Many UK citizens have the habit of sharing passwords of online services with friends & family members, especially those related to streaming services. However, from now on it will be treated as a criminal offense as per the latest law termed by UK’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO).
Furthermore, using images without permission on social media platforms and accessing movies, games, sports events and TV series through fire sticks, Kodi boxes and other apps without paying a subscription fees will also be treated as a criminal offense from now on.
Factually speaking, Google has already termed usage of images without permission is illegal and breach of its law. And some companies like Netflix have also imposed a ban on password sharing.
Meaning, if a User A shares his/her online streaming service password with User B, and if the server that provides the service finds fault in the device or the IP address or geographical location change, it can term it as unauthorized access and blocks the user from accessing the content until further notice.
Either the User A is asked to change the password or is sent an alert about the discrepancy. And if they fail to react on time, the account gets suspended following a review.
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of England has been asked to supervise and deal with the latest password sharing issue and will impose a strict crackdown from the beginning of the new year.
