Netflix Password-Sharing Crackdown: Explained

Guidelines for Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown went live last week, and streamers were angry.

The company is claiming that the rules only apply to users in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru and that users in other countries saw them by mistake.

A spokesperson from Netflix told The Streamable, “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 guidelines posted in a Help Center article claimed that account access would be limited to those in a household, and those outside the primary location would no longer be able to stream using that account.

According to the guidelines, “To detect devices linked to the primary location of an account, the company said it utilizes IP addresses, device IDs and account activity.” Linking a device to the primary location involves connecting to the location’s Wi-Fi, opening the app or streaming something at least once every 31 days.

The Help Center also noted that users can still find access to their accounts while traveling by updating the primary location or with a temporary access code.

Although more details about the password-sharing crackdown surfaced, implementation of these guidelines still seems to be up in the air for users in the U.S.