Netflix is fine with password sharing, but it’s going after piracy now

[Len]

Netflix makes some of the most popular TV shows out there, having more hits on its hands than most traditional networks. That’s why I’m perfectly fine with the price. You get to stream all those original Netflix shows whenever you feel like it, and you can even share your password with friends and family.

Netflix may be fine with password sharing — in fact, company executives have even encouraged users in the past to share their passwords. But a new report shows the company is stepping up its anti-piracy efforts.

Even though Netflix is incredibly affordable, some people choose to download the company’s shows from illegal sharing sites or stream them using shady content portals. That’s because they either don’t want to pay the monthly subscription or because some titles are not available for streaming everywhere in some Netflix markets.

Netflix sent out over a million takedown requests to Google alone since last year, and it’s currently looking to beef up its internal anti-piracy division. Torrent Freak found a job listing for a Copyright and Content Protection Coordinator to join Netflix’s team. The person will help Netflix “reduce online piracy to a socially unacceptable fringe activity.”

The coordinator will evaluate new technological solutions to deal with online piracy and will monitor a variety of portals that can be used to distribute pirated copies of Netflix shows, including search engines like Google and Bing, social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, video platforms including YouTube, VK, DailyMotion, and more.

On top of hiring more people to try to stop Netflix content from being shared illegally, Netflix also wants to work with other media giants under the MPAA’s Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, as well as other takedown services.

That doesn’t mean that Netflix will be able to kill online piracy any more than others in the business that are fighting the same war. But it’s a clear signal that Netflix wants to do more to protect its original shows from being consumed anywhere other than Netflix. It certainly makes sense — Netflix is investing more than $7 billion on original content next year alone.