Even though I knew it was hilarious, I missed out on Arrested Development while it was on air. Thanks to Netflix Instant, though, my wife and I have been able to catch up and take in all the hilarity of the Bluth family.
Also, as I’ve been sick this week, Netflix Instant has been keeping me company. I’ve been feeding my nostalgia with episodes of Voltron and I’ve been educating myself with documentaries like Maxed Out.
All of this has been made possible because of Netflix Instant. I feel a little bad, though, because I’m not paying for Netflix Instant.
I have access to Netflix Instant because of the kindness of one of my coworkers. She has a full-fledged Netflix account but allows me to use her information to access Netflix Instant through my PS3. I’m very grateful because I have all of the benefits of Netflix Instant without having to make the steep investment of $7.99 a month.
Which makes me wonder if every time I squeal with delight as Voltron forms, am I breaking the 8th commandment?
The Bible tells us not to steal. Cleary the call to love others precludes taking their belongings. Obviously if I was walking into someone else’s house and taking their Voltron DVDs, I would feel like I was breaking God’s commandment. With Netflix Instant, though, I’m not physically taking anything; I’m just sitting at home watching streaming content without abusing anyone.
The 8th commandment is less clear in this digital age. The question of stealing in the digital age began with Napster but has grown to include burning CDs, illegally downloading music, torrents, sharing iTunes libraries and using someone else’s Netflix account. When no one is abused and nothing is physically taken, is the 8th commandment really violated?
I’d like to say no, but that’s just because I want to keep using watching Voltron and Arrested Development. Deep down inside, though, I think I should feel guilty every time those robot lions roar and Voltron comes to life.
But I don’t feel guilty. And I don’t know if that’s because this is a non-issue or the Holy Spirit is just waiting to pummel me with conviction. I don’t know if I have a clear conscience because I’m not doing anything wrong or because I’ve created a wall of justifications.
I really don’t know and would love to hear your thoughts on the issue. I do know that I hope the Holy Spirit waits to convict me until we’re finished with Arrested Development.
How do you think the 8th commandment applies to the digital age?
I don’t think you’re violating it with Netflix at all. It’s the same thing as you borrowing the DVDs. If you had stolen her login information or were using it without her permission, that’d be a different story.
I don’t think of it as you “taking” so much as someone “giving”. My dad AND bro-in-law both use our netflix, and I think its fine, and even good.
Is your co-worker violating her contract by giving you her password? If so, you may be causing her to stumble by participating in the breaking of her contract.
I disagree that it is the same as borrowing the DVD. If you friend gets 2 DVDs at a time (for example) and lets you borrow one of them that she is responsible for, that “rental” is still being paid for by the fact that she can not get another DVD until that one is returned.
When you are streaming, you are using their bandwidth and product without compensating them for making it available. If enough people do this, Netflix will not be able to offer this service.
I’m with Pat on this one. Cable companies are not happy with the fact that thier own infrastructure is being used against them by Netfilx. Net neutrality makes it illegal for cable companies to discriminate against netflix traffic. The nature of the cable business is very monopolistic (you cant choose your cable provider) and they want to institute bandwidth caps. They also lobying congress and FCC to change net neutrality. Cable companies make sweatheart deals with local municipalities for the right to overcharge us for cable service. I am happy to pay netflix $7.99 (vs 79.99 for cable tv) and support their effort to provide an alternative to cable tv. Anyone wanna talk about AT&T acquiring Tmobile?
THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN DO IT AND IT NOT BE STEALING IS IF YOU CALL NETFLIX AND TELL THEM WHAT YOU ARE DOING. IF THEY SAY SURE GO AHEAD THEN YOU ARE IN THE CLEAR. IF THEY SAY OTHERWISE THEN YOU ARE STEALING.