SAINT LOUIS, Mo. — An argument over a Netflix password led to a nephew assaulting his uncle with a knife early Saturday morning, St. Louis police said.
Police said the 50-year-old victim woke up around 5 a.m. to find his nephew trying to steal the password. As the argument escalated, the suspect grabbed a knife and cut his uncle on the bridge of his nose. He then ran from the man's apartment in the 600 block of North Kingshighway Blvd., on the northern edge of the city's Central West End neighborhood.
The victim has a disability and was unable to provide much information about his nephew other than his height, build and hair style. He was taken by ambulance to a St. Louis hospital for treatment of his injuries, police said.
Earlier this week, Netflix started testing a way to crack down on password sharing.
The company has been using popups to ask some users to verify their account via email or text, or to “verify later.”
“If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching,” the screen reads, according to Streamable.com, which first reported the test.
The test comes as streaming services proliferate and more people share passwords and services. Netflix confirmed the test, but did not say how many people were part of the test or if it was only in the U.S. or elsewhere.
“This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so,” the company said in a statement.
On the most basic plan, which costs $9 monthly, users can only stream on one screen at a time. The most popular plan, which is now $14 monthly, allows two simultaneous streams; the $18 premium plan allows 3.
But there has never been a limit on sharing an account when you aren’t streaming at the same time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
