Netflix is abandoning new password sharing restrictions in several countries, and won't make users pay for account transfers

Netflix is backing away from efforts to crack down on password sharing, a change of heart that comes after the company's subscribers declined in some countries. The streamer is abandoning restrictions in a number of places, including Canada, New Zealand, and Portugal, where the restrictions were first tested, according to ***The Verge***, citing a Netflix spokesperson. And in some places, the company is even rolling back the practice of making users pay extra to share passwords outside of the home. That was meant to combat “account borrowing,” where people who do not live together share login credentials. “We are not going to require verification for every device, so you can freely access Netflix at work, school, the airport, a friend’s place, or your favorite coffee shop,” a spokesperson said. The decision is reportedly due to a lack of interest in the company’s new "paid sharing" option. When Netflix tested its new policy in certain countries, the number of paid account sharers was apparently "in the low single-digit millions," out of the 100 million the company estimates are sharing passwords without paying. Apparently, people didn't want to share the password or pay for it. According to Netflix, the majority of those who bought the "paid sharing" option did so at the urging of the account holder. It's worth noting that Netflix perhaps overestimated the extent to which family and friends share passwords. Many simply use the same account within the same household, and the new restrictions would force them to buy additional accounts or pay for sharing. The new "paid sharing" option is still in effect in some countries, including the US, but not in the countries where it was first tested.