The FTC should stop tech companies from bricking their products, consumer groups say2024-09-05 19:38 by DanielaTags: FTC
A coalition of consumer protection and anti-waste groups wants the Federal Trade Commission to go after "software tethering," or the practice of tying hardware's functionality to external software - which often renders products unusable after software updates stop. The groups, including Consumer Reports, iFixIt, US PIRG, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Center for Economic Justice, and Californians Against Waste, have signed onto a letter asking the FTC to "create clear guidance” on software tethering. "While the FTC has taken some limited actions with regard to this issue, a lack of clarity and enforcement has led to an ecosystem where consumers cannot reliably count on the connected products they buy to last," the letter reads. The letter calls out a number of products whose functionalities have been limited - or eliminated altogether - by this practice. In some cases, as was the case with the $1,695 Snoo bassinet, customers “discovered that some of the features that were originally advertised with the product” would soon be locked behind a monthly subscription service. In other instances, like the Juicero juicer, the products became unsupported and effectively unusable after the startups behind them shut down. "Manufacturers increasingly use software to lock us into only using our tech in ways that just-so-happen to generate the most profits for them," Lucas Rockett Gutterman, Designed to Last director with US PIRG, said in an emailed statement. "If we want to stop the tech industry from pushing us into replacing products that still work, we need to stand up for consumers' right to get what we’ve paid for in the age of connected devices." Read more -here-
Post your review/comments
rate:
avg:
|