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How does Netflix know you’re sharing your password? This is how the new policy works

¿Puedes saltarte la restricción de Netflix sobre compartir contraseñas?

How does Netflix know you’re sharing your password? This is how the new policy works
Juan Carlos Saloz

Juan Carlos Saloz

  • Updated:

Netflix is at a pretty critical time. After messing with dozens of cancellations of series that worked and defending himself against criticism of the decline in quality of his fictions, he has applied a policy that could lead to ruin: prohibit sharing accounts between users.

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Although it was already supposed to be something “illegal”, they have finally applied measures to ban it, and this has led to a massive drop in their subscriptions and the move towards alternatives such as Disney +, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video or the new SkyShowtime. But how does the company know that you share your password?

Estos son los televisores y dispositivos en los que no podrás usar Netflix  a partir del 1 de diciembre

How Netflix tracks where you connect from

Accidentally, Netflix revealed how it tracks data on the user help pages of Chile, Peru, Costa Rica and even the United States. Pages were removed soon after, but many captured what was said.

The proof that users do not share Netflix outside their home consists of verifying that each subscriber connects their viewing device (whether it is a TV, a mobile or a tablet) to the Wi-Fi network of their home. Afterwards, they have to open Netflix and watch something on the platform at least once in every 31 days. When doing so, it is considered that it is the same user. Por ello, cuando alguien accede a su cuenta en un nuevo dispositivo que no esté asociado con el hogar principal, o si su cuenta se usa repetidamente fuera de su hogar,se activará la verificación del dispositivo.

In case of suspicion, Netflix will send an email to the primary account holder with a 4-digit verification code. You will have to enter it just 15 minutes later before it expires, to verify that the account holder is the one who is using the platform.

It is not clear that this is what applies worldwide, and it may be optimized in the future. But if so, there are obvious ways to “skip over” verification, and some users who shared an account may use them.

But if you want to go legal and continue sharing your account, you can do it through an extra payment in your plan… As long as it’s not basic.

Juan Carlos Saloz

Juan Carlos Saloz

Cultural journalist specialized in film, series, comics, video games, and everything your parents tried to keep you away from during your childhood. Also an aspiring film director, screenwriter, and professional troublemaker.

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