I cancelled my Netflix subscription the moment its new password policy got leaked

Have you ever thought that Domino's could outlaw people from sharing their slices of pizza with friends and family? And make one pizza only for one person or block customers from ever having Domino's pizza for violation? It seems like a dumb decision and a dystopian world where Domino's will tell people how to eat the pizza they bought. 

But Netflix has been planning to do just that with its streaming subscription: telling people how to use or share the subscription that they bought with their own money.   

The love is gone for Netflix after they took up an anti-password sharing ideology only years after categorically saying this (which still exists on Twitter!):

Love is sharing a password.

— Netflix (@netflix) March 10, 2017

(Of course, we have a screenshot of this tweet in case Netflix decides to delete it)

What's new in Netflix hell?

• While Netflix has been working on a policy to curb password sharing by its subscribers, on January 31 it released a detailed rule on the same. 
• The rules appeared on the help pages for Netflix US. It was so controversial and mind-boggling that it didn't last long. 
• Just a day later, the help page was taken down and Netflix said that it was all a mistake... for the United States. 

• The obnoxious rules still remain in place in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru where Netflix is testing its anti-password sharing policies. 

What is the new policy that's making people's skin crawl? You may want to sit down for this one.

• Netflix wants its subscribers to be able to share their passwords within ONLY one household. 
• Their definition of household means those staying under one roof. You don't have a 'household' or a 'family' by Netflix's standards if you and your family live in different houses/cities.

This is the literal answer Netflix had for sharing passwords with those who don't live in the same house.

Netflix to people living away from families: No, your family is not your household! Ironic, considering how most people who live away from families fall back on Netflix for entertainment.

How will Netflix ensure you only share passwords with those living in the same house? If you are still a Netflix user after their grand future plans for you, get ready to do some somersaults online every week or every month to access your account.    

• Anybody who tries to log into your account while not connected to your WiFi at your home won't be able to access the account. 

What if you are travelling? 

• To use your Netflix account without connecting to your WiFi, don't use the device you are using at home. 
• If you try to do this, your device will be blocked from accessing your Netflix account. Instead, you can connect to another device like a hotel smart TV or company laptop.
• To connect to a new device, you will have to enter a temporary code while signing in. This will last only for seven days. And then you have to request a code again. 

Sounds fun! Whatever happened to streaming while travelling… And if you travel your entire time, you are better off without a Netflix subscription. 

First of all, Netflix, I don’t know what my password is.

— Katie Levans (@katie_levans) February 2, 2023

I unsubscribed from Netflix AGAIN, and here's why you too might want to give it a thought:

• The harsh experiments aren't over for Netflix. Netflix, which is, unfortunately, treating Latin American users as its lab rats, had tested charging users $3 (Rs 250) every time someone outside their homes accessed their account in 2022. 
• What's more, did you know Netflix doesn't allow you to use VPN while using the streaming service? Like, there are people on this planet using VPN to hide their location from oppressive governments (and a right to privacy in any democracy), Netflix!
• Moreover, the fact that Netflix will know your 'primary location' by making you reconnect to your WiFi every 31 days and constantly checking whether you are in the same location, seems like a privacy nightmare.

Has anyone done a deep dive on the privacy and security implications of Netflix fingerprinting your home WiFi Network and essentially creating a record of when you are home or not … just to crack down on password sharing?

— Evan Greer is on Mastodon (@evan_greer) February 2, 2023

Though, a lot of other big techs already know the rough location of a user by tracking IP addresses. But still, Netflix's constant checks don't sit well with me.

I, for one, share my Netflix password only with my parents and brother back home. I live in a different city. Even though I'm one of the Netflix subscribers who actually shares her password only within the household or - as it's actually defined - family members, Netflix wants to police how I share my streaming dough. 

funny thing about this netflix change is that these account sharers are almost always immediate family that just don’t happen to live in the same household, like a child, grandparent, or sibling. people are not overwhelmingly sharing their passwords with friends or acquaintances.

— ariel 🌿 tlou spoilers (@cursedhat) February 1, 2023

• While the anti-password sharing nonsense has not yet come to India, it's only a matter of time before it does or Netflix thinks of something equally evil.
• It's also becoming difficult every day to find good new shows or movies on Netflix and my social media-influenced poor attention span doesn't allow me to commit to watching an hour-long movie, much less a series. 
• Besides, all my friends only talk about shows that are not on Netflix nowadays. So maybe I can use the Netflix money to subscribe to better streaming platforms. 
• This is my second time unsubscribing to Netflix, just two months after I restarted it. I have to admit I only resubscribed to watch Wednesday (I wonder if they cancel Wednesday Season 2 as well!)

the funniest thing about this whole netflix debacle is that they think password sharing is what’s losing them money when in fact it’s the dwindling selection and cancelling popular shows after like 1 season lmfao

— mon (@ClTYOFMON) February 1, 2023

Netflix's new Anti-password sharing scheme is so convoluted and onerous even for people who are actually paying for the service it's like Netflix is cancelling itself before it can get a third season.

— The Call is Coming from Inside the Nash (@Nash076) February 1, 2023

I don't seem to be the only one with complaints about Netflix's degrading content quality and their constant endeavours to ruin whatever little good they still have.