I found this question on Quora.
Here’s my answer:
Not a lawyer here, and this is not legal advice:
A Netflix account is not a cable TV service, so it definitely doesn’t fall under laws that prevent you from sharing cable with your neighbors. But you didn’t ask that.
The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act has been used in convictions involving password sharing. In each case the courts made it clear that their decisions did not apply broadly, but only to the cases in question. (They added this language after people expressed concern about the question you asked.)
Take Two: Ninth Circuit Revises Two Password Sharing Decisions, But Fails to Fix CFAA Mess
So it may be illegal, the existing case law could be used as precedent, but the cases do not automatically make it illegal. It’s still unclear until someone tests it.
But are you likely to get in trouble?
We should notice that both cases involved business misconduct. In one, data was stolen to support a competing business. In the other, a business was accessing Facebook on behalf of users.
If you’re not sharing this access in order to support a business, even if Netflix took issue with your usage of their service, they would probably only contact you directly and ask you to stop. They would probably not seek damages, because you are a customer, and they like to keep customers happy.
Only a court can decide if it’s illegal. It’s up to you if you want to violate the intended use of the service.
, 