We should have the ability to run any code we want on hardware we own

The author makes a good point but for the wrong reason I think. The fact that companies lock down their software, and hardware (looking at you Apple), is their choice just like it is yours to give them the finger.

However, at least in Sweden, a smart phone is practically mandatory since it has become a means of identification used by banks, police, our IRS counterpart etc. Even our physical mail is slowly being digitalised, and these services practically require you to own a smart phone. You can get by without one, but it’s a real struggle.

Therefore there should be laws requiring more transparency of these devices, in my opinion.

Not only transparency, but freedom.

Freedom to use something you bought the way you want, without having a private foreign company decide for you.

I reckon a whole lot of these things wouldn't hold up in court. Either Swedish court or EU court. If not, then German court, or Australian court.

Here in this very thread I'm quite sure there's dozens of people who have pretty much made millions off of the back of this exact thing, i.e. working as developers at the likes of Google, Meta and Apple, part of the machine.

We need those people to atone and start funding lawyers out of pocket and bringing such cases, rather than just chatting about woe is me. In Europe that is, where the judiciary is still much less captured - the US is a lost cause. Such lawsuits are also much cheaper than going up against MegaCorp in US court.