Should I Share Passwords? A Guide

by Darran Heaney

A new season of a TV show like Stranger Things comes out and you’re the only one with Netflix. Your friends want to watch and may ask you for the password to your Netflix account. This is very common but is it ever really OK to share your password? The short answer is… not really but if absolutely have to, follow this guide.

Set a Unique Password

Set a unique password if you are going to share it. Make sure that the password you are sharing is only used for one website and never used again.

Change After Use

Make sure to change the password after the person you shared with has completed what they needed to do. If your friend is watching a show on your Netflix account, set a time limit and change your password afterwards. Note: Netflix does not like password sharing and may delete your account, keep this in mind. If you really don’t want to share your Netflix account tell the person you don’t want Netflix to delete your account by sharing.

Only Share Passwords with Close Friends and Family

It goes without saying that you should only share a password with close friends and family. Anyone outside of that group has the potential to do harm, especially if the password is used on more than one account.

Avoid Social Media Password Sharing

We have all heard the horror stories about anyone gaining access to your social media account unsupervised. Only share your social media passwords in the event of an emergency and there is no other alternative.

Typically, you should avoid sharing your password at all. If you do share, follow the tips above to make sure that the password is used in the way you intended. Otherwise you may start seeing strange things on your social media.