. The tests are still ongoing and, for now, the method would not be 100% outlined yet, so once implemented it may or may not differ from what was published this week. Likewise, we also don’t know for sure whether the rules will be exactly the same for all regions (The Streamable references the US throughout its article), although the change is expected to be global, how does Netflix work?

What is known is when the new shared account system will be activated. This was announced by the co-CEO of the company, Greg Peters, during the investor meeting of the last quarter of 2020, where confirmed the launch in March 2023, although without providing a precise date. There is therefore not much to know about the platform’s official plans to prevent us from continuing to share its content with ours.