Sharing Netflix account details is a criminal offence in THIS country

By Team Newsable | First Published Dec 23, 2022, 2:45 PM IST

Sharing Netflix or Amazon Prime password is reportedly a crime in the UK. Netflix’s terms and conditions say that people can’t share passwords with friends or people outside the home. Netflix can drag you into court for sharing passwords with friends.

It appears that individuals will now need to exercise caution when disclosing passwords for video streaming services (like Netflix or Amazon Prime), since doing so might land them in legal trouble. However, people who do not reside in the UK should not fear as this won't occur in other nations. The country's Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has declared that the practise of exchanging passwords is illegal.

Netflix has already said that it will start charging customers for password sharing early next year as part of its increased attempts to compel rogue subscribers to pay up.

Tap to resize

Latest Videos

Tap to resize

Also Read | 'Twitter is like a plane, headed towards ground...' Musk reveals firm has just $1 billion in cash

Although it is against Netflix's terms and conditions for customers to share their passwords with friends or individuals outside the house, sharing accounts with multiple users has become the norm. The IPO then claims that sharing passwords is prohibited because it violates copyright regulations. According to reports, the video streaming service has the authority to prosecute individuals.

This week, the IPO issued instructions that stated: "Accessing movies, TV shows, or live sports events using Kodi boxes, hacked Fire Sticks, or apps without paying a subscription is a breach of copyright and you may be committing a crime."

Also Read | Generating power using a dance floor: Govt organising 'Dance to Decarbonise' event on Friday

The text earlier included a reference to password sharing, but IPO quickly removed it. According to Independent, the government agency's spokeswoman later acknowledged that the legislation and its instructions remained the same.

The streaming juggernaut is free to file a lawsuit if necessary, according to the IPO.

Customers who share their credentials with persons they don't live with will now face stricter penalties from Netflix. Earlier this year, while announcing its first quarter results, Netflix stated that more than 100 million homes worldwide use shared passwords, which had an impact on its revenue.

Also Read | Mehul Choksi tops wilful defaulter list with Rs 7,848 crore default; Check out full list

According to the streaming juggernaut, more than 100 million more homes that do not pay for the television streaming service share accounts with the company's about 222 million paying customers.

For more reliable and latest news