From a press conference with Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, at the St. Regis Hotel on September 12, 2011 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Latin Content/Getty Images)
Brett Molina, USA TODAY
Netflix is expected to include more social features to its popular streaming media service in the U.S. starting next year.
According to a Talking Points Memo report, Netflix has been cleared to add social functionality after Congress passed a bill dropping restrictions on companies to share their video rental history. The bill awaits President Obama's signature before becoming official.
The lifted restrictions would allow a Netflix user to share movies they watched on social media such as Facebook and Twitter.
During Facebook's F8 Conference in 2011, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings discussed a Facebook app where users could share recent movies or TV shows they've rented. Hastings cited an "outdated privacy law" as the reason why a Netflix app hasn't launched on Facebook.
Netflix tells Talking Points Memo the social features will be available to users in the U.S. in 2013.