BBC to clamp down on licence fee avoidance by requiring password for iPlayer

Within the next few weeks the BBC is planning to introduce password protection to iPlayer. The system is intended to prevent people from using the streaming TV catch-up service without paying a licence fee.

The corporation says that it does not plan to introduce "mass surveillance techniques or ask internet providers for IP addresses," but is merely interested in ensuring people comply with the law. The system should also help the BBC to reduce the number of people from outside the UK using iPlayer for free.

Starting today, iPlayer viewers will see a message informing them that a password will soon be required. This is in addition to the warning screen currently in operation that requires viewers to indicate that they have paid for a TV licence.

MyBBC launch director Andrew Scott says:

By matching email addresses we may be able to identify someone who has told us they don't need a TV licence while at the same time having signed in and watched iPlayer.

So we will now use this alongside our existing enforcement techniques to help identify people who are watching licence fee-funded content without a licence.

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