Prior to the crackdown, Netflix stated that its reputation as one of the top streaming services was being weakened by users sharing accounts, so it needed to take a firm stand against password-sharing. Netflix has raised prices once again and acknowledged that it produces too many bad movies, so you would think that with all of the extra money it’s bringing in, the service would be better than ever.

And it seems that the experiment has worked wonders. The streaming giant has added over 9 million subscribers in the first three months of 2024, hitting a record high of 269.6 million subscribers.

Now its rivals have understood the message that harsh measures against password cracking are not counterproductive. So the streaming industry is now following in similar footsteps. Disney Plus’ measures will start in June 2024 itself, with Disney CEO Bob Iger announcing that the password-sharing crackdown will begin in “just a few countries in a few markets” before expanding to all subscribers in September.

On the other hand, Warner Bros. Discovery will roll out an option for members to pay for “extra members” streaming with their Max subscriptions to have their own username and password as part of its upcoming effort to curb account-sharing.

Through this article, International Finance will talk in detail about Netflix’s crackdown against password-sharing, how the streaming giant enforces its policies and what your options are if you want to continue sharing your account with your near ones.

Understanding the maths

As long as they all reside together, multiple people can use and share a single account on Netflix, according to the company’s updated password-sharing guidelines. However, it is no longer permitted if you and your near ones live apart but share a Netflix account.

In accordance with the latest restrictions, you will be required to designate a “primary location,” which Netflix will probably ascertain using the IP address of your device. Those who don’t live there will have three options once this primary location is determined. These options are: abandon Netflix, sign up and pay for their own private Netflix account, pay an additional fee and become an “extra member” to the existing account.

A few advantages do come with this additional member feature. One of the main advantages is that the cost is less than that of a stand-alone “Standard” or “Premium” membership, although there are some limitations.

First of all, access to it is restricted to primary accounts that are either “Standard” or “Premium” tier subscribers. Second, only one additional member may be added to a “Standard Subscription”. However, two additional members may be added to a “Premium Account.”

Therefore, even if your friends and family are ready to contribute additional funds, you are unable to add an infinite number of them to any paid account. Although the account-sharing policy was first implemented in places like Canada and South America, Netflix currently has enforcement in 103 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

You probably already received an email informing you of your options if you live in one of those regions and have a profile (or profiles) on your Netflix account for someone who is not a member of your household.

The section below titled “How much is Netflix charging for password-sharing?” will tell about how much it will cost to add an “Extra Member” to your household.
Though some information that has since been taken down from Netflix’s official FAQ gives us a good idea, the company hasn’t stated clearly how it determines whether someone using your account lives with you.

Netflix stated that it will use information like “IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity from devices signed into the Netflix account” to ascertain whether a user of the service resides in the same home as an account.

Netflix will ask the user to authenticate their device if it suspects that they are not a member of the household and may be attempting to circumvent its policies regarding password-sharing. A one-time code will be sent to the email address or phone number associated with the account; the user will have 15 minutes to enter the code or else their Netflix account will be locked.

For a short while, there was a slight change in the rules: a user would now need to log into Netflix “at least once every 31 days” using the household’s Wi-Fi connection in place of this verification method.

After this deadline passed, the only ways to get back in were to create a new Netflix account, use a seven-day code that was only good for that one time, or add the device as an additional member. However, Netflix subsequently made it clear that these guidelines were only applied to users in Peru, Chile, and Costa Rica, the only countries at the time that could afford to add more members.

Netflix Help Centre’s “Sharing your Netflix account” section says, “Netflix accounts are intended to be shared by individuals residing in the same household.” According to the statement, which defines a household as “a collection of the internet-connected devices at the primary location where you watch Netflix.”

To watch, visitors from other households must create an account on their own or purchase an “extra member” slot for your account. Netflix can modify its password-sharing detection algorithms to make them harder to hack by keeping them secret.

You’ll have to start paying if you want to continue lending out your Netflix account to people who live elsewhere in your home. One additional non-living member may be added to a “Standard Netflix” account, while two additional members may be added to a “Netflix Premium” subscription.

Analysing the cost factor

Here’s the cost of doing that for each new member in the US, UK and Australia: $7.99 p/month, £4.99 p/month, AU$7.99. As you can see, that is almost as much as a basic Netflix plan would normally cost. And since that cost is per person, you would need to double the aforementioned amounts if you wanted to add two people to your “Netflix Premium” account.

You can add more members, but each member must pay the additional membership fee. Each additional member will have their own password and account. Even though adding more members is more expensive than purchasing a Premium tier subscription, which costs $22.99 / £17.99 / AU$22.99, especially in the US and UK, it is still less expensive than other regions.

Netflix is a feature that many Sky subscribers enjoy. In an effort to “confirm this TV is in your Netflix household,” some of these users have recently reported receiving notifications about password-sharing as part of the Netflix crackdown.

Customers will “only be able to share your Netflix account in one household (location/address),” according to a special guide released by Sky in response to the problem. For customers of Virgin and BT who have Netflix included in their TV package, the same seems to be true.

These users’ inability to utilise the additional members option is the problem. According to confirmation from Sky, users who have Netflix access as part of their TV package cannot access this feature. It will therefore be necessary for them to get a separate Netflix subscription if they wish to share with individuals outside of their household.

Interestingly, when primary Sky account holders are not at home, they can still watch Netflix on their laptops, phones, and tablets. Their requirement to connect their devices to their home Wi-Fi connection once every thirty days is the only limitation. Thus, theoretically, in order to keep access to someone else’s Netflix account, that person would only need to come home once a month.

You may be concerned that you won’t be able to access Netflix from overseas if your account is linked to a certain Wi-Fi network and you take a vacation. Fortunately, the streaming giant has stated that even with these new limitations, you will still be able to access your preferred Netflix content while travelling.

The best virtual private networks, or VPNs, have become extremely popular in recent years because they enable you to stream content from Netflix that isn’t available in your area. When you use a VPN to access a website or online service, your connection first passes through the encrypted servers of the VPN provider before arriving at its intended destination. When it does, the VPN is able to use the server’s information in place of your device’s actual information, including its IP address, protecting your private data.

However, Netflix may not want users utilising tools that hide this data if the streaming service wishes to use a device’s information and IP address to confirm whether or not users are in a household. It is possible for people who are not living together to connect to the same server and appear as though they are using a VPN.

Netflix currently states that “you can use a VPN with Netflix on the Basic, Standard, or Premium plans,” but it’s unclear if this will change if users are able to circumvent the company’s new password-sharing policy by using a VPN.

It might simply request that VPN users authenticate their devices each time they access Netflix, but it might also adopt a much more strict policy against VPN use.

Netflix crackdown: A success story

Will Netflix persist with its password-sharing crackdown? The answer is yes. Netflix has indicated licensing content from other studios, apart from bringing back some of the iconic shows from the 1990s. The streaming giant has also expanded into live and sports programming in 2024. In February, Netflix aired its first-ever awards show, the Screen Actors’ Guild Awards, and announced a 10-year deal to air “WWE Raw” live, valued at more than $5 billion.

Alicia Reese, an equity analyst who covers Netflix for Wedbush Securities, sees other growth avenues for the venture, including its newer advertising-supported subscription tier. The ad tier, costing $6.99 per month in the United States, significantly less than Netflix’s other subscription plans, has seen significant growth since it was introduced in late 2022. In January 2024, Netflix’s ad-tier had more than 23 million users.

The post Netflix’s password crackdown: A game-changer appeared first on International Finance.

Due to the widespread popularity of consumers’ interest in the top VPN services, new rules on the handling, usage and sharing of such sensitive information are being established by governments.

Although they represent a big start, more than new data legislation like the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is required. That’s in part due to the growth in cyberattacks. Even home appliances are being targeted by threat actors these days.

Here are the guidelines for being safe online and protecting your anonymity if your data is compromised.

“Data Privacy Day gives us all an opportunity to take a second and think about what we share about ourselves, when and where we share it, and who we are sharing it with,” remarked Vaibhav Antil, CEO of Privado, one of the top free VPN services available.

Spend Some Time Reading The Privacy Policies
Even though there are several examples of firms mishandling users’ data, most consumers still need to take the time to carefully review data privacy rules before consenting to the conditions.

Only 9% of Americans do it, a 2019 Pew Research study found. A survey done by cybersecurity auditing company Deloitte revealed a similar scenario. Over 90% of the respondents acknowledged signing legal terms and conditions without having read them.

These policies are lengthy and complex, thus reading them before availing of tech-related services and applications becomes a strenuous effort for a layman.

However, to correctly manage your digital life, you must know how your data will be handled. Additionally, it will help you choose the services you want to subscribe to more effectively.

Some major internet companies are being pushed to simplify their privacy terms because of the growing demand from customers for greater openness.

In 2020, Apple incorporated privacy badges into its App Store to assist users in making informed judgements. In 2021, Google Play made an identical move.

Use A VPN To Secure Your Online Activity
A VPN, short for virtual private network, is a programme that conceals the location of your IP address. It also encrypts all data exiting your devices through its VPN tunnel simultaneously.

A VPN is a weapon to protect your online anonymity from cyber criminals and the government’s snooping eyes. Using such a tool is crucial when you’re connected to an insecure Wi-Fi network, which is more susceptible to attacks. Additionally essential for securely downloading files from the internet is a torrenting VPN.

In addition to protecting privacy, these security services can improve online performance in many other ways.

Think Of Other Cybersecurity Applications
Your data protection software’s response must be more complex as internet hazards multiply.

We advise combining the usage of a VPN with other security programmes, such as the top antivirus programmes and password manager programmes. Ad-blockers are also necessary if you want to maintain your privacy online.

The good news is that you no longer require a wide variety of memberships. That’s because more and more vendors now supply complete security suites.

For instance, the VPN software from NordVPN and ExpressVPN both have built-in password managers and ad blockers. At the same time, Surfshark One offers four cybersecurity technologies as part of its comprehensive protection package for a single subscription.

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Mozilla’s last layoff took place in 2017. Mozilla might further slash jobs in the UK and France, but it is still in the consultation process based on labour law. The tech giant is analysing how the move could affect its employees in the two countries. 

Baker said in the memo that, “We are doing this with the utmost respect for each and every person who is impacted and will go to great lengths to take care of them by providing generous exit packages and outplacement support.”

In 2018, Mozilla Corporation said that it had 1,000 employees worldwide. The organisation had expected to generate higher revenue in 2019 and 2020 from new subscription products and from sources outside of search, the media reported. 

According to Mozilla’s Baker, employees affected by the layoff will receive a generous exit package and outplacement support. The organisation has been testing new-generation products over the last few months. They are mainly subscription-based products. Mozilla’s most-anticipated projects Firefox Private Network and virtual private network (VPN) would cost around $4.99 per month, the media reported. 

The organisation aims to create more revenue channels and reduce dependence on search partnership revenues. In 2018, Mozilla’s financial reports showed that nearly 91 percent of its royalty revenue was generated from source contacts. 

The post Mozilla lays off 70 employees on the back of revenue struggle appeared first on International Finance.

Facebook said early stages of the investiation have been initiated, and held briefings in the House and Senate this week.

While the exact nature of the party responsible for the behaviour remains unknown—it is very possible that it may be connected to Russia. The company said that it has found connections between the accounts it removed, and the accounts connected to Russia’s Internet Research Agency—that it had removed before and after the 2016 US presidential elections.

“Today’s disclosure is further evidence that the Kremlin continues to exploit platforms like Facebook to sow division and spread disinformation, and I am glad that Facebook is taking some steps to pinpoint and address this activity,” said US Senator Mark Warner, in a statement to Fox News.

“I also expect Facebook, along with other platform companies, will continue to identify Russian troll activity and to work with Congress on updating our laws to better protect our democracy in the future,” he added.

Facebook also released a statement, which said: “It’s clear that whoever set up these accounts went to much greater lengths to obscure their true identities than the Russian-based Internet Research Agency (IRA) has in the past. We believe this could be partly due to changes we’ve made over the last year to make this kind of abuse much harder.”

The earliest page was found to be created in March 2017. Facebook revealed that more than 290,000 accounts followed at least one of the fake pages. The most followed Facebook Pages had names like “Aztlan Warriors,” ”Black Elevation,” ”Mindful Being,” and “Resisters.”

Facebook also said that the pages ran about 150 ads for $11,000 on Facebook and Instagram– paid for in U.S. and Canadian dollars. The first ad was created in April 2017, and the last was created in June 2018.The perpetrators also used virtual private networks (VPN) and internet phone services, and paid third parties to run ads on their behalf.

Facebook said that is partnership with the Atlantic Council helped it to identify the bad actors. One of the groups with roughly 4,000 members was located based on leads from US Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s recent indictment of 12 Russian nationals for their role in hacking and spreading misinformation during the 2016 US presidential election.

The post Facebook removes 32 accounts after finding ‘sophisticated’ efforts to disrupt US politics appeared first on International Finance.

“I wrote this letter because Netflix subscribers are unable to securely connect to the platform they’re paying to access,” explains Gargiulo. “This comes after Netflix decided to ban VPN connectivity to its platform altogether in 2016, citing copyright concerns from content providers like Sony Corporation, 21st Century Fox, Inc. and NBCUniversal, Inc.”

Currently, the VPN ban at Netflix forces users to choose between their online security and entertainment. With a large portion of customers connecting via public WiFi-including any of the estimated 500mn hotpots found in coffee shops, airports and hotels worldwide-the liability is omnipresent. 

“This is a huge problem for Netflix that is coming to a head,” Gargiulo adds. “Hackers who prey on Wifi users know Netflix customers cannot use a VPN, making them perfect targets. Forcing users to disable fully encrypted internet access to use a premium service will result in large-scale security vulnerabilities for any company and their customers over the next decade.”

Netflix restricts certain content by region and country. The US version currently hosts the largest streaming catalog, which is why many overseas customers have relied on VPNs to access the same content that US 

subscribers already enjoy. In a move to curb this ‘unauthorized usage’ by paying customers, Netflix has banned VPN access outright. The fallout is proving to be disastrous.

“Netflix can modernize its policies and still preserve lucrative licensing arrangements while promoting new lines of revenue for shareholders and content providers,” Gargiulo says. “Most importantly, it would allow its customers to securely connect to the premium service they’re paying for.” 

The ongoing battle between Netflix and the VPN community last erupted in late 2016, when more than 50,000 Netflix subscribers signed an OpenMedia petition asking the company to reconsider their security policies.

Hastings responded to the VPN community in a Wired Magazine interview by stating: “It’s a very small but quite vocal minority. It’s really inconsequential to us.”

Gargiulo has addressed these concerns along with offering three viable solutions in VPN.com’s Open Letter to Netflix Founder Reed Hastings.

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