After Netflix, Disney+ starts password-sharing crackdown

Highlights
  • Disney+ will first implement its password-sharing crackdown in Canada.
  • It has started informing subscribers of the change, and how they should follow it.
  • Disney+ is the second global streaming service after Netflix to do this. 

Disney+ is set to begin its password-sharing crackdown soon. The streaming service will start this first in Canada, and an email informing subscribers about the change has already been shared. Similar to Netflix, Disney+ will also restrict subscribers from sharing their password outside their household. 

Disney+ password-sharing crackdown

  • Disney+ has started sending out emails to subscribers about the password sharing restriction. It is scheduled to begin on November 1st but details about the process haven’t been revealed, The Verge reported.
  • The email simply states, “we’re implementing restrictions on your ability to share your account or login credentials outside of your household.”
  • There’s a new account sharing section in Disney+ Canada’s subscriber agreement where it’s written the company may “analyze the use of your account”, the report added. This would mean the company monitoring your account usage, and if you fail to follow the instructions that it could set account limits or even terminate it.
  • The company has also updated its Help Center with the message, “You may not share your subscription outside of your household.” Details of how Disney+ plans to go about its password-sharing crackdown are expected to be revealed soon. The company hasn’t announced yet if it will expand this to other markets including India. 

At present, the streaming service is available as Disney+ Hotstar in India. Unlike Netflix, Disney+ has a strict restriction on the number of devices that a certain account can be used on. So if you cross the limit then you’ll have to logout from one device. But this still doesn’t stop people from sharing their account password. 

Netflix has been testing password-sharing restrictions for months now, and it has even brought it to India. For Netflix, it works with setting up a household account connected to the same Wi-Fi. Once this is set up, anyone who wishes to use the same account will have to login to the household account. This is however mandatory only for people who watch Netflix on TV. Those who don’t can continue using Netflix normally.