Netflix is set to crackdown on password sharing to prevent subscribers accessing the accounts of their friends and family if they do not live with them.
The streaming giant issued an update last month on when the new rules will kick in, reports the Mirror, with users already being warned on several occasions that they should not be doing this.
Many people seem to be doing it in a bid to save cash, especially during the cost of living crisis.
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The subscription service introduced fees for password sharing in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain earlier this year. In these countries, Netflix uses your IP address, device ID, and account activity to determine if your account is being used outside your household.
If someone is suspected of sharing their account, Netflix then sends a link to the email address or phone number of the primary account holder.
This email will contain four digit code that needs to be entered on the “untrusted” device within 15 minutes.
Netflix has yet to set out how it could work in the UK.
The company first confirmed plans to “monetize” paid-for account sharing globally in a letter to shareholders in October 2022.
It follows a trial last year in countries including Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. The idea is that Netflix wants people to pay to add an extra member as a "sub account" to your existing subscription.
When will Netflix password sharing crackdown begin?
Netflix hasn’t given an exact date for when its password sharing ban will launch in the UK.
However, in a statement released last month, it has revealed it will be sometime during the current quarter for the United States and other countries
This means it will be brought in between April to June, so password sharing will be banned by July, according to the Mirror.
Netflix said: "We learn more with each rollout and we've incorporated the latest learnings, which we think will lead to even better results.
"To implement these changes, we shifted out the timing of the broad launch from late Q1 to Q2.
"We are planning on a broad rollout [of the password sharing crackdown], including in the US, in Q2.
"We're pleased with the most recent launches of paid sharing, and while we could have launched broadly in Q1 [the first three months of 2023], we found opportunities to improve the experience for members."
Canadian subscribers can add a "sub account" for CAD$7.99 (£4.78) and in New Zealand the charge is NZ$7.99 (£3.97).
Portugal subscribers can add a "sub account" for €3.99 (£3.51) while Spain customers must spend €5.99 (£5.27).
Netflix hasn't said how much it plans on charging in the UK.
The company last month confirmed an additional 1.75million subscribers signed up to its service during the first quarter of 2023.
This means the total number of subscribers now stands at 232.5 million - up 4.9% from the final three months of 2022.
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