←back to thread

Today Google bricked my Chromebook by force-installing a hidden extension

(cloudisland.nz)
237 points robin_reala | 7 comments | 29 Mar 25 09:35 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source | bottom
Show context
tossandthrow ◴[29 Mar 25 09:55 UTC] No.43514173[source]▶
If the machine is less than 2 years old (and you are in eruope) just return it as defect.
replies(2): >>43514253 #>>43514503 #
ginko ◴[29 Mar 25 10:14 UTC] No.43514253[source]▶
If OP is in Europe Google could be drawn and quartered for GDPR violations.
replies(3): >>43514307 #>>43514463 #>>43515368 #
1. kleiba ◴[29 Mar 25 11:00 UTC] No.43514463[source]▶
"could" being the point here - as Joe Bloke, you're not going to get yourself into a legal dispute with Google, but it's not very hard to return an electronic device as an ordinary end consumer when it's still under warranty.
replies(3): >>43514488 #>>43514810 #>>43516061 #
2. nottorp ◴[29 Mar 25 11:05 UTC] No.43514488[source]▶
You don't need to sue Google, just file a complaint with whatever the GDPR authority is in your country ...
replies(2): >>43514516 #>>43514818 #
3. zazazache ◴[29 Mar 25 11:09 UTC] No.43514516[source]▶
Better to just contact NOYB directly, they are responsible for about 50% of all GDPR fines to date. Outside of Norway the DPAs seem mostly useless, especially when it comes to big tech…
4. dgellow ◴[29 Mar 25 12:00 UTC] No.43514810[source]▶
Anyone can submit a complaint: https://www.edps.europa.eu/data-protection/our-role-supervis...
5. kleiba ◴[29 Mar 25 12:01 UTC] No.43514818[source]▶
I'd be interested to know if anyone on HN has actually done that in the past, and what the experience was?
replies(1): >>43516725 #
6. Matthyze ◴[29 Mar 25 14:58 UTC] No.43516061[source]▶
That's not how the GDPR works. Just like criminal procedure, subjects do not sue alleged offenders themselves. The state instead sues on their behalf.
7. robin_reala ◴[29 Mar 25 16:37 UTC] No.43516725{3}[source]▶
Confiks managed to get Spotify to reinstate the API that allowed connections to SongShift with a GDPR complaint about the right to data portability (or threat thereof): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24764371