Password Sharing On Streaming Devices Like Netflix Is Now A Crime

We are all guilty of sharing our Netflix password with someone or the other. It makes sense as to why many people do it because streaming services have never really banned anyone from doing so. But we may have spoken too soon.

Sharing of passwords on leading streaming devices is now being hailed as a criminal offense in the United Kingdom. It’s no wonder why we’ve got the likes of Netflix making attempts to limit this practice over the past few months.

Now, it’s really being called out as new guidelines linked to piracy arise through the British Government. It suggests that people sharing passwords means a direct breach of laws linked to copyright and that indeed is a huge criminal charge linked to fraud.

The news comes to us thanks to the likes of TechRadar. It has recently set forward some piracy guidelines that assert how such sharing of passwords through streaming services is no longer allowed. From the likes of Netflix to Disney Plus and Prime Video- the list is endless. And it’s an act that is gaining importance for breaking the law.

The media outlet reached out for further clarification on this matter and how legalities regarding password sharing and agency replies were now deemed important to follow. The term criminal and civil law are being applied here as the user’s intentions are to make use of a service that has copyright works and that too, without making any payments.

The provisions are being outlined as a breach of contractual terms and even fraud and those embarking on such an endeavor may be forced to be prosecuted. But it’s important to mention here that we feel such a likelihood is awfully slim.

Many critics feel that this practice is so common that users are seen reposting other people’s content on social media. The task of sharing passwords falls in this category so we don’t feel that prosecution can arise so easily.

Similarly, aligning themselves with such behavior on a public platform could really spell major disaster for countless streaming services that have encouraged the practice that goes back to the year 2017.

While the thought of sharing your passwords for streaming devices is most likely not going to put you in jail in the United Kingdom or any other nation, one thing is for sure. It could end up providing streaming platforms like Netflix the chance to go ahead with their very ambitious plans linked to account-sharing prices which have steeply increased since 2023.

It just would not be a huge surprise to see platforms like Disney Plus and even Prime Video follow in the footsteps of Netflix as it manages to gain up on some revenue boost in the next few months right after such a rollout.

In case you’re searching for more content linked to Netflix in this regard, go ahead and look at the platform’s cheaper or ad-supported tiers.


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