Netflix reminds freeloaders that they're freeloading ... for free

Netflix
(Image credit: WhatToWatch.com)

Sometimes the best way to keep someone from speeding isn't to set up a speed trap and stop everyone who goes a little too fast. Sometimes all you have to do is let them know you know they're going too fast.

That's about the situation we're in with Netflix, which in some kind of a "test" has been letting some subscribers who aren't actually subscribers know that Netflix knows they aren't subscribers. The test is "to ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so."

Fair enough. 

The test apparently has been going on for a few days.

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Netflix long has nodded and winked at password sharing, by which someone hands over their Netflix login to someone they really shouldn't have given it to. The Netflix terms of service — which you agree to when you decide to use Netflix — are relatively clear: Your login "may not be shared with individuals beyond your household."

That's perhaps slightly vague, but also not. If someone doesn't live with you, they shouldn't be using your Netflix credentials. (Never mind that sharing passwords of any kind is definitely not the best online security.)

This isn't the first time Netflix has done this, and it likely won't be the last. 

So let's everybody just drive a little slower for the time being.

If you need your own Netflix account, you cheapskate, you, here's a handy link:

Phil Nickinson

Phil spent his 20s in the newsroom of the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, his 30s on the road for AndroidCentral.com and Mobile Nations and is the Dad part of Modern Dad.