Untangling the web of shared Netflix passwords and loose connections in Charlotte
With a new court ruling stating that sharing passwords is a federal crime, a lot of you might be worried since it’s become fairly standard to share your passwords to sites like Netflix and HBO Go.
UPDATE: Snopes.com points out that the ruling didn’t necessarily make sharing your Netflix password a crime, as so many outlets reported.
And people aren’t just offering up their information to immediate family, either. There’s a lot of distribution among loose connections going on.
So exactly how tangled is this TV watching web we weave? I asked people who they’re mooching off of for all of their binging needs.
Note: Some emoji use had to be removed, mostly the laugh-cry face and the monkey covering its eyes one. Last names removed to protect identities, just in case this really does become a federal crime.
“We use my brother-in-law’s, but we trade his Netflix login for our HBO Go login.” —Lindsay H.
“My brother’s frat brother’s Hulu. He graduated from college in ’09 and I’m pretty sure we haven’t seen him since. #thanksbro” —MaryPat L.
“Netflix: stepdad. HBO Go: random friend of a Twitter acquaintance named Ellen. Shoutout to Ellen. Cable login for sports channels: a sorority sister’s family.”—Katie G.
“From simplest to weirdest: HBO Go: my brother. Netflix: my fiancé’s sister. MLBTV: my brother’s wife’s mother.” —Krista D.
“I’m on my old neighbor’s Netflix and have been for 6 years. We’ve been apart (he moved to Delaware and I moved across town) for one year and he keeps it active for me.” —Corri S.
“Netflix: sister. HBO Go: cousin. Amazon Prime: sister. Cable: parents/in-laws.” — Sheetal K.
“Bought my brother a Hulu Plus subscription for Christmas and started using it myself almost immediately. So it’s like I bought a present for myself. I’m not proud of it!” —Haley B.
“I’m using my ex-boyfriend’s brother-in-law’s Netflix.”—Heather S.
“My boyfriend lets me use his HBO for ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘True Blood,’ and I still share Netflix with my parents. (Never giving that one up.) Had my college roommate’s Hulu post-college for the longest time though.” —Arial H.
“My friend Becky has generously lent me her Netflix. Even have my own profile.” —Kristin N.
Then there are the kind-hearted people who allow friends, family members, and distant acquaintances to take advantage of their paid accounts. Here’s the breakdown on who they’ve got benefitting from their generosity:
“All of my relatives use my accounts – daughter, nieces (plural), sister, etc. I have no idea who they’ve given my digits to. When I moved recently everyone was angry with me when the accounts didn’t work anymore!” —Judi W.
“I pay for Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO Go. That means 23% of Charlotte owes me a beer next time they see me.” —Andy G.
“I have a story for you. An ex had my Hulu password. Breakup was pretty amicable, but as soon as I saw ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ in my recent watch I changed the pw with the quickness.” —Andrew J.
“There’s at least 6 people using our HBO Go account and we use my mom’s Netflix.” —Becky S.
“My brother, parents, and two best friends have my Netflix. My brother and other friend have my Hulu and Netflix.” —Abbie W.
“I have shared my HBO and Showtime account with too many people apparently. Every time I try to login it says too many active users.” —Jeff B.
Photos: AP Photo; Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/MCT
This story was originally published July 13, 2016 at 10:40 PM with the headline "Untangling the web of shared Netflix passwords and loose connections in Charlotte."