Netflix is finally taking serious steps to crack down on password sharing by its users, a common practice, especially here in Kenya.

The US streaming giant in the last week unveiled a new test which displays a warning to some users saying, “If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching.”

Access to its movie streaming services, according to Netflix’s terms of service, “may not be shared with persons individuals beyond your household.”

In the test, Netflix gives account holders three options: Get an email or text verification code to authenticate the account, or click on a button that indicates “Verify Later”.

“This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so,” a Netflix Representative said in a statement on Thursday.

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The test has been unveiled in several countries but only on TV devices, but it is unclear if the prompts are arbitrary or they are triggered by particular activity on a given Netflix account.

Netflix seeks to initiate a security mechanism to bar unauthorised users who may have illegal access to stolen login credentials.

Many Kenyans have admitted to mooching off another user’s streaming account, as pervasive as it is, with many who are unable or are unwilling to pay the monthly subscription resorting to this method to keep streaming their favourite shows on the platform.

In October 2019, Netflix chief product officer Greg Peters undertook to look into the issue of password-sharing, even as the streaming giant has downplayed the practice in the past.