News: Sharing streaming accounts to be a federal crime?

DAP

Quote:

Sharing passwords to access streaming sites such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and HBO Go could be a federal crime, according to a new ruling.

Three judges from the US court of appeals from the ninth circuit issued a ruling on Tuesday that such activity now constitutes a criminal act, under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA).

The ruling came from the ongoing United States v Nosal case, filed against David Nosal, a former employee of the recruitment firm Korn/Ferry. Nosal left the recruitment firm in 2004 to launch a competitor, and allegedly used a former co-worker’s password to access a work computer after his personal access was revoked.

According to the outcome of Nosal’s case, no person giving their password to someone else constitutes authorization – the company that issued it has to allow it.

Judge Margaret McKeown, in the majority opinion, stated that the “appeal is not about password sharing”, adding that it was about an employee who “accessed trade secrets in a proprietary database through the back door when the front door had been firmly closed”.

However, Stephen Reinhardt, a judge in the case, noted that the decision “threatens to criminalize all sorts of innocuous conduct engaged in daily by ordinary citizens”, apparently including those who share passwords for streaming sites.

Despite the outcome, it’s unlikely that companies such as Netflix and Hulu will come after password-trading customers.

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-r...-federal-crime

Welp

jacklovesyou1

Pathetic. There should be another way around this such as if another person uses your account just notify the company??? Like ask for the other person email or a valid reason why e.t.c?

Can't_M!ss_This

Depending on the tier you're allowed to watch on several screens at once. Surely they don't expect you to be in one room watching the same or different shows on multiple devices. So it's only logical that family members would have access, thus password sharing. However, I could see it if you posted your password online saying "use my account whenever" but again, you've paid for multiple screens at once. Up to 4 right? That's just simultaneous

Very interesting thing.

Jackson

There goes my Netflix and Apple Music access

Eóghan Scherzy

Quote:

Originally posted by Can't_M!ss_This

Depending on the tier you're allowed to watch on several screens at once. Surely they don't expect you to be in one room watching the same or different shows on multiple devices. So it's only logical that family members would have access, thus password sharing. However, I could see it if you posted your password online saying "use my account whenever" but again, you've paid for multiple screens at once. Up to 4 right? That's just simultaneous

Very interesting thing.

Exactly.

Those three judges are stupid and are clearly not customers ...

butterflysupreme

What kind of ********.

Retro

Quote:

Originally posted by Eóghan Scherzy

Exactly.

Those three judges are stupid and are clearly not customers ...

I don't necessarily think it's appropriate to say this when one Judge was the person who specifically detailed concerns about the original case, which actually had nothing to do with streaming services:

Quote:

However, Stephen Reinhardt, a judge in the case, noted that the decision “threatens to criminalize all sorts of innocuous conduct engaged in daily by ordinary citizens”, apparently including those who share passwords for streaming sites.

Despite the outcome, it’s unlikely that companies such as Netflix and Hulu will come after password-trading customers.