←back to thread

354 points qingcharles | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.215s | source
Show context
dsign ◴[] No.43748593[source]
I have a washing machine that won't let me use it fully without installing an app that asks for permission to track my GPS coordinates at all time, in my phone. HomeWhiz.There should be a law against selling new hardware that demands that sort of thing to function, or to have full functionality. But I would be happy if procedures to bring class-auction lawsuits against companies that engage in this kind of bait-and-ransom were somehow simpler.
replies(7): >>43748608 #>>43748639 #>>43748642 #>>43748719 #>>43748767 #>>43749046 #>>43749344 #
mjevans ◴[] No.43748642[source]
At the very least, when you the current end user refuse to agree to their terms of service, the model should have to be returned, at the manufacturer's expense, irrespective of condition.

Think of renters stuck in a place with units like that! They too should have the right to require un-tracked appliances and be free from being forced to agree to additional contract overheads that aren't obvious in the price / what should be reasonable terms.

replies(2): >>43748666 #>>43749028 #
1. alwa ◴[] No.43748666[source]
Obligatory link to Doctorow’s Unauthorized Bread (2019), a DRM-themed, uh… thriller? polemic?… of a novella. Deals with the themes you discuss: large appliance manufacturer malfeasance, intrusive exploitation beyond the scope of the product’s purpose, renters’ relative helplessness for the appliances to service their daily needs.

https://craphound.com/unauthorized-bread/

Discussion here (2020, 123 comments):

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23985140