Netflix hopes to tackle password sharing head on

Are you guilty of this?

TV remote with Netflix button
Author: Emma Dodds and Anna Sky Hulton

Netflix have just revealed that they will be tackling password sharing 'head on' after research has shown that the average Netflix account has five users. Speaking at Netflix's Q3 2019 earnings interview, chief product officer Greg Peters explained,

"We continue to monitor it so we're looking at the situation. We'll see those consumer-friendly ways to push on the edges of that."

Just how Netflix plan to pick out those who are sharing passwords has yet to be revealed, however, earlier this year it was revealed that a technology firm have an AI system which is designed to put a stop to account sharing.

It's an established fact that, quite often, there will be one person who takes one for the team and actually pays for the streaming service, whilst letting many of their friends or family take advantage of the fact by sharing the login details and allowing them to use it too.

According to the Mirror, company Synamedia taught the AI system to search through passwords on services including HBO and Netflix, and pick out those that are being shared. And in something straight out of Black Mirror, the system will actually then choose for itself how guilty parties will be dealt with, either by forcing them to upgrade to a premium service - or even shutting down their account altogether.

At a CES technology conference earlier this year, Synamedia's Chief Product Officer Jean Marc Racine said, "Casual credentials sharing is becoming too expensive to ignore. Our new solution gives operators the ability to take action. Many casual users will be happy to pay an additional fee for a premium, shared service."

He added, "It’s a great way to keep honest people honest while benefiting from an incremental revenue stream."

The system is already being trialled - so beware, Netflix account sharers!

Swipe through to see 8 shows you need to look out for on Netflix in 2019...

Nightflyers

Based on a short book, set in the future, Nightflyers follows a crew of explorers on a journey on the most advanced ship in the galaxy, The Nightflyer. As they near their destination, they discover their ship might actually be taking them towards deadly and unspeakable horrors!

Star Trek: Discovery Season 2

Star Trek: Discovery is back for another series! The first season of Star Trek: Discovery featured a new ship, new characters, and new missions, while staying true to the original franchise.

The Umbrella Academy

Based on a popular, award-winning comics and graphic novels, The Umbrella Academy follows forty-three babies who are inexplicably born to random, unconnected women. Seven of the children are adopted by Sir Reginald Hargreeves, a billionaire industrialist, however as teenagers the family becomes fractured.

The Rain Season 2

The first season of The Rain was released in 2018 and has been so successful it's back once again in 2019. The Rain is set six years after a brutal virus carried by the rain wipes out almost all humans in Scandinavia. However, two Danish siblings have survived and emerge from the safety of their bunker to find all remnants of civilisation gone.

Our Planet

Our Planet was filmed over four years, and combines the spectacular photography of Planet Earth with an unprecedented look at the planet's remaining wilderness areas and their animal inhabitants.

ELITE Season 2

ELITE returns for another season in 2019. Following the children at Las Encinas, the best and most exclusive school in Spain, in the first season viewers got to see what happened when three working class kids were admitted to the elite school after their academy was destroyed by an earthquake.

Disenchantment Season 2

From the creator of The Simpsons, Disenchantment returns for a second season. This adult animated comedy fantasy series was super popular earlier this year and returns for Netflix in 2019.

Stranger Things 3

Another popular Netflix series that we can watch is Stranger Things 3.

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