> There is a different incentive at play here. Netflix wants to track individuals.

Maybe this is naive, but doesn't Netflix already have enough information from the account already? Credit card info, name, address… what does having an IP address get them in addition to all that?

It gives you a lot more information. Where you travel, who you travel with, what types of content you associate with different regions, how much you share with friends, how your preferences change as you hang around different areas and individuals.

Information is deceptive because it's exponential. Detectives often make or break cases on a single lucky clue. Data mining on the Internet is no different. Information goes massively further than most people realize.

The study you linked was a survey, not an experiment. Why would you take into account what pirates tell strangers they would do?

Excellent point, but if you spend time looking into this area, you will find there is not a lot of good research published.

Yes, and Netflix knows about that report,too.

No, the second idea is silly. They already have buckets of information. In fact, they have a whole team dedicated to making sure they don't hold onto certain types of PII (Personally identifiable Info)

They have their flaws, but they don't waste time doing useless shit (once they have figured that out).

I mean, obviously they notice which accounts are breaking whatever rules are currently in force.

And of course, extensive DRM and geo-blocking drives people to pirate.