The big news lately seems to be the changes to Netflix rules and regulations and how so many are going to cancel their subscriptions out of protest.
The mega streaming service recently made it so sharing your password was near impossible, with the subscriber having to prove a "primary location" with Canadian accounts. The location will eventually be used to recognize anyone who accesses the account outside the 'home base'.
This created an outrage by many Netflix subscribers, and likely many who were benefitting from sharing someone’s password who said they would cancel the service.
I’m still trying to get my mind around people feeling they’re entitled to using someone’s password and how they feel Netflix was supposed to dedicate time to deciphering good sharing and bad sharing.
One friend of mine made the point that if their kids leave for college and were then still technically in the home, they should be allowed to use the service.
I don’t entirely disagree, but I think the main problem has become those who are clearly taking advantage of the sharing.
Some point to the silly March 2017 tweet Netflix made to a previous tweet where they stated “Love is sharing a password.”
I chalk it up to them being funny, but others hold them to it like it was written like a court order.
As far as the cost of having a streaming service, they are all a luxury and they’re not absolutely needed, obviously. They are great to have. My family and I have Netflix and Disney+. The second they are too expensive or not needed, they will be gone.
They are in the business of making money, so limiting passwords was needed. And to be honest, I can only imagine all the other companies will follow suit eventually.
It feels like there has been more online outrage about the ability to watch Love Is Blind due to passwords than there has been with buying bread at the grocery store due to skyrocketing prices.
Maybe we have our priorities out of whack?
I do wonder if the same outrage and refusal to purchase was applied to grocery stores rather than Netflix if we would be able to force a change in the things we need.
I also wonder what the limit is for subscribers when it comes to what they’ll pay and put up with.
If you could afford just one streaming service, which would it be? If they all added this password policy, would you cancel all of them or want to keep one?
Shawn Gibson is a staff reporter at BarrieToday.
