Does Netflix block accounts?

Is Netflix really stopping password sharing?

By now it's common knowledge that Netflix has a secret algorithm that determines whether or not you get any kind of TV show at all.

You may have noticed it doesn't apply to your roommate, but I think it's good that there's one less reason to feel guilty about missing out on Mad Men, Lost and Breaking Bad because you didn't move enough furniture around last night.

A new patent application from Netflix is shedding more light on the secret algorithms and how they're choosing what to show you. The application, if the description below is true, might be the first time we see Netflix directly use their own user data to determine what content to show people. It's easy to say that Netflix could just create algorithms like Google, but the company knows that's a major no-no. Not only do they operate within strict legal guidelines, they also don't want to be seen as censors. For them to do this, there must be another reason, and they are working towards it.

With the patent application titled User-based Content Recommendation comes a lot of interesting information. First and foremost, Netflix is trying to solve the problem of people who just like one type of show, but don't want to watch a bunch of shows that aren't part of the type they like. Instead, they could just let you watch things in their recommended categories.

The patent description reads: Many users may simply select a category to watch a particular show in, rather than engaging in more extensive searches to find shows in that category that they find interesting. As a result, many users may be less likely to use such a service and therefore less likely to subscribe. Thus, a number of users may choose not to subscribe to such a service.

This is very much like Netflix's problem today where people don't want to watch everything because of that one show that they love, and don't want to pick and choose from all the stuff that would come along with it. Instead, they'd just like a recommendation of what they should be watching.

As the patent describes, Netflix is getting this info from users.

Is it possible to be banned from Netflix?

What can be done?

It is indeed possible to be banned from Netflix, and what you can do about it has changed. In a previous article I covered what you can do if your account gets banned from Netflix, now I want to take a look at what you can do if your account gets banned from Netflix, but you're not satisfied with the help Netflix gives you.

Netflix banned me from watching more than 40 episodes of Breaking Bad. I have always enjoyed the quality of the Netflix shows, but not so much that I wanted to watch more than 40 episodes of a show. However, that's when my account got banned from Netflix.

I'm not sure why Netflix banned me for watching more than 40 episodes of a show, or how many episodes are enough to be banned, but it is definitely possible to be banned from watching certain shows. Before I started watching Breaking Bad, I did check the content policy, and found that one of the terms was more than 40 episodes of any TV show or movie in a 12 month period. This seemed pretty easy to avoid, because the show was released over 4 seasons.

I had watched all 4 seasons on DVD, but I didn't think I had reached the limit. Then I started watching Breaking Bad on Netflix, and discovered that I was still allowed to watch up to 40 episodes, and also that if I logged into Netflix every month, the term would reset, and I wouldn't be able to watch more than 40 episodes.

I didn't log in every month, so that meant I was breaking the terms and was going to get banned, but I wasn't really worried. I was just going to get banned, and I could easily re-add Breaking Bad to my account.

However, I also read that Netflix only banned you for breaking terms after you get 2 warnings, and this was my first warning. I had been able to watch the full show without a problem, so I thought I would be okay.

My next warning would come after I watched 10 episodes, and then went and watched a bunch of other shows while I was offline. Netflix doesn't really explain how you are supposed to do this, but I guess they don't want people to watch too much at once.

Does Netflix block accounts?

There was a brief bit of news this week when Netflix announced that it would block users in France.

The service has, over the last few weeks, blocked access to accounts in countries where it doesn't have a physical presence. In response to the news, many people, understandably, expressed concern about being blacklisted by Netflix. While I'm not a Netflix spokesperson, I can say that the only way that such a thing could occur is through a third party or an individual's own negligence. If you happen to be someone who hasn't done any research on what services are available or what features they provide, then that is your own problem. You are solely responsible for your own use of the service and the consequences are yours to deal with.

How can you protect yourself? If you are a Netflix subscriber, but also use another streaming service, you should check to see if there is a difference between the two. I don't actually know how that particular part of the website is managed, but it is something that should be taken into consideration. If you subscribe to different services on different devices, you may want to look at using a separate account for each device. You should also be aware that even if you manage to use a non-blocked service from your current location, that could mean that your account could still be blacklisted. And if it becomes necessary to purchase a subscription through another service, then you're probably out of luck.

And if it becomes necessary for you to move on? I should point out that the list of blocked regions is not in stone. I suspect that it is changing quite often as various regional regulators try to crack down on people who are trying to access content that Netflix doesn't have licenses to sell. This may change for Netflix itself if and when it makes changes to make up for the loss of revenue that comes with the service being unavailable. It isn't too much of a stretch to imagine this happening. If a country that had a physical presence from Netflix were to go dark, Netflix may decide that it needs to limit its service to the local region in order to regain access and licensing rights.

If you're in a blocked region and are still watching your Netflix accounts, be aware that your activity can still be monitored.

Will Netflix ban me for sharing?

Netflix has a pretty rigid rule against sharing content.

I've noticed that if I post a clip from a TV show on Reddit or the like, it is removed.

Is this because I post more than one clip in a day? Does anyone know how many clips I have posted since I signed up in May, 2013? I'm not trying to be annoying. I'm genuinely interested in what the rules are.

Here is the comment I got from Netflix: Hello. Thank you for contacting Netflix about your account and requesting additional access to certain content. We appreciate your interest in our service and we understand that sharing videos is against our Terms of Use. We offer a wide range of content that you can access from multiple devices and locations around the world. This means you can share up to five videos at one time on any social media platform. Please note, that all videos posted to social media sites are removed if they exceed the five video limit per 24 hour period.

We are glad that you appreciate the value that Netflix provides, and that we understand your interest in using our service. I asked for clarification on what the limit is and they responded: