Netflix, ever seeking to increase its subscription numbers, is testing out a tougher approach to people who share their passwordsvwith anyone not living in the same household.

A number of users have reported alerts asking them to verify via email or text message that they are authorised to use the account. A Netflix spokesperson confirmed the test to US broadcaster CNN on Friday.

”Netflix doing the purge?!?” one user wrote on Twitter, sharing a screenshot of an alert requiring verification.

”If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching,” Netflix has apparently written in the prompt, adding the option to email or text a verification code to prove ownership of the account.

The extent of the alert was not yet clear, and the company regularly tries out features, not all of which are widely implemented.

Although Netflix allows you to create multiple profiles for different users, an account should technically only be used by the residents of one household, as stipulated in the terms of use.

However, many subscribers also try to split the costs of more expensive Netflix tiers across multiple households.

The company, which has been boosted by increased time spent at home during the pandemic, had already promised a tougher stance against this in previous years.

 - dpa