The Morality of Password Sharing

I've been sharing my larger family's streaming accounts ever since we got our own apartment - Fubo, Disney+, Paramount+, Hulu, etc. But just recently, I've started to become uncomfortable with it (even though my family doesn't mind). If I were living on my own, I wouldn't have much of a problem deleting all the premium apps on our TV and just using free services like Tubi, Pluto, and YouTube. But my daughter likes watching cartoons on Disney+ and Paramount+, and my wife doesn't have any qualms sharing passwords (she's always just downloaded movies illegally like everyone else in China).

I know Netflix specifically says you're not supposed to use an account outside of the members of the household that owns it, but it seems like Hulu is less strict and just wants you to limit streaming to mobile devices outside of the main household. Not sure about the rest.

I'm not worried about legal repercussions, as I don't think it's likely we'll ever be fined or summoned to court over this stuff. But I know God cares about our obedience to the governing authorities, so even if I don't get caught, I don't want to dishonor Him by using something I'm not supposed to.

Does anyone else ever think about this stuff? And does anyone know how strict other services' policies are?

I don't think about it often because it's not something we've done much of and don't currently, I don't think. (Holly's parents signed-in one of their services here and invited us to continue using it, but I don't know what the policy is. I think its some British show or PBS premium service.)

I think it comes down to the terms of service, which admittedly I almost always skip reading. But in essence, we enter agreements that we affirm we will abide by when we check that box and click "Proceed".

Really, if we were living perfectly, we would read every word of those agreements before clicking Next. But I haven't yet found the mental or emotional bandwidth to make that a practice in my life. When I find myself thinking about these kinds of issues, I usually remember how entrenched and immersed in sin my daily thoughts and actions are, and try to pick a more urgent battle to give thought and energy to, like giving those extra few moments to thoughts of my wife or boys, and how I can love them better.

I was struck last week by Matthew 23:23-24, where Jesus is criticizing the Pharisees for focusing their energy on little things and neglecting "weightier matters", which is easy for me to do, too. It's not that I think Jesus doesn't care about my skipping the terms of service. Jesus says in verse 24 "these you ought to have done without neglecting the others". So we're meant to obey in everything and to live perfectly. But he also knows I can't pull that off. Not even close. So when I catch myself, I try to give those precious mental seconds while I'm willing (before riches and cares of the world divert me yet again) to mentally attend to the more weighty things, which there always seems to be when I look around for them. And that usually leads me to the people in closest proximity to me.

Sorry that's not really an answer to your question. But I think its where God wants my thoughts to go when I find myself pondering issues that I would sort of "categorize" with this one. I can imagine him patiently smiling at me, putting his arm on my shoulder and saying, "Oh my boy. You need me so much more than you think you do, and there are more immediate needs for that energy of yours."

Thank you, Paeter. That's some food for thought.

AGoodReed wrote:I'm not worried about legal repercussions, as I don't think it's likely we'll ever be fined or summoned to court over this stuff. But I know God cares about our obedience to the governing authorities, so even if I don't get caught, I don't want to dishonor Him by using something I'm not supposed to.

Does anyone else ever think about this stuff? And does anyone know how strict other services' policies are?

Most services like that restrict account sharing to the immediate household according to the terms of service. From a technical standpoint, two accounts using the same credentials on fixed devices (ie Roku) from different locations is a big red identity theft flag, especially if the use is simultaneous.

From a moral standpoint, if it bothers you, don't do it. I suspect that, like many of us, you have more entertainment options than you have time to consume them all. Don't stress about not having access to a particular show.

mindspike wrote:From a moral standpoint, if it bothers you, don't do it. I suspect that, like many of us, you have more entertainment options than you have time to consume them all. Don't stress about not having access to a particular show.

I'm not worried about my access to any shows. I'm worried that my wife and daughter will revolt against me if I restrict our daughter's access to particular shows. My wife already harbors feelings against me for other things. We're getting marriage counseling soon. I just don't want this to be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

"In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. And in all things, charity." Whatever else, this may be, it's not a salvation issue.

I have a real problem with language, as in, cussin' language. My wife does not. So while I take a hard line in the house against using Jesus' name as a curse word, I have chosen charity in regards to other speech. Will pray for your guidance and assurance, my friend.

I actually called Fubo TV to ask directly about the issue. The man said that it's fine for me to use it, but it won't let me watch it on TV if someone at my parents' house is watching it on their TV. I can still watch it on my phone, iPad, or laptop at any time, legally. That's enough for me. As for the other services, I've decided I'll let my wife and daughter use them because it's not a hill worth dying on. I just won't use them myself until I find out that I'm allowed. I rarely have time to use them, anyway.

Thanks, y'all!

mindspike wrote:"In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. And in all things, charity."

Okay, I've heard this before. Who said it? I guess I could just google it, but I know you're a well-read kinda geek and might remember off the top.

Also, Reed, I think there's grace for you in this. It sounds like the place you've arrived at leans toward prioritizing some of those "weightier matters" Jesus referred to(in this case, your marriage), so I'd encourage you to keep leaning that way as you and your wife do some rebuilding and fortifying, and trust that Jesus has tireless grace for you in all of it.

Praying for you!

Paeter wrote:

mindspike wrote:"In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. And in all things, charity."

Okay, I've heard this before. Who said it? I guess I could just google it, but I know you're a well-read kinda geek and might remember off the top.

"Often attributed to great theologians such as Augustine, it comes from an otherwise undistinguished German Lutheran theologian of the early seventeenth century, Rupertus Meldenius. The phrase occurs in a tract on Christian unity written (c. 1627) during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), a bloody time in European history in which religious tensions played a significant role. The saying has found great favor among subsequent writers such as Richard Baxter, and has since been adopted as a motto by the Moravian Church of North America and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church."

https://www.ligonier.org/posts/in-essentials-unity-in-non-essentials-liberty-in-all-things-charity

Paeter wrote:

mindspike wrote:"In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. And in all things, charity."

Okay, I've heard this before. Who said it? I guess I could just google it, but I know you're a well-read kinda geek and might remember off the top.

Reed is faster on the draw than I am. Teach me to cite my sources! And in this case, Reed has it over on me. I've heard the phrase from several sources and attributions, so I tend to think of it as just a helpful aphorism.

You nerds rock. :-)

Paeter wrote:You nerds rock. :-)

Thank DuckDuckGo (dot) com.