Netflix testing ways of cracking down on password sharing

Netflix is testing a new feature that could help it crack down on password sharing based on service terms that prohibiting sharing beyond a subscriber's household.

The streaming giant is asking users via a pop-up to verify the account by confirming with a text or email sent to the account holder. Users may opt to postpone verification, and the pop-up will appear again at an undetermined time.

Those unable to confirm that they're an authorized user must set up a new account.

According to a Netflix spokesperson, the test helps ensure that users of Netflix accounts are authorized to do so.

Netflix's viewership skyrocketed during the pandemic, reaching 200 million users last month, and its stock soared nearly 50 percent since last March.

But Netflix may be hard-pressed to maintain that momentum as people are spending less time at home this 2021.