Violet asks Oliver if she can use his Disney Plus password. Oliver wants to help her out but isn’t sure if password sharing is OK. What should he do?
The situation: Violet wants to watch High School Musical, but she doesn’t have Disney Plus. So she asks her friend Oliver if she can use his password. Oliver trusts Violet but he feels weird about giving out his password. What should he do?
YES: Sharing passwords is no big deal.
By Lina Jones
Illustrations by Carolyn Ridsdale
Oliver should go ahead and share his password with Violet. Friends do favors for each other all the time. If a friend forgets to bring socks to soccer, you lend them a spare pair. If a friend doesn’t have any money when the ice cream truck rolls around, you buy them a cone. And if a friend wants to watch High School Musical, you share your password.
The fact is, a lot of people share passwords, whether it’s for Disney Plus, Hulu, Netflix, or any other streaming service. According to a 2019 report, 64 percent of streaming service customers between the ages of 13 and 24 share passwords.* One big reason is to save money. Can you imagine paying for every streaming service out there? You’d spend a fortune!
Now, it’s true that sharing passwords outside your family can be risky. After all, a password protects your account and private information, such as credit card numbers. The more people who know your password, the less safe that information will be. But Violet isn’t really a risk; she’s Oliver’s trusted friend. Besides, Oliver can always change his password after Violet finishes HSM. It’s a good habit to update your passwords often anyway.
Of course, password sharing may violate the terms of use—the agreement you sign when you subscribe. But here’s the deal: No one has ever gotten in serious trouble for password sharing. Yes, a company could suspend your account, but most companies send a warning first. What’s more, many companies have restrictions that stop password sharing from getting out of control. For example, Netflix allows only four devices to stream at one time.
The truth is, companies know password sharing goes on—and they aren’t particularly concerned about it. In 2014, the former head of HBO said that password sharing is a “terrific marketing vehicle.” In other words, it’s a way to get new customers. Think about it: Violet could love Disney Plus so much that her family gets a subscription.
So, as long as Oliver’s parents are OK with it, Oliver should put aside his worries and share. Discussing the epic final episode of HSM with his friend will be more than worth it.
*"Video Redefined" 2019, Hub Entertainment Research
NO: Sharing passwords is wrong.
By Joshua Simmons
Oliver shouldn’t share his password with Violet. Sharing a password with a friend may seem harmless, but it isn’t—and here’s why. Many families have the same or similar passwords for multiple accounts and devices. So, when Oliver hands over his Disney Plus password, he could be inadvertently giving away the password to his family’s computers, bank accounts, and more.
Sure, Violet is trustworthy, but what if Violet shares the password with a sibling, and that sibling shares it with a cousin, and that cousin gives it to a friend, and . . . you get the idea. Eventually, Oliver’s password could end up in the wrong hands.
That’s not the only problem with password sharing. In my opinion, using someone else’s password is basically stealing: You’re getting something that you didn’t pay for.
What’s more, if everyone did it, there would be little reason for anyone to pay for subscriptions. And subscriptions are a big part of how streaming companies make their money. According to the research firm Parks Associates, companies lost about $9 billion to password sharing and piracy in 2019.
What if streaming services start to lose so much money that they can’t make our favorite shows? That would be tragic!
But even if no person or business was harmed by password sharing, it would still be wrong. Why? When you sign up for a streaming service, you make an agreement with the company that you won’t share your password beyond your household.
Technically, a streaming service has the right to terminate your account for breaking that agreement, though that doesn’t happen very often. But just because you might get away with it doesn’t mean you should break your word.
Now, it’s true that many people share passwords to save money. That doesn’t make it right. You wouldn’t tell a friend to steal a soda just because the soda was expensive, would you?
There are nice ways Oliver can say no to Violet. I asked a therapist named Beth Tyson how Oliver could talk to Violet about this issue. Tyson advises Oliver to say that while he understands watching HSM is important to Violet, he isn’t comfortable sharing passwords. There might be some awkwardness, but a good friend won’t pressure him.
Then Oliver can find another way to help, like inviting Violet over so they can watch HSM together.
It’s more fun to watch shows together anyway, right?
This article was originally published in the September 2020 issue.
1. PREPARING TO READ
2. READING AND TEXT MARKING
3. DISCUSSION
4. DEBATE
5. WRITING
