News

Netflix Is Testing A Way To Stop Its Users From Sharing Their Passwords

Published

5 years ago

March 15, 2021

netflix is testing a way to stop its users from sharing their passwords

It seems that Netflix is no longer fine with users sharing their passwords with other people because the popular video streaming service is testing a new account ownership verification prompt.

“This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so,” said Netflix spokesperson Ebony Turner. Users who see the prompt are asked to verify account ownership by a code, sent via email or text. At the time of writing, the test seems to be rolled out more or less randomly, but that could quickly change in the future.

Netflix, which now has more than 200 million subscribers around the world, said that users who are unable to verify account ownership wouldn’t be able to continue using the service unless they purchase their own subscription.

While this measure is unlikely to stop password sharing among friends and extended family members, who can simply share the required authorization code, but it may at least slow down password sharing on various online forums and dark web sites.

The decision to crack down on password sharing is likely a reaction to the growing competition Netflix is facing, with streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Disney Plus, and Hulu offering their own original TV shows and movies.

Also Read: Netflix Is Introducing Sleep Timer Functionality On Android

Back in 2016, Netflix co-founder and chief executive Reed Hasting said that password sharing was something Netflix had to learn to live with because the amount of legitimate password sharing between family members was too high. Even in 2019, chief product officer Greg Peters stated that the streaming service had no plans to change its stance on password sharing.

Right now, Netflix’s terms of service state that the service is intended “for your personal and non-commercial use only and may not be shared with individuals beyond your household.” It’s not really clear whether Netflix means a physical household, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see the company clarify its terms of service if the new account ownership verification prompt becomes a standard feature.

News

Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon

Foreign visitors will be the first users to benefit, but whether Syria’s own banks and cardholders follow is still an open question.

Published

2 weeks ago

August 27, 2026

Dana Saadeh

visa's return to syria starts with a test and a bank in lebanon

Visa is returning to Syria. Its first live international card transaction in the country was a test rather than a launch, and the milestone event ran through a Lebanese bank.

The acquirer (the bank on the merchant’s side of a card payment) was Fransabank Lebanon, with Paymera as the other named partner. Nadim Moujaes, who heads a Fransabank Group subsidiary, describes the test as both the culmination of “longstanding efforts to link Syria back to international payment networks” and “the first step in a larger path”.

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa makes the first electronic payment in Syria using a @Visa card at a store in Damascus, following the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. pic.twitter.com/lpAN7nQ6Fc

— Tech Magazine (@TechMGZN) August 27, 2026

“We are excited to have successfully tested live transactions today as we plan to enable international visitors to use their Visa cards while in Syria,” says Leila Serhan, Visa’s senior vice president and group country manager for the North Africa, Levant and Pakistan region. Although a significant first step, that plan doesn’t come with a hard date for when a visitor’s card will work normally.

Mohammed Safwat Raslan, governor of the Central Bank of Syria, says the test paves the way for international card acceptance in Syria and that maintaining strong compliance, risk management and operational controls will remain essential. Serhan likewise stresses that Visa has worked within applicable legal, regulatory and compliance requirements. For a test transaction, it seems there was a great deal of attention paid to the rules, with the entire operation being carefully managed.

Also Read: Lebanon’s 5G Era Begins With 150 Stations And A $1M Budget

The test is the latest step in a sequence that began in December 2025, when Visa announced a strategic roadmap to support Syria’s integration into the global digital economy. In February 2026 it hosted its first industry gathering of banks, ecosystem partners and policymakers in Damascus and, the same month, signed an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in San Francisco.

Michel Kattouah, Paymera’s CEO, called the test “the return of international card acceptance,” but while that’s positive news, there’s no word yet on when a Syrian bank will issue a Visa card to a Syrian customer.