You love your family and friends, but maybe they should pay for their own Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+. Security provider Beyond Identity recently surveyed over 1,000 people in the US to find out how common it is to share streaming-service passwords and the dangers that poses.
Chief among the results is that nearly a third of respondents reported using the same password for all their streaming accounts. This is never a good idea; you should always use a strong and unique password for each one of your online accounts.
Another alarming finding from the study: 30% of those surveyed reported that their personal financial information was compromised because they shared their account passwords. But almost 40% said they won’t kick “moochers” off their accounts, because they don't want to deal with the confrontation. We suggest they get over that.
In case you’re not convinced yet, some of the negative consequences for account sharers include moochers sharing passwords with other moochers without the account holder’s knowledge or consent—and even changing the account’s password unbeknownst to the account holder. Even worse, some of those generous souls have had their credit cards and bank accounts accessed by evildoers, all because they shared their streaming-service passwords.
You can read the entire report and get some tips for how to kick moochers off your streaming accounts at Beyond Identity’s website.
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