Netflix and No Chill: The Criminal Ramification of Password Sharing

Abstract

Password sharing is a unique issue because it requires two actors: the person who accesses the information, and the sharer. Sharing your password and logging on could easily be seen as trespassing on Netflix’s website to provide you with content you should have otherwise paid for, thus it has value. All other elements aside, the question of whether or not the sharer of information could be criminally liable remains unanswered. Under Nosal, there is strong evidence to suggest liability. It is clear that the person who accesses this information is liable, but what about the password sharer