Password sharing on streaming services is now a criminal offense in the UK

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As the cost of living crisis continues to deepen and UK households debate whether to turn on the oven or the heater, as half the country appears to be on strike, the UK government is ensuring that he puts his priorities in line by ensuring that Britons who share the streaming service’s passwords are now classed as criminals.

Torrent Freak has spotted a change in the UK Intellectual Property Office’s hacking guidelines, which now classify password-sharers as infringers of copyright law.

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This is despite the fact that streaming services had a somewhat relaxed attitude towards password sharing until quite recently, when it became clear that Netflix was looking to stop a drop in the number of passwords. subscribers by making sure the sharers paid.

The updated guidelines now read: “Piracy is a major problem for the coaching and creative industries. Pasting internet images into your social networks, sharing passwords on streaming services and accessing the latest movies, TV shows, or live sporting events through Kodi boxes, Fire Sticks, or apps without paying a subscription are all breaking copyright law.Now Only You’re Breaking The Law, But You’re Preventing someone to earn a living through hard work.

The addition of password sharing is new and a concern for millions of people who share their passwords with family members on streaming services like Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime.

Considering that a person has to pay for these services in order to access them in the first place, and that streaming services don’t strictly enforce logins on other devices in other homes, it’s a bit rich to put password sharing in the same category as Kodi boxes.

In a statement to Torrent Freak, the IPO said violators could be held liable for criminal fraud. It said in a statement: “There are a range of criminal and civil law provisions that may be applicable in the case of password sharing where the intent is to allow a user to access copyrighted works. copyright without payment.”

These provisions may include breach of contract terms, fraud or secondary copyright infringement depending on the circumstances.

In its terms of service, Netflix seems to focus on ensuring that users agree not to hold public performances of its content and ensuring that users do not access content from other geographic locations where libraries may vary. The company says the password should not be shared with people beyond their household, but does not strictly define household.

In the past, Netflix even said “love is sharing a password”. How times change.

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