Disney+ password sharing crackdown: what Disney plans to do if you share your login (and when)
The mouse isn't happy about password sharing either, here's what's happening to password sharing on Disney+.
To catch up on the latest shows and movies, most turn to streaming services these days. While it’s technically against the terms and conditions, we’ve all been guilty of sharing passwords here and there. But the streamers aren’t all that happy about it, and are coming to put an end to it.
Earlier this year, Netflix put a stop to sharing your login details. The crackdown means the platform is catching out people piggybacking on other accounts. And the mouse isn’t all too happy about people sharing passwords on his platform, either.
Disney+ is already starting to put the heat on password sharers, with changes to the terms and conditions taking place. Here’s what we know about Disney+’s password sharing crackdown so far.
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How is Disney+ stopping password sharing?
With the house of mouse getting wise to subscribers sharing passwords, Disney+ is going to start cracking down on password sharing. CEO Bob Iger previously expressed that he wants to crack down on password sharing in 2024. And the clamp down is going full steam ahead, with some subscribers already being warned that they need to stop sharing passwords.
Last year, Disney+ subscribers in Canada received an email explaining that they must stop password sharing by November 1. Now, the streamer is updating its terms of services across multiple countries to ban sharing an account with people outside your household.
But Disney isn’t done, the brand is going to get even stricter on password sharing in the summer in a move similar to Netflix. Speaking during an earnings call, Disney’s CFO announced further actions to clamp down on password sharing. Accounts suspected of “improper sharing” will see a pop-up asking them to sign up for their own subscription. And account owners will be able to set up accounts for people outside their household for an additional fee.
It’s unclear exactly how this will work, but the streamer explains it will “analyse the use of your account”. This will likely involve tracking IP addresses that access accounts. From this, the streaming platform will be able to work out if the account is being accessed by other households. Despite its friendly face, Disney is done being kind to password-sharers.
What are the rules for passwords on Disney+?
Disney+ is in the process of updating its terms to restrict password sharing with those outside your household. And household refers to one location, so it doesn’t matter if you’re a family spread across different parts of the world. The terms state:
Unless otherwise permitted by your Service Tier, you may not share your subscription outside of your household. “Household” means the collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence that are used by the individuals who reside therein. Additional usage rules may apply for certain Service Tiers.
When will Disney’s password sharing rules start?
In a recent interview with CNBC, Disney’s CEO Bob Iger revealed that these new password sharing rules will come into force very soon. You’ll have to stop password sharing from June 2024, which is when Disney+ will begin its “first real foray into password sharing”. We suspect this has something to do with those stricter rules we mentioned earlier.
At first, these rules will only roll out into a “few markets”, with the US likely being at the top of this list. Then, in September, Disney+ will expand these rules to other locations.
Connor Jewiss
