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	<updated>2026-05-21T00:17:08Z</updated>
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	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Spectrum&amp;diff=31112</id>
		<title>Spectrum</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Spectrum&amp;diff=31112"/>
		<updated>2025-11-27T07:40:11Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: New section&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{StubNotice}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{incomplete|Issue 1=Article makes many substantial claims without proper references.}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{InfoboxCompany&lt;br /&gt;
|Name=Spectrum|Type=Subsidiary|Founded=2014|Industry=Telecommunications|Official Website=https://www.spectrum.com/|Logo=Spectrum Logo.svg}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[wikipedia:Spectrum_(brand)|&#039;&#039;&#039;Spectrum&#039;&#039;&#039;]] is a major telecommunications provider offering internet, cable TV, and mobile services. It has faced numerous consumer complaints and legal challenges related to unfair business practices, aggressive debt collection, billing disputes, and regulatory violations. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=Anti-consumer practices=&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Restrictive cancellation policies===&lt;br /&gt;
It has faced numerous consumer complaints and legal challenges related to unfair business practices, aggressive debt collection, billing disputes, and regulatory violations.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unlike many competitors, Spectrum does not offer a  &#039;&#039;[[Click-to-cancel]]&#039;&#039; option, forcing customers to call a representative, a process often designed to retain subscribers through prolonged retention efforts.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;https://www.spectrum.net/support/account-and-billing/change-or-cancel-service&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Some former customers allege continued billing even after cancellation, requiring legal intervention to halt unauthorized charges.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=September 2023 |title=Understanding the most common charter spectrum complaints |url=https://www.carolinalaw.com/2023/09/understanding-the-most-common-charter-spectrum-complaints/ |website=carolinalaw.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Aggressive Unsolicited USPS Mail campaigns.===&lt;br /&gt;
Spectrum uses aggressive repetitive addressed mail campaigns for customer acquisition and retention, with some users experiencing aggressive weekly mailing campaigns that are triggered post cancellation. These campaigns begin within a week of the cancellation but require &amp;quot;6-8 weeks&amp;quot; in order to stop.  Mail campaigns are printed on plastic coated non tear-able paper.  Users are able to opt out of paper campaigns via [https://www.spectrum.com/policies/your-privacy-rights-opt-out. Your Privacy Rights Opt-Out]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Aggressive and unfair debt collection===&lt;br /&gt;
Some consumers report being pursued for debts they do not owe, with &#039;&#039;Spectrum&#039;&#039; sending unpaid bills to third-party collection agencies such as &#039;&#039;Amsher Collection Services&#039;&#039; and &#039;&#039;The CBE Group&#039;&#039;.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Spectrum has sent letters to former customers threatening to reduce their credit score unless they renew service. This is done in the name of debt reconciliation, but the debt may be incorrect.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Lazarus |first=David |date=2021-10-12 |title=Renew with us or your credit score suffers, Spectrum warns - Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-10-12/column-spectrum-billing-threat |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241208041514/https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-10-12/column-spectrum-billing-threat |archive-date=2024-12-08 |access-date=2025-08-21 |website=Los Angeles Times}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Billing issues and unauthorized charges===&lt;br /&gt;
A recurring complaint involves &#039;&#039;Spectrum&#039;&#039; continuing to bill customers after service termination, even when equipment is returned and accounts are officially closed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The &#039;&#039;Better Business Bureau&#039;&#039; (BBB) has logged complaints from former customers who were billed months after cancellation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Lack of transparency in pricing===&lt;br /&gt;
Spectrum Internet corporate policy is to provide fixed pricing competitive to other providers for one year only.  After that users are required to call up annually to request competitive pricing, or threaten to leave in order to get the signup pricing.  Once the user has left, spectrum offers their services capped at as little as 30% of the post first year rate.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Accusations of misleading pricing structures, including:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Hidden fees not clearly disclosed upfront, such as broadcast TV fees and equipment rental costs.&lt;br /&gt;
*Price hikes without adequate notice caused backlash.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Poor customer service and technical support===&lt;br /&gt;
Added 24/7 support and AI chatbots in 2025, they&#039;ve historically struggled with:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Long wait times and unresponsive support&lt;br /&gt;
*Inconsistent service quality, frequent outages, and slow resolution of technical issues.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Forcing an app to view router information===&lt;br /&gt;
Previously the spectrum router web interface was sufficient for managing Spectrum routers. Currently, while Spectrum does allow the web interface to view simple router information, actions cannot be performed. When going to view the router interface on &amp;lt;nowiki&amp;gt;http://(router&amp;lt;/nowiki&amp;gt; gateway), it provides basic information but insists upon the installation of the MySpectrum app. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Legal and regulatory violations===&lt;br /&gt;
Parent company, Spectrum Brand Holdings, has faced multiple penalties for consumer protection violations:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Product safety violations&lt;br /&gt;
*Price-fixing penalties&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=References=&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Spectrum]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Apple&amp;diff=31111</id>
		<title>Apple</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Apple&amp;diff=31111"/>
		<updated>2025-11-27T07:16:04Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{CompanyCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|Founded=1976&lt;br /&gt;
|Industry=Electronics&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=Apple_logo_black.png&lt;br /&gt;
|ParentCompany=&lt;br /&gt;
|Type=Public&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://apple.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Wplink|Apple Inc.|&#039;&#039;&#039;Apple&#039;&#039;&#039;}} is an American technology company that was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Apple&#039;s current product lineup includes hardware such as the [[:Category:Apple IPhones|iPhone]], iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Apple Vision Pro, [[Airpods|AirPods]], and Apple TV; operating systems such as iOS, iPadOS, visionOS, and macOS; and various software and services including Apple Pay, iCloud, Apple Arcade, and multimedia streaming services like Apple Music and [[Apple TV+]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;!-- Insert consumer protection summary here. --&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Repairability of Apple products in the 2000s===&lt;br /&gt;
Since the 2000s, Apple has focused on reducing the weight of its products as technology has advanced and become increasingly complex. This shift has contributed to challenges in repairing and upgrading their devices.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Hardware design issues in the 2010s===&lt;br /&gt;
Apple had numerous hardware design issues in the 2010s, often poorly acknowledged by the company and frequently charging exorbitant amounts for repair. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*High-cost GPU failures on early 2010&#039;s MacBooks&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2014-10-28 |title=Apple faces class-action lawsuit over 2011 MacBook Pro GPU issues |url=https://9to5mac.com/2014/10/28/apple-class-action-lawsuit-2011-macbook-pro-gpu-graphics-issues/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/dOfPg |archive-date=2025-06-06 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=9to5mac}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*the 2016-&#039;17 MacBook Pro&#039;s screen cable skimping scandal&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Porter |first=Jon |date=2019-05-05 |title=Apple quietly addressed ‘Flexgate’ issue with MacBook Pro redesign |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/5/18251264/macbook-pro-2018-flexgate-fix-display-cable-2mm-longer |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/fbtWU |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=The Verge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*2016-2019 MacBooks butterfly keyboards&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Bohn |first=Dieter |date=2020-05-04 |title=The saga of Apple’s bad butterfly MacBook keyboards is finally over |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/4/21246223/macbook-keyboard-butterfly-magic-pro-apple-design |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/D8U0I |archive-date=2021-10-08 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=The Verge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro&#039;s SSD failures&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=digilloyd |date=2020-04-03 |title=2019 MacBook Pro Seems to Have a High Failure Rate |url=https://macperformanceguide.com/blog/2020/20200403_1024-MacBookPro2019-repairs.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/9a3yL |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=Mac Performance Guide}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The announcement and cancellation of Apple AirPower&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Apple cancels AirPower product, citing inability to meet its high standards for hardware |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/29/apple-cancels-airpower-product-citing-inability-to-meet-its-high-standards-for-hardware/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401040644/https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/29/apple-cancels-airpower-product-citing-inability-to-meet-its-high-standards-for-hardware/ |archive-date=2019-04-01 |website=TechCrunch}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Clover |first=Juli |date=2018-09-12 |title=After No Sign of AirPower at Today&#039;s Event Apple Wipes Most Mentions From Website |url=https://www.macrumors.com/2018/09/12/no-sign-of-airpower-at-september-event/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124170507/https://www.macrumors.com/2018/09/12/no-sign-of-airpower-at-september-event/ |archive-date=2021-11-24 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=MacRumors}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; due to overheating{{CitationNeeded|reason=no archived article mentioning overheating specifically}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Recent attempts to do better====&lt;br /&gt;
Recently, Apple has made efforts to improve its products, though some observers feel that its pro-consumer practices still do not match those of certain other manufacturers. This shift is thought by some to be influenced by evolving legislation.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Hern |first=Alex |date=2022-10-26 |title=Apple to put USB-C connectors in iPhones to comply with EU rules |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/26/iphone-usb-c-lightning-connectors-apple-eu-rules |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/3qwt5 |archive-date=2022-10-31 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=The Guardian}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &amp;lt;!-- Maybe more citations here? &amp;quot;Some&amp;quot; is plural --&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This includes:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Opening an online [[Apple Self Service Repair|Self Service Repair]] parts store.&lt;br /&gt;
*Making the back glass of iPhones removable starting from iPhone 14.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Wiens |first=Kyle |date=2022-09-16 |title=Inside Apple’s Secret iPhone 14 Redesign |url=https://www.ifixit.com/News/64865/iphone-14-teardown |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/ggFoJ |archive-date=2022-09-20 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=iFixIt}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*Allowing alternative app stores in an update to iOS 17, in compliance with new EU legislation.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Installing apps through alternative app distribution in the European Union |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/117767 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/lEKMA |archive-date=2024-10-03 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=support.apple.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*Calibration tools for newly installed used parts in iOS 18,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Use Repair Assistant to finish an iPhone or iPad repair |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/120579 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/uI8Qc |archive-date=2024-09-20 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=support.apple.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; which sometimes work.{{CitationNeeded}}&lt;br /&gt;
*An upgradeable, swappable SSD in the 2024 Mac Mini - albeit you cannot swap these units between M4 and M4 Pro units due to the internal casing&#039;s design being different without much good reason.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Sorrel |first=Charlie |date=2024-11-12 |title=All Hail the Return of Upgradeable Storage! Mac mini 2024 Teardown |url=https://www.ifixit.com/News/104302/all-hail-the-return-of-upgradeable-storage-mac-mini-2024-teardown |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/r8hpm |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=iFixit}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*A battery removable with just a 9V battery in the 2024 iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=iPhone 16 Plus Battery |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/120671 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/trT1j |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=support.apple.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Many of these items have sparked allegations of [[Malicious Compliance]] and being introduced purely to make stricter right for repair legislation appear unnecessary to legislators while not doing much to improve the situation for consumers. &amp;lt;!-- woah there with the accusatory tone --&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For instance, pricing for parts on the [[Apple Self Service Repair|Self Service Repair]] store is virtually identical to having the part replaced by Apple themselves (including both the price of the part and labor), alternate app installation options are limited to users in the EU, still require developers to be registered with Apple, have them approve the apps and in many cases paying them fees, and the upgradeable SSDs do not use common standards such as M.2 NVME. Unlike standard SSDs, they are also not always swappable between different models and require access to a second Apple computer to provision after installation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Operating system downgrades===&lt;br /&gt;
It is not possible to upgrade or downgrade an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, etc. to an Operating System (OS) version that is no longer signed by Apple. In most cases, only the most recent version is signed. Some exceptions exist, such as certain Apple TV models and Apple Silicon Macs. Downgrading the Apple TV 4K series is not possible at all due to the lack of a USB port. On Macs with T2 chip or Apple Silicon, the user can select from three modes of secure boot:&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=About Startup Security Utility on a Mac with the Apple T2 Security Chip |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/102522 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250607083624/https://support.apple.com/en-us/102522 |archive-date=7 Jun 2025 |access-date=22 Jun 2025 |website=Apple}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*No security: Allow any OS to run (same as turning off secure boot on a PC).&lt;br /&gt;
*Medium security: Allow any OS that is signed with a secure boot certificate (default, same as turning on secure boot on a PC).&lt;br /&gt;
*Full security: Only allow the latest version of macOS, do not allow any other OS.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
iOS devices only support full security mode. The device checks for a cryptographic &amp;quot;ticket,&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2024-11-20 |title=APTicket |url=https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/APTicket |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/jTHEl |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=theapplewiki.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; which are tied to the OS version and CPU serial number. These are provided by a server, which only provides them for the latest version (with very specific exceptions). The device refuses to boot if the ticket does not match. Workarounds exist, but with major caveats that are not viable for most users,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2021-09-27 |title=Firmware rendering |url=https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Firmware_downgrading |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/wip/uT2aI |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=theapplewiki.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; see the technical details on [[wikipedia:SHSH_blob|SHSH blobs]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Class action lawsuit===&lt;br /&gt;
Apple was the defendant of a class-action lawsuit with claims dating back to 2017 where users noticed their phones were being artificially slowed down. Apple agreed to settle the lawsuit for up to $500 million USD.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Gael |date=9 Jan 2024 |title=Apple Starts Sending Out iPhone &#039;Batterygate&#039; Settlement Payments. What to Know |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-starts-sending-out-iphone-batterygate-settlement-payments-what-to-know/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250321051703/https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-starts-sending-out-iphone-batterygate-settlement-payments-what-to-know/ |archive-date=21 Mar 2025 |access-date=22 Jun 2025 |website=CNET}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Apple claimed that this change was to benefit users who have old failing batteries, and that it wasn&#039;t for planned obsolescence.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;https://www.cbsnews.com/news/apple-iphone-payment-500-million-settlement-what-to-know/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; They later published software updates and an article explaining how users can opt out of this new &amp;quot;performance management&amp;quot; mode.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=iPhone battery and performance |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/101575 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250618231138/https://support.apple.com/en-us/101575 |archive-date=18 Jun 2025 |access-date=22 Jun 2025 |website=Apple}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Once a new OS version is installed, there is no opportunity to go back. This also restricts the user&#039;s choice to {{Wplink|iOS jailbreaking|jailbreak}} the device, as the latest version naturally has patches for the latest jailbreak exploits. App developers also require access to earlier iOS versions to test that their app works correctly. The alternative, Xcode&#039;s iOS Simulator, is not a complete replacement for real hardware, as it does not have all features of a physical device.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Vajpai |first=Shreeti |date=24 Jun 2024 |title=iOS Emulators / Simulators vs Real iOS Devices |url=https://contextqa.com/test-on-ios-emulators-simulators/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250519081214/https://contextqa.com/test-on-ios-emulators-simulators/ |archive-date=19 May 2025 |access-date=22 Jun 2025 |website=ContextQA}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Instead, app developers are forced to purchase several test devices, and remember to &#039;&#039;never&#039;&#039; allow them to update.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Parts availability===&lt;br /&gt;
Many parts are not available directly from Apple. Those that are available directly from Apple may be more expensive than paying Apple to repair your device. Parts available to certified repair centers are extremely limited. Apple does not stock current generation iPad parts within GSX (See Certified Repair Centers). A limited selection of iPad parts are available from iFixit, however this can exclude some flex PCBs necessary for repairing headphone jacks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If an Apple iPhone has GPS calibration issues and or {{Wplink|Bluetooth}} connectivity issues, Apple will do their own diagnostics. You explain to the Apple employee how and when the issues occur and you explain in detail your methods to reproduce the issues. The issues occur when your phone is in your pocket while using navigation and when you hold your phone upside down while using your Apple Beats wireless headphones. After Apple runs their diagnostics and they are not able to detect the issues, they will move onto the next step which is fully resetting your device. This is considered a standard troubleshooting procedure. When you ask the Apple store manager if they would be willing to exchange your device for a similar model if they cannot fix your device they respond with &amp;quot;No, because these phones are designed to be fixed&amp;quot;. After the software reset fail, Apple will require you to leave your phone with them so they can send it to their offsite repair facility for further diagnostics. After a few days, Apple will come to the conclusion that your phone requires an entire new midsection. When asked what was replaced, Apple will inform you that the entire inside has been replaced — essentially giving you a new phone (with a new IMEI, EID, etc.) apart from the casing and screen.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Diagnostic software availability===&lt;br /&gt;
Calibration software for some Apple devices has only recently become available to end users. End user calibration tools have only become accessible in iOS 18. Similar calibration tools have been available to Certified Repair Centers, but are generally limited as many parts are serialized, i.e. lid sensors on Mac Books.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Certified repair centers===&lt;br /&gt;
Certified Repair Centers have some limited access to Apple&#039;s proprietary backend (GSX2). GSX contains many tools necessary to repair devices such as diagnostic tools, calibration tools, parts catalog, and device repair history. GSX is only accessible to repair centers Apple deems certified. GSX does not stock parts for iPads. It does not allow the calibration of parts such as lid sensors for a device, if that device does not have an open repair and purchased parts. The new iOS 18 calibration tool is very similar to Apple&#039;s ASU (GSX&#039;s diagnostic/calibration tool). Some videos of GSX can be found online. See: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy8bS1AgxcY GSX - How to Gain GSX Apple Access - iOSGenius]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Advertisements in first party apps===&lt;br /&gt;
In 2014, Apple and the band U2 partnered to give all iTunes users a free digital copy of their newest album at the time, &#039;&#039;Songs of Innocence&#039;&#039;, which was marketed as &amp;quot;the biggest album release ever in history&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2014/09/09Apple-U2-Release-Songs-of-Innocence-Exclusively-for-iTunes-Store-Customers/|title=Apple &amp;amp; U2 Release “Songs of Innocence” Exclusively for iTunes Store Customers|date=2014-09-09|work=Apple Newsroom|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250405230217/https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2014/09/09Apple-U2-Release-Songs-of-Innocence-Exclusively-for-iTunes-Store-Customers/|archive-date=2025-04-05|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Many users who didn&#039;t want the album couldn&#039;t remove it from their iTunes library due to the album being listed as a &amp;quot;past purchase&amp;quot; on their account (however the album could always be &amp;quot;hidden&amp;quot;).&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/2014/09/apples-devious-u2-album-giveaway-even-worse-spam/|title=Apple&#039;s Devious U2 Album Giveaway Is Even Worse Than Spam|date=2014-09-16|first=Vijith|last=Assar|work=WIRED|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250530112829/https://www.wired.com/2014/09/apples-devious-u2-album-giveaway-even-worse-spam/|archive-date=2025-05-30|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Some reports speculated the deal was worth 100 million dollars and was done due to the band&#039;s declining popularity.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2014/09/15/348612823/apples-u2-album-promotion-backfires|title=Apple&#039;s U2 Album Promotion Backfires|first=Nathan|last=Rott|date=2014-09-15|work=NPR|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250601154245/https://www.npr.org/2014/09/15/348612823/apples-u2-album-promotion-backfires|archive-date=2025-06-01|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In 2022, Bono, a member of U2, wrote in his memoir how Tim Cook reportedly said how &amp;quot;there’s something not right about giving [U2&#039;s] art away for free&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;the whole point of what we’re trying to do at Apple is to not give away music free. The point is to make sure musicians get paid&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://fortune.com/2022/10/24/tim-cook-said-free-u2-album-itunes-was-not-right/|title=Apple CEO Tim Cook thought U2 putting its album on your iPhone was ‘not right’—even though he did it anyway|first=Tristan|last=Bove|date=2022-10-24|work=Fortune|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127191141/https://fortune.com/2022/10/24/tim-cook-said-free-u2-album-itunes-was-not-right/|archive-date=2025-01-27|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In 2025, Apple added a promotional offer for F1 The Movie in their Wallet application.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=F1 The Movie - News |url=https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/f1/news/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/pQCP7 |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=Apple TV+ Press}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Users have mentioned how this could violate Apple&#039;s own policy on advertising, how the high price of Apple devices shouldn&#039;t justify first party ads, and the annoyance of seeing it.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |author=u/african-nightmare |date=2025-06-24 |title=Getting ads in Apple Wallet, how to disable? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/1ljfs7u/getting_ads_in_apple_wallet_how_to_disable/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/dNE2S |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-06-25 |work=Reddit}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; For users on the iOS 26 beta, there is an option to disable &amp;quot;Offers &amp;amp; Promotions&amp;quot;, with users on iOS 18 needing to disable notifications completely for the Wallet app.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/24/iphone-customers-upset-by-apple-wallet-ad-pushing-f1-movie/|title=iPhone customers upset by Apple Wallet ad pushing ‘F1’ movie|first=Sarah|last=Perez|date=2025-06-24|work=TechCrunch|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250624213223/https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/24/iphone-customers-upset-by-apple-wallet-ad-pushing-f1-movie/|archive-date=2025-06-24|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===AirDrop censorship (&#039;&#039;2022&#039;&#039;)===&lt;br /&gt;
As a result of the 2019 Hong Kong protests, Apple was pressured by the Chinese government to set a time limit for the AirDrop &amp;quot;everyone&amp;quot; option for iPhones due to its impact at scheduling protests against the government to avoid censorship.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/10/23450967/apple-airdrop-limited-china-goverment-protests|title=Apple limits AirDrop in China after its use in protests|first=Jess|last=Weatherbed|date=2022-11-10|work=The Verge|access-date=2025-08-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250723112204/https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/10/23450967/apple-airdrop-limited-china-goverment-protests|archive-date=2025-07-23|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In 2023, the setting was applied to all iPhones worldwide to &amp;quot;mitigate unwanted file sharing&amp;quot;, meaning users will need to set their airdrop setting manually every ten minutes instead of leaving it on permanently, leaving the only other options as &amp;quot;contacts only&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;receiving off&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://9to5mac.com/2025/03/17/apple-globally-censoring-this-iphone-communication-feature-deserves-renewed-scrutiny/|title=Apple globally censoring this iPhone communication feature deserves renewed scrutiny|first=Zac|last=Hall|date=2025-03-17|work=9To5Mac|access-date=2025-08-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250723142521/https://9to5mac.com/2025/03/17/apple-globally-censoring-this-iphone-communication-feature-deserves-renewed-scrutiny/|archive-date=2025-07-23|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===&amp;quot;Peanuts&amp;quot; TV Special Takeover===&lt;br /&gt;
In late October of 2020, Apple announced that it&#039;s Apple TV+ service had become the exclusive home of the library of classic &#039;&#039;Peanuts&#039;&#039; animated specials, including &#039;&#039;A Charlie Brown Christmas&#039;&#039;, &#039;&#039;It&#039;s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown&#039;&#039;, and &#039;&#039;A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving&#039;&#039;. For almost 50 years, these beloved specials were shown once a year on free over-the-air TV, but as of 2020, anybody who wishes to watch them is now required to own a device that offers the Apple TV+ service and an active Apple TV+ subscription.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{cite web |last=Adalian |first=Josef |date=2020-10-19 |title=Apple TV+ Says: Welcome, Great Pumpkin |url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/10/its-the-great-pumpkin-charlie-brown-streaming-apple-tv.html |url-status=archived |archive-url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/10/its-the-great-pumpkin-charlie-brown-streaming-apple-tv.html |archive-date=2020-10-19 |access-date=2025-11-05 |work=Vulture}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===2024 Antitrust Lawsuit===&lt;br /&gt;
In March 2024, the United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Apple claiming that the &amp;quot;closed garden&amp;quot; ecosystem Apple creates surrounding its iPhones stifles competition and innovation. The lawsuit alleges that Apple is directly forcing customers to purchase and use iPhones and their accessories and software in several ways:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Forcing mobile carriers including AT&amp;amp;T, Verizon, and T-Mobile to offer its best customer deals exclusively to those who purchase iPhones.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting the functionality of Super apps such as WeChat.&lt;br /&gt;
*Forcing in-app purchases through applications such as Fortnite to be made within the App Store and taking a part of the proceeds as commission pay.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting the use of third-party digital wallets and requiring users to exclusively use Apple Pay.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting how third-party message apps can interact with iMessage.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting their HomeKit home automation system and all compatible devices to work only on Apple&#039;s products and issuing cease &amp;amp; desist orders against emulators designed to make HomeKit compatible with third-party products.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting compatibility of third party smart watches.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Apple is expected to go to trial in early 2027.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{cite web |last=Liedtke |first=Michael |date=2025-06-30 |title=Judge allows antitrust lawsuit against Apple to proceed |url=https://apnews.com/article/apple-antitrust-case-justice-department-664c187d7d09d57460076c7aa2f0c0bf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/wip/2sRIS |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-07-14 |work=Associated Press}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===European Union USB-C Directive 2022/2380===&lt;br /&gt;
As part of Directive (EU) 2022/2380, the EU mandated that all smartphones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, and other portable electronic devices must utilize USB-C as a universal charging standard by the end of 2024, with laptops following by 2026. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2022-12-07 |title=Directive (EU) 2022/2380 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 November 2022 amending Directive 2014/53/EU on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of radio equipment (Text with EEA relevance) |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32022L2380 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/eYlnR |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-09-02 |website=EUR-Lex}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This regulatory measure directly addresses consumer frustration with incompatible chargers types and aims to significantly reduce electronic waste. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2024-12-28 |title=USB-C-Standard: Schluss mit dem Kabelwirrwarr |url=https://www.zdfheute.de/wirtschaft/ladekabel-usb-c-standard-apple-entsorgung-elektroschrott-100.html |access-date=2025-09-02 |website=zdfheute}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The legislation allows manufacturers to unbundle chargers from devices, potentially saving consumers money, and ensures charging speed harmonization across compatible devices. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
While Apple initially opposed the standardization, arguing that it would &amp;quot;stifle innovation rather than encourage it,&amp;quot; the company ultimately conceded defeat, with Apple&#039;s head of marketing stating &amp;quot;we have no choice&amp;quot; regarding compliance. &amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===European Digital Markets Act.===&lt;br /&gt;
This law forced many companies including Apple to change the way they operate to create a fairer competition. Read more about this law [[Digital Markets Act|here]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Changes Apple introduced iOS and iPadOS to comply with this law:====&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Introduced the ability to install applications from alternative marketplaces&lt;br /&gt;
*asks which browser and search engine should be the default one&lt;br /&gt;
*Developers now are allowed to publish in the EU browsers that do not use webkit&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Controversies:====&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Apple removed iPhone torrenting app iTorrent from alternative marketplace AltStore PAL, developer said that the access was revoked &amp;quot;without any warning&amp;quot;. In a statement to The Verge, Apple spokesperson Peter Ajemian said, “Notarization for this app was removed in order to comply with government sanctions-related rules in various jurisdictions. We have communicated this to the developer.”&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite news |last=Weatherbed |first=Jess |date=August 28, 2025 |title=Apple pulls iPhone torrent app from AltStore PAL in Europe |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/767344/apple-removes-itorrent-altstore-pal-ios-marketplace |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250903102041/https://www.theverge.com/news/767344/apple-removes-itorrent-altstore-pal-ios-marketplace |archive-date=September 3, 2025 |work=The Verge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Elon Musk Lawsuit===&lt;br /&gt;
In August of 2025, businessman Elon Musk accused Apple of engaging in anti-competitive practices by only allowing their AI program OpenAI to reach the top of the sales chart on Apple App Store. He announced his plan to sue Apple for this practice.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{cite web |last=Durden |first=Tyler |date=2025-08-12 |title=Musk Accuses Apple Of &amp;quot;Unequivocal Antitrust Violation&amp;quot; For Favoring OpenAI In App Store Rankings |url=https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/musk-accuses-apple-unequivocal-antitrust-violation-favoring-openai-app-store-rankings |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/G7191 |archive-date=2025-09-20 |access-date=2025-08-14 |work=ZeroHedge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;gallery&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
File:Apple Wallet F1 sponsored ad (1).jpg|Notification of the offer&lt;br /&gt;
File:Apple Wallet F1 sponsored ad (2).jpg|Home screen of Wallet app&lt;br /&gt;
File:Apple Wallet F1 sponsored ad (3).jpg|Apple Cash card screen&lt;br /&gt;
File:Apple Wallet F1 sponsored ad (4).PNG|Screen when selecting &amp;quot;learn more&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/gallery&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Greenwashing&amp;lt;!-- This section needs more work and more sources. It might also make sense to move it to a page of its own --&amp;gt;===&lt;br /&gt;
Apple claims to be environmentally friendly and invests significant amounts of funds in corresponding PR campaigns,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Environment {{!}} Mother Nature |url=https://www.apple.com/environment/mother-nature/ |access-date=2025-09-15 |website=Apple}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &amp;lt;!-- The source&#039;s title is &amp;quot;Environment | Mother Nature&amp;quot;, but currently the browser title is &amp;quot;Environment&amp;quot; &amp;amp; article title is &amp;quot;Apple 2030 - We’ve reduced our emissions by over 60%&amp;quot;. Is this supposed to be another URL or them changing the page? Hmm...  --&amp;gt; but the reality is not quite as green.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Customers are lead to think that their purchases and frequent replacement of their devices do not have a negative impact on the environment, which is not the case.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In autumn of 2025, stricter EU regulations on misleading marketing claims and a lawsuite by German environmental and consumer protection non-profit organization &#039;&#039;Deutsche Umwelthilfe&#039;&#039; have forced Apple to remove their claim of carbon neutrality on several products on their EU websites. Affected products include the Apple Watch 3 and Apple Watch Series 11.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Schwan |first=Ben |date=2025-11-26 |title=Wegen EU-Regeln: Apple zieht Klimaneutralitäts-Claim zurück [Due to EU regulations: Apple retracts claim of climate neutrality] |url=https://www.heise.de/news/Wegen-EU-Regeln-Apple-zieht-Klimaneutralitaets-Claim-zurueck-10711532.html |access-date=2025-11-26 |website=Heise Online}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Green energy pooling====&lt;br /&gt;
Apple shares manufacturing capacity at Chinese/Taiwanese companies FoxConn and Pegatron with other companies. If Apple uses a hypothetical 20% of their manufacturing capacity, and company B, C,  D, and E also each take up 20%, and the company doing the manufacturing runs on 20% renewably generated energy, now Apple as well as companies B, C, D, and E will each publicly claim that their manufacturing runs 100% on renewable energy. In other words, each company will claim the 20% renewable energy was used for &#039;&#039;their&#039;&#039; production.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite journal |last=Gieselmann |first=Hartmut |date=2023 |title=Von wegen CO2-neutral – Umweltexperten werfen Apple Greenwashing vor |url=https://www.heise.de/select/ct/2023/23/2326512021124424489 |journal=c&#039;t Magazin für Computertechnik [Germany] |volume=2023 |issue=23 |pages=49}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====CO&amp;lt;small&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; Certificates and forest projects====&lt;br /&gt;
…&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====The packaging trick====&lt;br /&gt;
Apple, like many companies, regularly emphasises how environmentally friendly their packaging is and highlight advancements in this area.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Apple 2030 – We’ve reduced our emissions by over 60% |url=https://www.apple.com/environment/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/Cor7F |archive-date=2025-09-10 |access-date=2025-09-15 |website=Apple}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This deliberately distracts from the fact that only a negligible fraction of the environmental footprint of an electronic device comes from the packaging, as it is made of siginificant amounts or rare earth minerals, metals and mined components and consuming vast amounts of energy, water and fuel in manufacturing and transport.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Some of the environmental advancements touted by Apple could also be argued to be environmentally beneficial side effects of purely economic decisions aimed at maximizing profit, such as shipping iPhones without chargers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Dragan |first=Lauren |date=2023-09-12 |title=iPhones No Longer Come With a Charger or Headphones. Here’s What to Get If You Need Them. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/iphone-12-charger-headphones-options/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/p33vb |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=The New York Times}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Shredding vast amounts of fully functional devices====&lt;br /&gt;
In 2020, it came to light that Apple had filed a lawsuit against a recycling company, revealing that 100,000 iPhones had been illegitimately shipped to China to be sold there instead of being shredded as had been agreed with Apple.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Lovejoy |first=Ben |date=2024-04-24 |title=100,000 iPhones stolen instead of scrapped; Apple accused of shredding usable devices |url=https://9to5mac.com/2024/04/18/100000-iphones-stolen-instead-of-scrapped/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/oLvMZ |archive-date=2024-08-28 |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=9to5mac}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Carrique |first=Felicitas |date=2020-10-04 |title=Apple sues recycling partner for reselling more than 100,000 iPhones, iPads, and Watches it was hired to dismantle |url=https://www.theverge.com/apple/2020/10/4/21499422/apple-sues-recycling-company-reselling-ipods-ipads-watches |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/YRqdf |archive-date=2020-10-04 |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=The Verge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
These devices were likely trade-in devices from people who received a discount on a new model in exchange. Bloomberg News writes, referring to the contract with the recycler:&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Carr |first=Austin |date=2024-04-18 |title=What Really Happens When You Trade In an iPhone at the Apple Store |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-04-18/apple-iphone-recycling-program-has-secrets |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/bfc3Y |archive-date=2024-08-05 |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=Bloomberg}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;Even if the iPhones looked good enough for resale, Apple Inc.’s contract with GEEP (said with a hard “g”) explicitly required that every product it sent be destroyed.&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;Used iPhone that are sold on the used market are a direct competition to new sales by Apple.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Apple likely does not want the public to know about these processes, since security seems to be tight around the shredding process:&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;In some cases, Apple hired outside security consultants to escort trucks to its recyclers and monitor the destruction process, which the tech giant could further analyze through data reports charting scrap weights and commodity yields to ensure the input matched the output.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Carr |first=Austin |date=2025-03-17 |title=Apple Drops Lawsuit Against Recycler in Mystery of Missing iPhones |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-03-17/apple-drops-lawsuit-against-recycler-in-mystery-of-missing-iphones |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.ph/2LdNE |archive-date=2025-05-17 |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=Bloomberg News}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;Apple later retreated the lawsuit,&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot; /&amp;gt; leading to speculation that it wanted to avoid having to disclose how many devices they are really having shredded. &amp;lt;!-- uh-oh, you can&#039;t accuse them like that on a wiki page!!1 (Wiki English: please rewrite according to Editorial Guidelines) --&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====iPhone recycling robot mostly a publicity stunt====&lt;br /&gt;
The first iteration of Apple&#039;s iPhone recycling robot, designed for the iPhone 6, was never more than a publicity stunt, according to an article by Bloomberg:&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;Liam’s precision automation, however, proved a dead end. It could handle just one iPhone model, and not that well. If a device had corroded screws or sticky insides, the robot would glitch. A person familiar with the project estimates Liam could run for about 10 minutes without human intervention. Another person says Apple at times fed the robot still-functioning iPhones and, for media demos, cherry-picked cleaner units so it didn’t crash, suggesting Liam was geared more for promotion than scalability.&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;The same article cites industry insider claiming that the new iteration of the robot is only able to recycle as many devices in a year as Apple sells in just 48 hours.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Thus it is safe to assume that the vast majority of trade-in devices are simply shredded.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Products==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[ICloud]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[:Category:Apple IPhones|iPhone]]&lt;br /&gt;
*iPad&lt;br /&gt;
*Mac&lt;br /&gt;
*Apple Watch&lt;br /&gt;
*AirPods&lt;br /&gt;
*Apple TV&lt;br /&gt;
*Apple Vision&lt;br /&gt;
*Apple Pencil&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Software==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Apple App Store]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Apple Gatekeeper]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Xcode]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Placeholder box|Link to relevant theme articles or companies with similar incidents.}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References== &lt;br /&gt;
{{Reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Apple]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Apple&amp;diff=31110</id>
		<title>Apple</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Apple&amp;diff=31110"/>
		<updated>2025-11-27T07:13:33Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{CompanyCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|Founded=1976&lt;br /&gt;
|Industry=Electronics&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=Apple_logo_black.png&lt;br /&gt;
|ParentCompany=&lt;br /&gt;
|Type=Public&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://apple.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Wplink|Apple Inc.|&#039;&#039;&#039;Apple&#039;&#039;&#039;}} is an American technology company that was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Apple&#039;s current product lineup includes hardware such as the [[:Category:Apple IPhones|iPhone]], iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Apple Vision Pro, [[Airpods|AirPods]], and Apple TV; operating systems such as iOS, iPadOS, visionOS, and macOS; and various software and services including Apple Pay, iCloud, Apple Arcade, and multimedia streaming services like Apple Music and [[Apple TV+]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;!-- Insert consumer protection summary here. --&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Repairability of Apple products in the 2000s===&lt;br /&gt;
Since the 2000s, Apple has focused on reducing the weight of its products as technology has advanced and become increasingly complex. This shift has contributed to challenges in repairing and upgrading their devices.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Hardware design issues in the 2010s===&lt;br /&gt;
Apple had numerous hardware design issues in the 2010s, often poorly acknowledged by the company and frequently charging exorbitant amounts for repair. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*High-cost GPU failures on early 2010&#039;s MacBooks&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2014-10-28 |title=Apple faces class-action lawsuit over 2011 MacBook Pro GPU issues |url=https://9to5mac.com/2014/10/28/apple-class-action-lawsuit-2011-macbook-pro-gpu-graphics-issues/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/dOfPg |archive-date=2025-06-06 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=9to5mac}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*the 2016-&#039;17 MacBook Pro&#039;s screen cable skimping scandal&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Porter |first=Jon |date=2019-05-05 |title=Apple quietly addressed ‘Flexgate’ issue with MacBook Pro redesign |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/5/18251264/macbook-pro-2018-flexgate-fix-display-cable-2mm-longer |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/fbtWU |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=The Verge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*2016-2019 MacBooks butterfly keyboards&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Bohn |first=Dieter |date=2020-05-04 |title=The saga of Apple’s bad butterfly MacBook keyboards is finally over |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/4/21246223/macbook-keyboard-butterfly-magic-pro-apple-design |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/D8U0I |archive-date=2021-10-08 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=The Verge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro&#039;s SSD failures&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=digilloyd |date=2020-04-03 |title=2019 MacBook Pro Seems to Have a High Failure Rate |url=https://macperformanceguide.com/blog/2020/20200403_1024-MacBookPro2019-repairs.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/9a3yL |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=Mac Performance Guide}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The announcement and cancellation of Apple AirPower&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Apple cancels AirPower product, citing inability to meet its high standards for hardware |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/29/apple-cancels-airpower-product-citing-inability-to-meet-its-high-standards-for-hardware/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401040644/https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/29/apple-cancels-airpower-product-citing-inability-to-meet-its-high-standards-for-hardware/ |archive-date=2019-04-01 |website=TechCrunch}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Clover |first=Juli |date=2018-09-12 |title=After No Sign of AirPower at Today&#039;s Event Apple Wipes Most Mentions From Website |url=https://www.macrumors.com/2018/09/12/no-sign-of-airpower-at-september-event/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124170507/https://www.macrumors.com/2018/09/12/no-sign-of-airpower-at-september-event/ |archive-date=2021-11-24 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=MacRumors}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; due to overheating{{CitationNeeded|reason=no archived article mentioning overheating specifically}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Recent attempts to do better====&lt;br /&gt;
Recently, Apple has made efforts to improve its products, though some observers feel that its pro-consumer practices still do not match those of certain other manufacturers. This shift is thought by some to be influenced by evolving legislation.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Hern |first=Alex |date=2022-10-26 |title=Apple to put USB-C connectors in iPhones to comply with EU rules |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/26/iphone-usb-c-lightning-connectors-apple-eu-rules |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/3qwt5 |archive-date=2022-10-31 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=The Guardian}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &amp;lt;!-- Maybe more citations here? &amp;quot;Some&amp;quot; is plural --&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This includes:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Opening an online [[Apple Self Service Repair|Self Service Repair]] parts store.&lt;br /&gt;
*Making the back glass of iPhones removable starting from iPhone 14.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Wiens |first=Kyle |date=2022-09-16 |title=Inside Apple’s Secret iPhone 14 Redesign |url=https://www.ifixit.com/News/64865/iphone-14-teardown |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/ggFoJ |archive-date=2022-09-20 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=iFixIt}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*Allowing alternative app stores in an update to iOS 17, in compliance with new EU legislation.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Installing apps through alternative app distribution in the European Union |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/117767 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/lEKMA |archive-date=2024-10-03 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=support.apple.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*Calibration tools for newly installed used parts in iOS 18,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Use Repair Assistant to finish an iPhone or iPad repair |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/120579 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/uI8Qc |archive-date=2024-09-20 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=support.apple.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; which sometimes work.{{CitationNeeded}}&lt;br /&gt;
*An upgradeable, swappable SSD in the 2024 Mac Mini - albeit you cannot swap these units between M4 and M4 Pro units due to the internal casing&#039;s design being different without much good reason.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Sorrel |first=Charlie |date=2024-11-12 |title=All Hail the Return of Upgradeable Storage! Mac mini 2024 Teardown |url=https://www.ifixit.com/News/104302/all-hail-the-return-of-upgradeable-storage-mac-mini-2024-teardown |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/r8hpm |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=iFixit}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*A battery removable with just a 9V battery in the 2024 iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=iPhone 16 Plus Battery |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/120671 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/trT1j |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=support.apple.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Many of these items have sparked allegations of [[Malicious Compliance]] and being introduced purely to make stricter right for repair legislation appear unnecessary to legislators while not doing much to improve the situation for consumers. &amp;lt;!-- woah there with the accusatory tone --&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For instance, pricing for parts on the [[Apple Self Service Repair|Self Service Repair]] store is virtually identical to having the part replaced by Apple themselves (including both the price of the part and labor), alternate app installation options are limited to users in the EU, still require developers to be registered with Apple, have them approve the apps and in many cases paying them fees, and the upgradeable SSDs do not use common standards such as M.2 NVME. Unlike standard SSDs, they are also not always swappable between different models and require access to a second Apple computer to provision after installation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Operating system downgrades===&lt;br /&gt;
It is not possible to upgrade or downgrade an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, etc. to an Operating System (OS) version that is no longer signed by Apple. In most cases, only the most recent version is signed. Some exceptions exist, such as certain Apple TV models and Apple Silicon Macs. Downgrading the Apple TV 4K series is not possible at all due to the lack of a USB port. On Macs with T2 chip or Apple Silicon, the user can select from three modes of secure boot:&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=About Startup Security Utility on a Mac with the Apple T2 Security Chip |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/102522 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250607083624/https://support.apple.com/en-us/102522 |archive-date=7 Jun 2025 |access-date=22 Jun 2025 |website=Apple}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*No security: Allow any OS to run (same as turning off secure boot on a PC).&lt;br /&gt;
*Medium security: Allow any OS that is signed with a secure boot certificate (default, same as turning on secure boot on a PC).&lt;br /&gt;
*Full security: Only allow the latest version of macOS, do not allow any other OS.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
iOS devices only support full security mode. The device checks for a cryptographic &amp;quot;ticket,&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2024-11-20 |title=APTicket |url=https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/APTicket |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/jTHEl |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=theapplewiki.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; which are tied to the OS version and CPU serial number. These are provided by a server, which only provides them for the latest version (with very specific exceptions). The device refuses to boot if the ticket does not match. Workarounds exist, but with major caveats that are not viable for most users,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2021-09-27 |title=Firmware rendering |url=https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Firmware_downgrading |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/wip/uT2aI |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=theapplewiki.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; see the technical details on [[wikipedia:SHSH_blob|SHSH blobs]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Class action lawsuit===&lt;br /&gt;
Apple was the defendant of a class-action lawsuit with claims dating back to 2017 where users noticed their phones were being artificially slowed down. Apple agreed to settle the lawsuit for up to $500 million USD.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Gael |date=9 Jan 2024 |title=Apple Starts Sending Out iPhone &#039;Batterygate&#039; Settlement Payments. What to Know |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-starts-sending-out-iphone-batterygate-settlement-payments-what-to-know/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250321051703/https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-starts-sending-out-iphone-batterygate-settlement-payments-what-to-know/ |archive-date=21 Mar 2025 |access-date=22 Jun 2025 |website=CNET}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Apple claimed that this change was to benefit users who have old failing batteries, and that it wasn&#039;t for planned obsolescence.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;https://www.cbsnews.com/news/apple-iphone-payment-500-million-settlement-what-to-know/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; They later published software updates and an article explaining how users can opt out of this new &amp;quot;performance management&amp;quot; mode.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=iPhone battery and performance |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/101575 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250618231138/https://support.apple.com/en-us/101575 |archive-date=18 Jun 2025 |access-date=22 Jun 2025 |website=Apple}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Once a new OS version is installed, there is no opportunity to go back. This also restricts the user&#039;s choice to {{Wplink|iOS jailbreaking|jailbreak}} the device, as the latest version naturally has patches for the latest jailbreak exploits. App developers also require access to earlier iOS versions to test that their app works correctly. The alternative, Xcode&#039;s iOS Simulator, is not a complete replacement for real hardware, as it does not have all features of a physical device.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Vajpai |first=Shreeti |date=24 Jun 2024 |title=iOS Emulators / Simulators vs Real iOS Devices |url=https://contextqa.com/test-on-ios-emulators-simulators/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250519081214/https://contextqa.com/test-on-ios-emulators-simulators/ |archive-date=19 May 2025 |access-date=22 Jun 2025 |website=ContextQA}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Instead, app developers are forced to purchase several test devices, and remember to &#039;&#039;never&#039;&#039; allow them to update.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Parts availability===&lt;br /&gt;
Many parts are not available directly from Apple. Those that are available directly from Apple may be more expensive than paying Apple to repair your device. Parts available to certified repair centers are extremely limited. Apple does not stock current generation iPad parts within GSX (See Certified Repair Centers). A limited selection of iPad parts are available from iFixit, however this can exclude some flex PCBs necessary for repairing headphone jacks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If an Apple iPhone has GPS calibration issues and or {{Wplink|Bluetooth}} connectivity issues, Apple will do their own diagnostics. You explain to the Apple employee how and when the issues occur and you explain in detail your methods to reproduce the issues. The issues occur when your phone is in your pocket while using navigation and when you hold your phone upside down while using your Apple Beats wireless headphones. After Apple runs their diagnostics and they are not able to detect the issues, they will move onto the next step which is fully resetting your device. This is considered a standard troubleshooting procedure. When you ask the Apple store manager if they would be willing to exchange your device for a similar model if they cannot fix your device they respond with &amp;quot;No, because these phones are designed to be fixed&amp;quot;. After the software reset fail, Apple will require you to leave your phone with them so they can send it to their offsite repair facility for further diagnostics. After a few days, Apple will come to the conclusion that your phone requires an entire new midsection. When asked what was replaced, Apple will inform you that the entire inside has been replaced — essentially giving you a new phone (with a new IMEI, EID, etc.) apart from the casing and screen.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Diagnostic software availability===&lt;br /&gt;
Calibration software for some Apple devices has only recently become available to end users. End user calibration tools have only become accessible in iOS 18. Similar calibration tools have been available to Certified Repair Centers, but are generally limited as many parts are serialized, i.e. lid sensors on Mac Books.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Certified repair centers===&lt;br /&gt;
Certified Repair Centers have some limited access to Apple&#039;s proprietary backend (GSX2). GSX contains many tools necessary to repair devices such as diagnostic tools, calibration tools, parts catalog, and device repair history. GSX is only accessible to repair centers Apple deems certified. GSX does not stock parts for iPads. It does not allow the calibration of parts such as lid sensors for a device, if that device does not have an open repair and purchased parts. The new iOS 18 calibration tool is very similar to Apple&#039;s ASU (GSX&#039;s diagnostic/calibration tool). Some videos of GSX can be found online. See: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy8bS1AgxcY GSX - How to Gain GSX Apple Access - iOSGenius]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Advertisements in first party apps===&lt;br /&gt;
In 2014, Apple and the band U2 partnered to give all iTunes users a free digital copy of their newest album at the time, &#039;&#039;Songs of Innocence&#039;&#039;, which was marketed as &amp;quot;the biggest album release ever in history&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2014/09/09Apple-U2-Release-Songs-of-Innocence-Exclusively-for-iTunes-Store-Customers/|title=Apple &amp;amp; U2 Release “Songs of Innocence” Exclusively for iTunes Store Customers|date=2014-09-09|work=Apple Newsroom|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250405230217/https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2014/09/09Apple-U2-Release-Songs-of-Innocence-Exclusively-for-iTunes-Store-Customers/|archive-date=2025-04-05|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Many users who didn&#039;t want the album couldn&#039;t remove it from their iTunes library due to the album being listed as a &amp;quot;past purchase&amp;quot; on their account (however the album could always be &amp;quot;hidden&amp;quot;).&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/2014/09/apples-devious-u2-album-giveaway-even-worse-spam/|title=Apple&#039;s Devious U2 Album Giveaway Is Even Worse Than Spam|date=2014-09-16|first=Vijith|last=Assar|work=WIRED|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250530112829/https://www.wired.com/2014/09/apples-devious-u2-album-giveaway-even-worse-spam/|archive-date=2025-05-30|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Some reports speculated the deal was worth 100 million dollars and was done due to the band&#039;s declining popularity.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2014/09/15/348612823/apples-u2-album-promotion-backfires|title=Apple&#039;s U2 Album Promotion Backfires|first=Nathan|last=Rott|date=2014-09-15|work=NPR|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250601154245/https://www.npr.org/2014/09/15/348612823/apples-u2-album-promotion-backfires|archive-date=2025-06-01|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In 2022, Bono, a member of U2, wrote in his memoir how Tim Cook reportedly said how &amp;quot;there’s something not right about giving [U2&#039;s] art away for free&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;the whole point of what we’re trying to do at Apple is to not give away music free. The point is to make sure musicians get paid&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://fortune.com/2022/10/24/tim-cook-said-free-u2-album-itunes-was-not-right/|title=Apple CEO Tim Cook thought U2 putting its album on your iPhone was ‘not right’—even though he did it anyway|first=Tristan|last=Bove|date=2022-10-24|work=Fortune|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127191141/https://fortune.com/2022/10/24/tim-cook-said-free-u2-album-itunes-was-not-right/|archive-date=2025-01-27|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In 2025, Apple added a promotional offer for F1 The Movie in their Wallet application.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=F1 The Movie - News |url=https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/f1/news/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/pQCP7 |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=Apple TV+ Press}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Users have mentioned how this could violate Apple&#039;s own policy on advertising, how the high price of Apple devices shouldn&#039;t justify first party ads, and the annoyance of seeing it.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |author=u/african-nightmare |date=2025-06-24 |title=Getting ads in Apple Wallet, how to disable? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/1ljfs7u/getting_ads_in_apple_wallet_how_to_disable/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/dNE2S |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-06-25 |work=Reddit}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; For users on the iOS 26 beta, there is an option to disable &amp;quot;Offers &amp;amp; Promotions&amp;quot;, with users on iOS 18 needing to disable notifications completely for the Wallet app.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/24/iphone-customers-upset-by-apple-wallet-ad-pushing-f1-movie/|title=iPhone customers upset by Apple Wallet ad pushing ‘F1’ movie|first=Sarah|last=Perez|date=2025-06-24|work=TechCrunch|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250624213223/https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/24/iphone-customers-upset-by-apple-wallet-ad-pushing-f1-movie/|archive-date=2025-06-24|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===AirDrop censorship (&#039;&#039;2022&#039;&#039;)===&lt;br /&gt;
As a result of the 2019 Hong Kong protests, Apple was pressured by the Chinese government to set a time limit for the AirDrop &amp;quot;everyone&amp;quot; option for iPhones due to its impact at scheduling protests against the government to avoid censorship.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/10/23450967/apple-airdrop-limited-china-goverment-protests|title=Apple limits AirDrop in China after its use in protests|first=Jess|last=Weatherbed|date=2022-11-10|work=The Verge|access-date=2025-08-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250723112204/https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/10/23450967/apple-airdrop-limited-china-goverment-protests|archive-date=2025-07-23|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In 2023, the setting was applied to all iPhones worldwide to &amp;quot;mitigate unwanted file sharing&amp;quot;, meaning users will need to set their airdrop setting manually every ten minutes instead of leaving it on permanently, leaving the only other options as &amp;quot;contacts only&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;receiving off&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://9to5mac.com/2025/03/17/apple-globally-censoring-this-iphone-communication-feature-deserves-renewed-scrutiny/|title=Apple globally censoring this iPhone communication feature deserves renewed scrutiny|first=Zac|last=Hall|date=2025-03-17|work=9To5Mac|access-date=2025-08-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250723142521/https://9to5mac.com/2025/03/17/apple-globally-censoring-this-iphone-communication-feature-deserves-renewed-scrutiny/|archive-date=2025-07-23|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===&amp;quot;Peanuts&amp;quot; TV Special Takeover===&lt;br /&gt;
In late October of 2020, Apple announced that it&#039;s Apple TV+ service had become the exclusive home of the library of classic &#039;&#039;Peanuts&#039;&#039; animated specials, including &#039;&#039;A Charlie Brown Christmas&#039;&#039;, &#039;&#039;It&#039;s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown&#039;&#039;, and &#039;&#039;A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving&#039;&#039;. For almost 50 years, these beloved specials were shown once a year on free over-the-air TV, but as of 2020, anybody who wishes to watch them is now required to own a device that offers the Apple TV+ service and an active Apple TV+ subscription.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{cite web |last=Adalian |first=Josef |date=2020-10-19 |title=Apple TV+ Says: Welcome, Great Pumpkin |url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/10/its-the-great-pumpkin-charlie-brown-streaming-apple-tv.html |url-status=archived |archive-url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/10/its-the-great-pumpkin-charlie-brown-streaming-apple-tv.html |archive-date=2020-10-19 |access-date=2025-11-05 |work=Vulture}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===2024 Antitrust Lawsuit===&lt;br /&gt;
In March 2024, the United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Apple claiming that the &amp;quot;closed garden&amp;quot; ecosystem Apple creates surrounding its iPhones stifles competition and innovation. The lawsuit alleges that Apple is directly forcing customers to purchase and use iPhones and their accessories and software in several ways:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Forcing mobile carriers including AT&amp;amp;T, Verizon, and T-Mobile to offer its best customer deals exclusively to those who purchase iPhones.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting the functionality of Super apps such as WeChat.&lt;br /&gt;
*Forcing in-app purchases through applications such as Fortnite to be made within the App Store and taking a part of the proceeds as commission pay.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting the use of third-party digital wallets and requiring users to exclusively use Apple Pay.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting how third-party message apps can interact with iMessage.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting their HomeKit home automation system and all compatible devices to work only on Apple&#039;s products and issuing cease &amp;amp; desist orders against emulators designed to make HomeKit compatible with third-party products.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting compatibility of third party smart watches.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Apple is expected to go to trial in early 2027.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{cite web |last=Liedtke |first=Michael |date=2025-06-30 |title=Judge allows antitrust lawsuit against Apple to proceed |url=https://apnews.com/article/apple-antitrust-case-justice-department-664c187d7d09d57460076c7aa2f0c0bf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/wip/2sRIS |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-07-14 |work=Associated Press}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===European Union USB-C Directive 2022/2380===&lt;br /&gt;
As part of Directive (EU) 2022/2380, the EU mandated that all smartphones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, and other portable electronic devices must utilize USB-C as a universal charging standard by the end of 2024, with laptops following by 2026. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2022-12-07 |title=Directive (EU) 2022/2380 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 November 2022 amending Directive 2014/53/EU on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of radio equipment (Text with EEA relevance) |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32022L2380 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/eYlnR |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-09-02 |website=EUR-Lex}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This regulatory measure directly addresses consumer frustration with incompatible chargers types and aims to significantly reduce electronic waste. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2024-12-28 |title=USB-C-Standard: Schluss mit dem Kabelwirrwarr |url=https://www.zdfheute.de/wirtschaft/ladekabel-usb-c-standard-apple-entsorgung-elektroschrott-100.html |access-date=2025-09-02 |website=zdfheute}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The legislation allows manufacturers to unbundle chargers from devices, potentially saving consumers money, and ensures charging speed harmonization across compatible devices. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
While Apple initially opposed the standardization, arguing that it would &amp;quot;stifle innovation rather than encourage it,&amp;quot; the company ultimately conceded defeat, with Apple&#039;s head of marketing stating &amp;quot;we have no choice&amp;quot; regarding compliance. &amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===European Digital Markets Act.===&lt;br /&gt;
This law forced many companies including Apple to change the way they operate to create a fairer competition. Read more about this law [[Digital Markets Act|here]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Changes Apple introduced iOS and iPadOS to comply with this law:====&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Introduced the ability to install applications from alternative marketplaces&lt;br /&gt;
*asks which browser and search engine should be the default one&lt;br /&gt;
*Developers now are allowed to publish in the EU browsers that do not use webkit&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Controversies:====&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Apple removed iPhone torrenting app iTorrent from alternative marketplace AltStore PAL, developer said that the access was revoked &amp;quot;without any warning&amp;quot;. In a statement to The Verge, Apple spokesperson Peter Ajemian said, “Notarization for this app was removed in order to comply with government sanctions-related rules in various jurisdictions. We have communicated this to the developer.”&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite news |last=Weatherbed |first=Jess |date=August 28, 2025 |title=Apple pulls iPhone torrent app from AltStore PAL in Europe |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/767344/apple-removes-itorrent-altstore-pal-ios-marketplace |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250903102041/https://www.theverge.com/news/767344/apple-removes-itorrent-altstore-pal-ios-marketplace |archive-date=September 3, 2025 |work=The Verge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Elon Musk Lawsuit===&lt;br /&gt;
In August of 2025, businessman Elon Musk accused Apple of engaging in anti-competitive practices by only allowing their AI program OpenAI to reach the top of the sales chart on Apple App Store. He announced his plan to sue Apple for this practice.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{cite web |last=Durden |first=Tyler |date=2025-08-12 |title=Musk Accuses Apple Of &amp;quot;Unequivocal Antitrust Violation&amp;quot; For Favoring OpenAI In App Store Rankings |url=https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/musk-accuses-apple-unequivocal-antitrust-violation-favoring-openai-app-store-rankings |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/G7191 |archive-date=2025-09-20 |access-date=2025-08-14 |work=ZeroHedge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;gallery&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
File:Apple Wallet F1 sponsored ad (1).jpg|Notification of the offer&lt;br /&gt;
File:Apple Wallet F1 sponsored ad (2).jpg|Home screen of Wallet app&lt;br /&gt;
File:Apple Wallet F1 sponsored ad (3).jpg|Apple Cash card screen&lt;br /&gt;
File:Apple Wallet F1 sponsored ad (4).PNG|Screen when selecting &amp;quot;learn more&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/gallery&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Greenwashing&amp;lt;!-- This section needs more work and more sources. It might also make sense to move it to a page of its own --&amp;gt;===&lt;br /&gt;
Apple claims to be environmentally friendly and invests significant amounts of funds in corresponding PR campaigns,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Environment {{!}} Mother Nature |url=https://www.apple.com/environment/mother-nature/ |access-date=2025-09-15 |website=Apple}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &amp;lt;!-- The source&#039;s title is &amp;quot;Environment | Mother Nature&amp;quot;, but currently the browser title is &amp;quot;Environment&amp;quot; &amp;amp; article title is &amp;quot;Apple 2030 - We’ve reduced our emissions by over 60%&amp;quot;. Is this supposed to be another URL or them changing the page? Hmm...  --&amp;gt; but the reality is not quite as green.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Customers are lead to think that their purchases and frequent replacement of their devices do not have a negative impact on the environment, which is not the case.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In autumn of 2025, stricter EU regulations on misleading marketing claims and a lawsuite by German environmental and consumer protection non-profit organization &#039;&#039;Deutsche Umwelthilfe&#039;&#039; have forced Apple to remove their claim of carbon neutrality on several products on their EU websites. Affected products include the Apple Watch 3 and Apple Watch Series 11.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Schwan |first=Ben |date=2025-11-26 |title=Wegen EU-Regeln: Apple zieht Klimaneutralitäts-Claim zurück [Due to EU regulations: Apple retracts claim of climate neutrality] |url=https://www.heise.de/news/Wegen-EU-Regeln-Apple-zieht-Klimaneutralitaets-Claim-zurueck-10711532.html |access-date=2025-11-26 |website=Heise Online}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Green energy pooling====&lt;br /&gt;
Apple shares manufacturing capacity at Chinese/Taiwanese companies FoxConn and Pegatron with other companies. If Apple uses a hypothetical 20% of their manufacturing capacity, and company B, C,  D, and E also each take up 20%, and the company doing the manufacturing runs on 20% renewably generated energy, now Apple as well as companies B, C, D, and E will each publicly claim that their manufacturing runs 100% on renewable energy. In other words, each company will claim the 20% renewable energy was used for &#039;&#039;their&#039;&#039; production.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite journal |last=Gieselmann |first=Hartmut |date=2023 |title=Von wegen CO2-neutral – Umweltexperten werfen Apple Greenwashing vor |url=https://www.heise.de/select/ct/2023/23/2326512021124424489 |journal=c&#039;t Magazin für Computertechnik [Germany] |volume=2023 |issue=23 |pages=49}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====CO&amp;lt;small&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; Certificates and forest projects====&lt;br /&gt;
…&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====The packaging trick====&lt;br /&gt;
Apple, like many companies, regularly emphasises how environmentally friendly their packaging is and highlight advancements in this area.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Apple 2030 – We’ve reduced our emissions by over 60% |url=https://www.apple.com/environment/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/Cor7F |archive-date=2025-09-10 |access-date=2025-09-15 |website=Apple}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This deliberately distracts from the fact that only a negligible fraction of the environmental footprint of an electronic device comes from the packaging, as it is made of siginificant amounts or rare earth minerals, metals and mined components and consuming vast amounts of energy, water and fuel in manufacturing and transport.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Some of the environmental advancements touted by Apple could also be argued to be environmentally beneficial side effects of purely economic decisions aimed at maximizing profit, such as shipping iPhones without chargers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Dragan |first=Lauren |date=2023-09-12 |title=iPhones No Longer Come With a Charger or Headphones. Here’s What to Get If You Need Them. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/iphone-12-charger-headphones-options/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/p33vb |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=The New York Times}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Shredding vast amounts of fully functional devices====&lt;br /&gt;
In 2020, it came to light that Apple had filed a lawsuit against a recycling company, revealing that 100,000 iPhones had been illegitimately shipped to China to be sold there instead of being shredded as had been agreed with Apple.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Lovejoy |first=Ben |date=2024-04-24 |title=100,000 iPhones stolen instead of scrapped; Apple accused of shredding usable devices |url=https://9to5mac.com/2024/04/18/100000-iphones-stolen-instead-of-scrapped/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/oLvMZ |archive-date=2024-08-28 |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=9to5mac}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Carrique |first=Felicitas |date=2020-10-04 |title=Apple sues recycling partner for reselling more than 100,000 iPhones, iPads, and Watches it was hired to dismantle |url=https://www.theverge.com/apple/2020/10/4/21499422/apple-sues-recycling-company-reselling-ipods-ipads-watches |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/YRqdf |archive-date=2020-10-04 |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=The Verge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
These devices were likely trade-in devices from people who received a discount on a new model in exchange. Bloomberg News writes, referring to the contract with the recycler:&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Carr |first=Austin |date=2024-04-18 |title=What Really Happens When You Trade In an iPhone at the Apple Store |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-04-18/apple-iphone-recycling-program-has-secrets |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/bfc3Y |archive-date=2024-08-05 |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=Bloomberg}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;Even if the iPhones looked good enough for resale, Apple Inc.’s contract with GEEP (said with a hard “g”) explicitly required that every product it sent be destroyed.&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;Used iPhone that are sold on the used market are a direct competition to new sales by Apple.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Apple likely does not want the public to know about these processes, since security seems to be tight around the shredding process:&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;In some cases, Apple hired outside security consultants to escort trucks to its recyclers and monitor the destruction process, which the tech giant could further analyze through data reports charting scrap weights and commodity yields to ensure the input matched the output.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Carr |first=Austin |date=2025-03-17 |title=Apple Drops Lawsuit Against Recycler in Mystery of Missing iPhones |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-03-17/apple-drops-lawsuit-against-recycler-in-mystery-of-missing-iphones |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.ph/2LdNE |archive-date=2025-05-17 |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=Bloomberg News}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;Apple later retreated the lawsuit,&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot; /&amp;gt; leading to speculation that it wanted to avoid having to disclose how many devices they are really having shredded. &amp;lt;!-- uh-oh, you can&#039;t accuse them like that on a wiki page!!1 (Wiki English: please rewrite according to Editorial Guidelines) --&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====iPhone recycling robot mostly a publicity stunt====&lt;br /&gt;
The first iteration of Apple&#039;s iPhone recycling robot, designed for the iPhone 6, was never more than a publicity stunt, according to an article by Bloomberg:&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;Liam’s precision automation, however, proved a dead end. It could handle just one iPhone model, and not that well. If a device had corroded screws or sticky insides, the robot would glitch. A person familiar with the project estimates Liam could run for about 10 minutes without human intervention. Another person says Apple at times fed the robot still-functioning iPhones and, for media demos, cherry-picked cleaner units so it didn’t crash, suggesting Liam was geared more for promotion than scalability.&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;The same article cites industry insider claiming that the new iteration of the robot is only able to recycle as many devices in a year as Apple sells in just 48 hours.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Thus it is safe to assume that the vast majority of trade-in devices are simply shredded.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Products==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[ICloud]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[:Category:Apple IPhones|IPhones]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Software==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Apple App Store]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Apple Gatekeeper]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Xcode]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Placeholder box|Link to relevant theme articles or companies with similar incidents.}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References== &lt;br /&gt;
{{Reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Apple]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Apple&amp;diff=31109</id>
		<title>Apple</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Apple&amp;diff=31109"/>
		<updated>2025-11-27T07:12:50Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{CompanyCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|Founded=1976&lt;br /&gt;
|Industry=Electronics&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=Apple_logo_black.png&lt;br /&gt;
|ParentCompany=&lt;br /&gt;
|Type=Public&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://apple.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Wplink|Apple Inc.|&#039;&#039;&#039;Apple&#039;&#039;&#039;}} is an American technology company that was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Apple&#039;s current product lineup includes hardware such as the [[:Category:Apple IPhones|iPhone]], iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Apple Vision Pro, [[AirPods]], and Apple TV; operating systems such as iOS, iPadOS, visionOS, and macOS; and various software and services including Apple Pay, iCloud, Apple Arcade, and multimedia streaming services like Apple Music and [[Apple TV+]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;!-- Insert consumer protection summary here. --&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Repairability of Apple products in the 2000s===&lt;br /&gt;
Since the 2000s, Apple has focused on reducing the weight of its products as technology has advanced and become increasingly complex. This shift has contributed to challenges in repairing and upgrading their devices.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Hardware design issues in the 2010s===&lt;br /&gt;
Apple had numerous hardware design issues in the 2010s, often poorly acknowledged by the company and frequently charging exorbitant amounts for repair. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*High-cost GPU failures on early 2010&#039;s MacBooks&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2014-10-28 |title=Apple faces class-action lawsuit over 2011 MacBook Pro GPU issues |url=https://9to5mac.com/2014/10/28/apple-class-action-lawsuit-2011-macbook-pro-gpu-graphics-issues/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/dOfPg |archive-date=2025-06-06 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=9to5mac}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*the 2016-&#039;17 MacBook Pro&#039;s screen cable skimping scandal&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Porter |first=Jon |date=2019-05-05 |title=Apple quietly addressed ‘Flexgate’ issue with MacBook Pro redesign |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/5/18251264/macbook-pro-2018-flexgate-fix-display-cable-2mm-longer |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/fbtWU |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=The Verge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*2016-2019 MacBooks butterfly keyboards&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Bohn |first=Dieter |date=2020-05-04 |title=The saga of Apple’s bad butterfly MacBook keyboards is finally over |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/4/21246223/macbook-keyboard-butterfly-magic-pro-apple-design |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/D8U0I |archive-date=2021-10-08 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=The Verge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro&#039;s SSD failures&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=digilloyd |date=2020-04-03 |title=2019 MacBook Pro Seems to Have a High Failure Rate |url=https://macperformanceguide.com/blog/2020/20200403_1024-MacBookPro2019-repairs.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/9a3yL |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=Mac Performance Guide}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The announcement and cancellation of Apple AirPower&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Apple cancels AirPower product, citing inability to meet its high standards for hardware |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/29/apple-cancels-airpower-product-citing-inability-to-meet-its-high-standards-for-hardware/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401040644/https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/29/apple-cancels-airpower-product-citing-inability-to-meet-its-high-standards-for-hardware/ |archive-date=2019-04-01 |website=TechCrunch}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Clover |first=Juli |date=2018-09-12 |title=After No Sign of AirPower at Today&#039;s Event Apple Wipes Most Mentions From Website |url=https://www.macrumors.com/2018/09/12/no-sign-of-airpower-at-september-event/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124170507/https://www.macrumors.com/2018/09/12/no-sign-of-airpower-at-september-event/ |archive-date=2021-11-24 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=MacRumors}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; due to overheating{{CitationNeeded|reason=no archived article mentioning overheating specifically}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Recent attempts to do better====&lt;br /&gt;
Recently, Apple has made efforts to improve its products, though some observers feel that its pro-consumer practices still do not match those of certain other manufacturers. This shift is thought by some to be influenced by evolving legislation.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Hern |first=Alex |date=2022-10-26 |title=Apple to put USB-C connectors in iPhones to comply with EU rules |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/26/iphone-usb-c-lightning-connectors-apple-eu-rules |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/3qwt5 |archive-date=2022-10-31 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=The Guardian}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &amp;lt;!-- Maybe more citations here? &amp;quot;Some&amp;quot; is plural --&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This includes:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Opening an online [[Apple Self Service Repair|Self Service Repair]] parts store.&lt;br /&gt;
*Making the back glass of iPhones removable starting from iPhone 14.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Wiens |first=Kyle |date=2022-09-16 |title=Inside Apple’s Secret iPhone 14 Redesign |url=https://www.ifixit.com/News/64865/iphone-14-teardown |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/ggFoJ |archive-date=2022-09-20 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=iFixIt}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*Allowing alternative app stores in an update to iOS 17, in compliance with new EU legislation.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Installing apps through alternative app distribution in the European Union |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/117767 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/lEKMA |archive-date=2024-10-03 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=support.apple.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*Calibration tools for newly installed used parts in iOS 18,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Use Repair Assistant to finish an iPhone or iPad repair |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/120579 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/uI8Qc |archive-date=2024-09-20 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=support.apple.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; which sometimes work.{{CitationNeeded}}&lt;br /&gt;
*An upgradeable, swappable SSD in the 2024 Mac Mini - albeit you cannot swap these units between M4 and M4 Pro units due to the internal casing&#039;s design being different without much good reason.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Sorrel |first=Charlie |date=2024-11-12 |title=All Hail the Return of Upgradeable Storage! Mac mini 2024 Teardown |url=https://www.ifixit.com/News/104302/all-hail-the-return-of-upgradeable-storage-mac-mini-2024-teardown |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/r8hpm |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=iFixit}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*A battery removable with just a 9V battery in the 2024 iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=iPhone 16 Plus Battery |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/120671 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/trT1j |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=support.apple.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Many of these items have sparked allegations of [[Malicious Compliance]] and being introduced purely to make stricter right for repair legislation appear unnecessary to legislators while not doing much to improve the situation for consumers. &amp;lt;!-- woah there with the accusatory tone --&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For instance, pricing for parts on the [[Apple Self Service Repair|Self Service Repair]] store is virtually identical to having the part replaced by Apple themselves (including both the price of the part and labor), alternate app installation options are limited to users in the EU, still require developers to be registered with Apple, have them approve the apps and in many cases paying them fees, and the upgradeable SSDs do not use common standards such as M.2 NVME. Unlike standard SSDs, they are also not always swappable between different models and require access to a second Apple computer to provision after installation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Operating system downgrades===&lt;br /&gt;
It is not possible to upgrade or downgrade an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, etc. to an Operating System (OS) version that is no longer signed by Apple. In most cases, only the most recent version is signed. Some exceptions exist, such as certain Apple TV models and Apple Silicon Macs. Downgrading the Apple TV 4K series is not possible at all due to the lack of a USB port. On Macs with T2 chip or Apple Silicon, the user can select from three modes of secure boot:&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=About Startup Security Utility on a Mac with the Apple T2 Security Chip |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/102522 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250607083624/https://support.apple.com/en-us/102522 |archive-date=7 Jun 2025 |access-date=22 Jun 2025 |website=Apple}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*No security: Allow any OS to run (same as turning off secure boot on a PC).&lt;br /&gt;
*Medium security: Allow any OS that is signed with a secure boot certificate (default, same as turning on secure boot on a PC).&lt;br /&gt;
*Full security: Only allow the latest version of macOS, do not allow any other OS.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
iOS devices only support full security mode. The device checks for a cryptographic &amp;quot;ticket,&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2024-11-20 |title=APTicket |url=https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/APTicket |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/jTHEl |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=theapplewiki.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; which are tied to the OS version and CPU serial number. These are provided by a server, which only provides them for the latest version (with very specific exceptions). The device refuses to boot if the ticket does not match. Workarounds exist, but with major caveats that are not viable for most users,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2021-09-27 |title=Firmware rendering |url=https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Firmware_downgrading |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/wip/uT2aI |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=theapplewiki.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; see the technical details on [[wikipedia:SHSH_blob|SHSH blobs]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Class action lawsuit===&lt;br /&gt;
Apple was the defendant of a class-action lawsuit with claims dating back to 2017 where users noticed their phones were being artificially slowed down. Apple agreed to settle the lawsuit for up to $500 million USD.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Gael |date=9 Jan 2024 |title=Apple Starts Sending Out iPhone &#039;Batterygate&#039; Settlement Payments. What to Know |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-starts-sending-out-iphone-batterygate-settlement-payments-what-to-know/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250321051703/https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-starts-sending-out-iphone-batterygate-settlement-payments-what-to-know/ |archive-date=21 Mar 2025 |access-date=22 Jun 2025 |website=CNET}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Apple claimed that this change was to benefit users who have old failing batteries, and that it wasn&#039;t for planned obsolescence.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;https://www.cbsnews.com/news/apple-iphone-payment-500-million-settlement-what-to-know/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; They later published software updates and an article explaining how users can opt out of this new &amp;quot;performance management&amp;quot; mode.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=iPhone battery and performance |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/101575 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250618231138/https://support.apple.com/en-us/101575 |archive-date=18 Jun 2025 |access-date=22 Jun 2025 |website=Apple}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Once a new OS version is installed, there is no opportunity to go back. This also restricts the user&#039;s choice to {{Wplink|iOS jailbreaking|jailbreak}} the device, as the latest version naturally has patches for the latest jailbreak exploits. App developers also require access to earlier iOS versions to test that their app works correctly. The alternative, Xcode&#039;s iOS Simulator, is not a complete replacement for real hardware, as it does not have all features of a physical device.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Vajpai |first=Shreeti |date=24 Jun 2024 |title=iOS Emulators / Simulators vs Real iOS Devices |url=https://contextqa.com/test-on-ios-emulators-simulators/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250519081214/https://contextqa.com/test-on-ios-emulators-simulators/ |archive-date=19 May 2025 |access-date=22 Jun 2025 |website=ContextQA}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Instead, app developers are forced to purchase several test devices, and remember to &#039;&#039;never&#039;&#039; allow them to update.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Parts availability===&lt;br /&gt;
Many parts are not available directly from Apple. Those that are available directly from Apple may be more expensive than paying Apple to repair your device. Parts available to certified repair centers are extremely limited. Apple does not stock current generation iPad parts within GSX (See Certified Repair Centers). A limited selection of iPad parts are available from iFixit, however this can exclude some flex PCBs necessary for repairing headphone jacks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If an Apple iPhone has GPS calibration issues and or {{Wplink|Bluetooth}} connectivity issues, Apple will do their own diagnostics. You explain to the Apple employee how and when the issues occur and you explain in detail your methods to reproduce the issues. The issues occur when your phone is in your pocket while using navigation and when you hold your phone upside down while using your Apple Beats wireless headphones. After Apple runs their diagnostics and they are not able to detect the issues, they will move onto the next step which is fully resetting your device. This is considered a standard troubleshooting procedure. When you ask the Apple store manager if they would be willing to exchange your device for a similar model if they cannot fix your device they respond with &amp;quot;No, because these phones are designed to be fixed&amp;quot;. After the software reset fail, Apple will require you to leave your phone with them so they can send it to their offsite repair facility for further diagnostics. After a few days, Apple will come to the conclusion that your phone requires an entire new midsection. When asked what was replaced, Apple will inform you that the entire inside has been replaced — essentially giving you a new phone (with a new IMEI, EID, etc.) apart from the casing and screen.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Diagnostic software availability===&lt;br /&gt;
Calibration software for some Apple devices has only recently become available to end users. End user calibration tools have only become accessible in iOS 18. Similar calibration tools have been available to Certified Repair Centers, but are generally limited as many parts are serialized, i.e. lid sensors on Mac Books.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Certified repair centers===&lt;br /&gt;
Certified Repair Centers have some limited access to Apple&#039;s proprietary backend (GSX2). GSX contains many tools necessary to repair devices such as diagnostic tools, calibration tools, parts catalog, and device repair history. GSX is only accessible to repair centers Apple deems certified. GSX does not stock parts for iPads. It does not allow the calibration of parts such as lid sensors for a device, if that device does not have an open repair and purchased parts. The new iOS 18 calibration tool is very similar to Apple&#039;s ASU (GSX&#039;s diagnostic/calibration tool). Some videos of GSX can be found online. See: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy8bS1AgxcY GSX - How to Gain GSX Apple Access - iOSGenius]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Advertisements in first party apps===&lt;br /&gt;
In 2014, Apple and the band U2 partnered to give all iTunes users a free digital copy of their newest album at the time, &#039;&#039;Songs of Innocence&#039;&#039;, which was marketed as &amp;quot;the biggest album release ever in history&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2014/09/09Apple-U2-Release-Songs-of-Innocence-Exclusively-for-iTunes-Store-Customers/|title=Apple &amp;amp; U2 Release “Songs of Innocence” Exclusively for iTunes Store Customers|date=2014-09-09|work=Apple Newsroom|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250405230217/https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2014/09/09Apple-U2-Release-Songs-of-Innocence-Exclusively-for-iTunes-Store-Customers/|archive-date=2025-04-05|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Many users who didn&#039;t want the album couldn&#039;t remove it from their iTunes library due to the album being listed as a &amp;quot;past purchase&amp;quot; on their account (however the album could always be &amp;quot;hidden&amp;quot;).&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/2014/09/apples-devious-u2-album-giveaway-even-worse-spam/|title=Apple&#039;s Devious U2 Album Giveaway Is Even Worse Than Spam|date=2014-09-16|first=Vijith|last=Assar|work=WIRED|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250530112829/https://www.wired.com/2014/09/apples-devious-u2-album-giveaway-even-worse-spam/|archive-date=2025-05-30|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Some reports speculated the deal was worth 100 million dollars and was done due to the band&#039;s declining popularity.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2014/09/15/348612823/apples-u2-album-promotion-backfires|title=Apple&#039;s U2 Album Promotion Backfires|first=Nathan|last=Rott|date=2014-09-15|work=NPR|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250601154245/https://www.npr.org/2014/09/15/348612823/apples-u2-album-promotion-backfires|archive-date=2025-06-01|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In 2022, Bono, a member of U2, wrote in his memoir how Tim Cook reportedly said how &amp;quot;there’s something not right about giving [U2&#039;s] art away for free&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;the whole point of what we’re trying to do at Apple is to not give away music free. The point is to make sure musicians get paid&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://fortune.com/2022/10/24/tim-cook-said-free-u2-album-itunes-was-not-right/|title=Apple CEO Tim Cook thought U2 putting its album on your iPhone was ‘not right’—even though he did it anyway|first=Tristan|last=Bove|date=2022-10-24|work=Fortune|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127191141/https://fortune.com/2022/10/24/tim-cook-said-free-u2-album-itunes-was-not-right/|archive-date=2025-01-27|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In 2025, Apple added a promotional offer for F1 The Movie in their Wallet application.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=F1 The Movie - News |url=https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/f1/news/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/pQCP7 |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=Apple TV+ Press}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Users have mentioned how this could violate Apple&#039;s own policy on advertising, how the high price of Apple devices shouldn&#039;t justify first party ads, and the annoyance of seeing it.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |author=u/african-nightmare |date=2025-06-24 |title=Getting ads in Apple Wallet, how to disable? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/1ljfs7u/getting_ads_in_apple_wallet_how_to_disable/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/dNE2S |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-06-25 |work=Reddit}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; For users on the iOS 26 beta, there is an option to disable &amp;quot;Offers &amp;amp; Promotions&amp;quot;, with users on iOS 18 needing to disable notifications completely for the Wallet app.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/24/iphone-customers-upset-by-apple-wallet-ad-pushing-f1-movie/|title=iPhone customers upset by Apple Wallet ad pushing ‘F1’ movie|first=Sarah|last=Perez|date=2025-06-24|work=TechCrunch|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250624213223/https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/24/iphone-customers-upset-by-apple-wallet-ad-pushing-f1-movie/|archive-date=2025-06-24|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===AirDrop censorship (&#039;&#039;2022&#039;&#039;)===&lt;br /&gt;
As a result of the 2019 Hong Kong protests, Apple was pressured by the Chinese government to set a time limit for the AirDrop &amp;quot;everyone&amp;quot; option for iPhones due to its impact at scheduling protests against the government to avoid censorship.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/10/23450967/apple-airdrop-limited-china-goverment-protests|title=Apple limits AirDrop in China after its use in protests|first=Jess|last=Weatherbed|date=2022-11-10|work=The Verge|access-date=2025-08-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250723112204/https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/10/23450967/apple-airdrop-limited-china-goverment-protests|archive-date=2025-07-23|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In 2023, the setting was applied to all iPhones worldwide to &amp;quot;mitigate unwanted file sharing&amp;quot;, meaning users will need to set their airdrop setting manually every ten minutes instead of leaving it on permanently, leaving the only other options as &amp;quot;contacts only&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;receiving off&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://9to5mac.com/2025/03/17/apple-globally-censoring-this-iphone-communication-feature-deserves-renewed-scrutiny/|title=Apple globally censoring this iPhone communication feature deserves renewed scrutiny|first=Zac|last=Hall|date=2025-03-17|work=9To5Mac|access-date=2025-08-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250723142521/https://9to5mac.com/2025/03/17/apple-globally-censoring-this-iphone-communication-feature-deserves-renewed-scrutiny/|archive-date=2025-07-23|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===&amp;quot;Peanuts&amp;quot; TV Special Takeover===&lt;br /&gt;
In late October of 2020, Apple announced that it&#039;s Apple TV+ service had become the exclusive home of the library of classic &#039;&#039;Peanuts&#039;&#039; animated specials, including &#039;&#039;A Charlie Brown Christmas&#039;&#039;, &#039;&#039;It&#039;s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown&#039;&#039;, and &#039;&#039;A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving&#039;&#039;. For almost 50 years, these beloved specials were shown once a year on free over-the-air TV, but as of 2020, anybody who wishes to watch them is now required to own a device that offers the Apple TV+ service and an active Apple TV+ subscription.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{cite web |last=Adalian |first=Josef |date=2020-10-19 |title=Apple TV+ Says: Welcome, Great Pumpkin |url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/10/its-the-great-pumpkin-charlie-brown-streaming-apple-tv.html |url-status=archived |archive-url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/10/its-the-great-pumpkin-charlie-brown-streaming-apple-tv.html |archive-date=2020-10-19 |access-date=2025-11-05 |work=Vulture}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===2024 Antitrust Lawsuit===&lt;br /&gt;
In March 2024, the United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Apple claiming that the &amp;quot;closed garden&amp;quot; ecosystem Apple creates surrounding its iPhones stifles competition and innovation. The lawsuit alleges that Apple is directly forcing customers to purchase and use iPhones and their accessories and software in several ways:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Forcing mobile carriers including AT&amp;amp;T, Verizon, and T-Mobile to offer its best customer deals exclusively to those who purchase iPhones.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting the functionality of Super apps such as WeChat.&lt;br /&gt;
*Forcing in-app purchases through applications such as Fortnite to be made within the App Store and taking a part of the proceeds as commission pay.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting the use of third-party digital wallets and requiring users to exclusively use Apple Pay.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting how third-party message apps can interact with iMessage.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting their HomeKit home automation system and all compatible devices to work only on Apple&#039;s products and issuing cease &amp;amp; desist orders against emulators designed to make HomeKit compatible with third-party products.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting compatibility of third party smart watches.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Apple is expected to go to trial in early 2027.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{cite web |last=Liedtke |first=Michael |date=2025-06-30 |title=Judge allows antitrust lawsuit against Apple to proceed |url=https://apnews.com/article/apple-antitrust-case-justice-department-664c187d7d09d57460076c7aa2f0c0bf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/wip/2sRIS |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-07-14 |work=Associated Press}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===European Union USB-C Directive 2022/2380===&lt;br /&gt;
As part of Directive (EU) 2022/2380, the EU mandated that all smartphones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, and other portable electronic devices must utilize USB-C as a universal charging standard by the end of 2024, with laptops following by 2026. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2022-12-07 |title=Directive (EU) 2022/2380 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 November 2022 amending Directive 2014/53/EU on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of radio equipment (Text with EEA relevance) |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32022L2380 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/eYlnR |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-09-02 |website=EUR-Lex}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This regulatory measure directly addresses consumer frustration with incompatible chargers types and aims to significantly reduce electronic waste. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2024-12-28 |title=USB-C-Standard: Schluss mit dem Kabelwirrwarr |url=https://www.zdfheute.de/wirtschaft/ladekabel-usb-c-standard-apple-entsorgung-elektroschrott-100.html |access-date=2025-09-02 |website=zdfheute}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The legislation allows manufacturers to unbundle chargers from devices, potentially saving consumers money, and ensures charging speed harmonization across compatible devices. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
While Apple initially opposed the standardization, arguing that it would &amp;quot;stifle innovation rather than encourage it,&amp;quot; the company ultimately conceded defeat, with Apple&#039;s head of marketing stating &amp;quot;we have no choice&amp;quot; regarding compliance. &amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===European Digital Markets Act.===&lt;br /&gt;
This law forced many companies including Apple to change the way they operate to create a fairer competition. Read more about this law [[Digital Markets Act|here]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Changes Apple introduced iOS and iPadOS to comply with this law:====&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Introduced the ability to install applications from alternative marketplaces&lt;br /&gt;
*asks which browser and search engine should be the default one&lt;br /&gt;
*Developers now are allowed to publish in the EU browsers that do not use webkit&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Controversies:====&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Apple removed iPhone torrenting app iTorrent from alternative marketplace AltStore PAL, developer said that the access was revoked &amp;quot;without any warning&amp;quot;. In a statement to The Verge, Apple spokesperson Peter Ajemian said, “Notarization for this app was removed in order to comply with government sanctions-related rules in various jurisdictions. We have communicated this to the developer.”&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite news |last=Weatherbed |first=Jess |date=August 28, 2025 |title=Apple pulls iPhone torrent app from AltStore PAL in Europe |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/767344/apple-removes-itorrent-altstore-pal-ios-marketplace |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250903102041/https://www.theverge.com/news/767344/apple-removes-itorrent-altstore-pal-ios-marketplace |archive-date=September 3, 2025 |work=The Verge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Elon Musk Lawsuit===&lt;br /&gt;
In August of 2025, businessman Elon Musk accused Apple of engaging in anti-competitive practices by only allowing their AI program OpenAI to reach the top of the sales chart on Apple App Store. He announced his plan to sue Apple for this practice.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{cite web |last=Durden |first=Tyler |date=2025-08-12 |title=Musk Accuses Apple Of &amp;quot;Unequivocal Antitrust Violation&amp;quot; For Favoring OpenAI In App Store Rankings |url=https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/musk-accuses-apple-unequivocal-antitrust-violation-favoring-openai-app-store-rankings |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/G7191 |archive-date=2025-09-20 |access-date=2025-08-14 |work=ZeroHedge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;gallery&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
File:Apple Wallet F1 sponsored ad (1).jpg|Notification of the offer&lt;br /&gt;
File:Apple Wallet F1 sponsored ad (2).jpg|Home screen of Wallet app&lt;br /&gt;
File:Apple Wallet F1 sponsored ad (3).jpg|Apple Cash card screen&lt;br /&gt;
File:Apple Wallet F1 sponsored ad (4).PNG|Screen when selecting &amp;quot;learn more&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/gallery&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Greenwashing&amp;lt;!-- This section needs more work and more sources. It might also make sense to move it to a page of its own --&amp;gt;===&lt;br /&gt;
Apple claims to be environmentally friendly and invests significant amounts of funds in corresponding PR campaigns,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Environment {{!}} Mother Nature |url=https://www.apple.com/environment/mother-nature/ |access-date=2025-09-15 |website=Apple}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &amp;lt;!-- The source&#039;s title is &amp;quot;Environment | Mother Nature&amp;quot;, but currently the browser title is &amp;quot;Environment&amp;quot; &amp;amp; article title is &amp;quot;Apple 2030 - We’ve reduced our emissions by over 60%&amp;quot;. Is this supposed to be another URL or them changing the page? Hmm...  --&amp;gt; but the reality is not quite as green.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Customers are lead to think that their purchases and frequent replacement of their devices do not have a negative impact on the environment, which is not the case.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In autumn of 2025, stricter EU regulations on misleading marketing claims and a lawsuite by German environmental and consumer protection non-profit organization &#039;&#039;Deutsche Umwelthilfe&#039;&#039; have forced Apple to remove their claim of carbon neutrality on several products on their EU websites. Affected products include the Apple Watch 3 and Apple Watch Series 11.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Schwan |first=Ben |date=2025-11-26 |title=Wegen EU-Regeln: Apple zieht Klimaneutralitäts-Claim zurück [Due to EU regulations: Apple retracts claim of climate neutrality] |url=https://www.heise.de/news/Wegen-EU-Regeln-Apple-zieht-Klimaneutralitaets-Claim-zurueck-10711532.html |access-date=2025-11-26 |website=Heise Online}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Green energy pooling====&lt;br /&gt;
Apple shares manufacturing capacity at Chinese/Taiwanese companies FoxConn and Pegatron with other companies. If Apple uses a hypothetical 20% of their manufacturing capacity, and company B, C,  D, and E also each take up 20%, and the company doing the manufacturing runs on 20% renewably generated energy, now Apple as well as companies B, C, D, and E will each publicly claim that their manufacturing runs 100% on renewable energy. In other words, each company will claim the 20% renewable energy was used for &#039;&#039;their&#039;&#039; production.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite journal |last=Gieselmann |first=Hartmut |date=2023 |title=Von wegen CO2-neutral – Umweltexperten werfen Apple Greenwashing vor |url=https://www.heise.de/select/ct/2023/23/2326512021124424489 |journal=c&#039;t Magazin für Computertechnik [Germany] |volume=2023 |issue=23 |pages=49}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====CO&amp;lt;small&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; Certificates and forest projects====&lt;br /&gt;
…&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====The packaging trick====&lt;br /&gt;
Apple, like many companies, regularly emphasises how environmentally friendly their packaging is and highlight advancements in this area.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Apple 2030 – We’ve reduced our emissions by over 60% |url=https://www.apple.com/environment/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/Cor7F |archive-date=2025-09-10 |access-date=2025-09-15 |website=Apple}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This deliberately distracts from the fact that only a negligible fraction of the environmental footprint of an electronic device comes from the packaging, as it is made of siginificant amounts or rare earth minerals, metals and mined components and consuming vast amounts of energy, water and fuel in manufacturing and transport.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Some of the environmental advancements touted by Apple could also be argued to be environmentally beneficial side effects of purely economic decisions aimed at maximizing profit, such as shipping iPhones without chargers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Dragan |first=Lauren |date=2023-09-12 |title=iPhones No Longer Come With a Charger or Headphones. Here’s What to Get If You Need Them. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/iphone-12-charger-headphones-options/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/p33vb |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=The New York Times}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Shredding vast amounts of fully functional devices====&lt;br /&gt;
In 2020, it came to light that Apple had filed a lawsuit against a recycling company, revealing that 100,000 iPhones had been illegitimately shipped to China to be sold there instead of being shredded as had been agreed with Apple.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Lovejoy |first=Ben |date=2024-04-24 |title=100,000 iPhones stolen instead of scrapped; Apple accused of shredding usable devices |url=https://9to5mac.com/2024/04/18/100000-iphones-stolen-instead-of-scrapped/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/oLvMZ |archive-date=2024-08-28 |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=9to5mac}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Carrique |first=Felicitas |date=2020-10-04 |title=Apple sues recycling partner for reselling more than 100,000 iPhones, iPads, and Watches it was hired to dismantle |url=https://www.theverge.com/apple/2020/10/4/21499422/apple-sues-recycling-company-reselling-ipods-ipads-watches |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/YRqdf |archive-date=2020-10-04 |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=The Verge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
These devices were likely trade-in devices from people who received a discount on a new model in exchange. Bloomberg News writes, referring to the contract with the recycler:&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Carr |first=Austin |date=2024-04-18 |title=What Really Happens When You Trade In an iPhone at the Apple Store |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-04-18/apple-iphone-recycling-program-has-secrets |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/bfc3Y |archive-date=2024-08-05 |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=Bloomberg}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;Even if the iPhones looked good enough for resale, Apple Inc.’s contract with GEEP (said with a hard “g”) explicitly required that every product it sent be destroyed.&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;Used iPhone that are sold on the used market are a direct competition to new sales by Apple.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Apple likely does not want the public to know about these processes, since security seems to be tight around the shredding process:&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;In some cases, Apple hired outside security consultants to escort trucks to its recyclers and monitor the destruction process, which the tech giant could further analyze through data reports charting scrap weights and commodity yields to ensure the input matched the output.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Carr |first=Austin |date=2025-03-17 |title=Apple Drops Lawsuit Against Recycler in Mystery of Missing iPhones |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-03-17/apple-drops-lawsuit-against-recycler-in-mystery-of-missing-iphones |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.ph/2LdNE |archive-date=2025-05-17 |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=Bloomberg News}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;Apple later retreated the lawsuit,&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot; /&amp;gt; leading to speculation that it wanted to avoid having to disclose how many devices they are really having shredded. &amp;lt;!-- uh-oh, you can&#039;t accuse them like that on a wiki page!!1 (Wiki English: please rewrite according to Editorial Guidelines) --&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====iPhone recycling robot mostly a publicity stunt====&lt;br /&gt;
The first iteration of Apple&#039;s iPhone recycling robot, designed for the iPhone 6, was never more than a publicity stunt, according to an article by Bloomberg:&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;Liam’s precision automation, however, proved a dead end. It could handle just one iPhone model, and not that well. If a device had corroded screws or sticky insides, the robot would glitch. A person familiar with the project estimates Liam could run for about 10 minutes without human intervention. Another person says Apple at times fed the robot still-functioning iPhones and, for media demos, cherry-picked cleaner units so it didn’t crash, suggesting Liam was geared more for promotion than scalability.&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;The same article cites industry insider claiming that the new iteration of the robot is only able to recycle as many devices in a year as Apple sells in just 48 hours.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Thus it is safe to assume that the vast majority of trade-in devices are simply shredded.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Products==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[ICloud]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[:Category:Apple IPhones|IPhones]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Software==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Apple App Store]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Apple Gatekeeper]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Xcode]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Placeholder box|Link to relevant theme articles or companies with similar incidents.}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References== &lt;br /&gt;
{{Reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Apple]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Apple&amp;diff=31108</id>
		<title>Apple</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Apple&amp;diff=31108"/>
		<updated>2025-11-27T07:12:14Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: Citation&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{CompanyCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|Founded=1976&lt;br /&gt;
|Industry=Electronics&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=Apple_logo_black.png&lt;br /&gt;
|ParentCompany=&lt;br /&gt;
|Type=Public&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://apple.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Wplink|Apple Inc.|&#039;&#039;&#039;Apple&#039;&#039;&#039;}} is an American technology company that was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Apple&#039;s current product lineup includes hardware such as the [[:Category:Apple IPhones|iPhone]], iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Apple Vision Pro, AirPods, and Apple TV; operating systems such as iOS, iPadOS, visionOS, and macOS; and various software and services including Apple Pay, iCloud, Apple Arcade, and multimedia streaming services like Apple Music and [[Apple TV+]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;!-- Insert consumer protection summary here. --&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Repairability of Apple products in the 2000s===&lt;br /&gt;
Since the 2000s, Apple has focused on reducing the weight of its products as technology has advanced and become increasingly complex. This shift has contributed to challenges in repairing and upgrading their devices.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Hardware design issues in the 2010s===&lt;br /&gt;
Apple had numerous hardware design issues in the 2010s, often poorly acknowledged by the company and frequently charging exorbitant amounts for repair. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*High-cost GPU failures on early 2010&#039;s MacBooks&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2014-10-28 |title=Apple faces class-action lawsuit over 2011 MacBook Pro GPU issues |url=https://9to5mac.com/2014/10/28/apple-class-action-lawsuit-2011-macbook-pro-gpu-graphics-issues/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/dOfPg |archive-date=2025-06-06 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=9to5mac}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*the 2016-&#039;17 MacBook Pro&#039;s screen cable skimping scandal&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Porter |first=Jon |date=2019-05-05 |title=Apple quietly addressed ‘Flexgate’ issue with MacBook Pro redesign |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/5/18251264/macbook-pro-2018-flexgate-fix-display-cable-2mm-longer |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/fbtWU |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=The Verge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*2016-2019 MacBooks butterfly keyboards&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Bohn |first=Dieter |date=2020-05-04 |title=The saga of Apple’s bad butterfly MacBook keyboards is finally over |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/4/21246223/macbook-keyboard-butterfly-magic-pro-apple-design |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/D8U0I |archive-date=2021-10-08 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=The Verge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro&#039;s SSD failures&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=digilloyd |date=2020-04-03 |title=2019 MacBook Pro Seems to Have a High Failure Rate |url=https://macperformanceguide.com/blog/2020/20200403_1024-MacBookPro2019-repairs.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/9a3yL |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=Mac Performance Guide}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*The announcement and cancellation of Apple AirPower&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Apple cancels AirPower product, citing inability to meet its high standards for hardware |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/29/apple-cancels-airpower-product-citing-inability-to-meet-its-high-standards-for-hardware/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401040644/https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/29/apple-cancels-airpower-product-citing-inability-to-meet-its-high-standards-for-hardware/ |archive-date=2019-04-01 |website=TechCrunch}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Clover |first=Juli |date=2018-09-12 |title=After No Sign of AirPower at Today&#039;s Event Apple Wipes Most Mentions From Website |url=https://www.macrumors.com/2018/09/12/no-sign-of-airpower-at-september-event/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124170507/https://www.macrumors.com/2018/09/12/no-sign-of-airpower-at-september-event/ |archive-date=2021-11-24 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=MacRumors}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; due to overheating{{CitationNeeded|reason=no archived article mentioning overheating specifically}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Recent attempts to do better====&lt;br /&gt;
Recently, Apple has made efforts to improve its products, though some observers feel that its pro-consumer practices still do not match those of certain other manufacturers. This shift is thought by some to be influenced by evolving legislation.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Hern |first=Alex |date=2022-10-26 |title=Apple to put USB-C connectors in iPhones to comply with EU rules |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/26/iphone-usb-c-lightning-connectors-apple-eu-rules |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/3qwt5 |archive-date=2022-10-31 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=The Guardian}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &amp;lt;!-- Maybe more citations here? &amp;quot;Some&amp;quot; is plural --&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This includes:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Opening an online [[Apple Self Service Repair|Self Service Repair]] parts store.&lt;br /&gt;
*Making the back glass of iPhones removable starting from iPhone 14.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Wiens |first=Kyle |date=2022-09-16 |title=Inside Apple’s Secret iPhone 14 Redesign |url=https://www.ifixit.com/News/64865/iphone-14-teardown |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/ggFoJ |archive-date=2022-09-20 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=iFixIt}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*Allowing alternative app stores in an update to iOS 17, in compliance with new EU legislation.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Installing apps through alternative app distribution in the European Union |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/117767 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/lEKMA |archive-date=2024-10-03 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=support.apple.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*Calibration tools for newly installed used parts in iOS 18,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Use Repair Assistant to finish an iPhone or iPad repair |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/120579 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/uI8Qc |archive-date=2024-09-20 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=support.apple.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; which sometimes work.{{CitationNeeded}}&lt;br /&gt;
*An upgradeable, swappable SSD in the 2024 Mac Mini - albeit you cannot swap these units between M4 and M4 Pro units due to the internal casing&#039;s design being different without much good reason.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Sorrel |first=Charlie |date=2024-11-12 |title=All Hail the Return of Upgradeable Storage! Mac mini 2024 Teardown |url=https://www.ifixit.com/News/104302/all-hail-the-return-of-upgradeable-storage-mac-mini-2024-teardown |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/r8hpm |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=iFixit}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*A battery removable with just a 9V battery in the 2024 iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=iPhone 16 Plus Battery |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/120671 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/trT1j |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=support.apple.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
Many of these items have sparked allegations of [[Malicious Compliance]] and being introduced purely to make stricter right for repair legislation appear unnecessary to legislators while not doing much to improve the situation for consumers. &amp;lt;!-- woah there with the accusatory tone --&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
For instance, pricing for parts on the [[Apple Self Service Repair|Self Service Repair]] store is virtually identical to having the part replaced by Apple themselves (including both the price of the part and labor), alternate app installation options are limited to users in the EU, still require developers to be registered with Apple, have them approve the apps and in many cases paying them fees, and the upgradeable SSDs do not use common standards such as M.2 NVME. Unlike standard SSDs, they are also not always swappable between different models and require access to a second Apple computer to provision after installation.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Operating system downgrades===&lt;br /&gt;
It is not possible to upgrade or downgrade an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, etc. to an Operating System (OS) version that is no longer signed by Apple. In most cases, only the most recent version is signed. Some exceptions exist, such as certain Apple TV models and Apple Silicon Macs. Downgrading the Apple TV 4K series is not possible at all due to the lack of a USB port. On Macs with T2 chip or Apple Silicon, the user can select from three modes of secure boot:&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=About Startup Security Utility on a Mac with the Apple T2 Security Chip |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/102522 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250607083624/https://support.apple.com/en-us/102522 |archive-date=7 Jun 2025 |access-date=22 Jun 2025 |website=Apple}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*No security: Allow any OS to run (same as turning off secure boot on a PC).&lt;br /&gt;
*Medium security: Allow any OS that is signed with a secure boot certificate (default, same as turning on secure boot on a PC).&lt;br /&gt;
*Full security: Only allow the latest version of macOS, do not allow any other OS.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
iOS devices only support full security mode. The device checks for a cryptographic &amp;quot;ticket,&amp;quot;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2024-11-20 |title=APTicket |url=https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/APTicket |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/jTHEl |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=theapplewiki.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; which are tied to the OS version and CPU serial number. These are provided by a server, which only provides them for the latest version (with very specific exceptions). The device refuses to boot if the ticket does not match. Workarounds exist, but with major caveats that are not viable for most users,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2021-09-27 |title=Firmware rendering |url=https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/Firmware_downgrading |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/wip/uT2aI |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=theapplewiki.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; see the technical details on [[wikipedia:SHSH_blob|SHSH blobs]]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Class action lawsuit===&lt;br /&gt;
Apple was the defendant of a class-action lawsuit with claims dating back to 2017 where users noticed their phones were being artificially slowed down. Apple agreed to settle the lawsuit for up to $500 million USD.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Gael |date=9 Jan 2024 |title=Apple Starts Sending Out iPhone &#039;Batterygate&#039; Settlement Payments. What to Know |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-starts-sending-out-iphone-batterygate-settlement-payments-what-to-know/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250321051703/https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-starts-sending-out-iphone-batterygate-settlement-payments-what-to-know/ |archive-date=21 Mar 2025 |access-date=22 Jun 2025 |website=CNET}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Apple claimed that this change was to benefit users who have old failing batteries, and that it wasn&#039;t for planned obsolescence.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;https://www.cbsnews.com/news/apple-iphone-payment-500-million-settlement-what-to-know/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; They later published software updates and an article explaining how users can opt out of this new &amp;quot;performance management&amp;quot; mode.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=iPhone battery and performance |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/101575 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250618231138/https://support.apple.com/en-us/101575 |archive-date=18 Jun 2025 |access-date=22 Jun 2025 |website=Apple}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Once a new OS version is installed, there is no opportunity to go back. This also restricts the user&#039;s choice to {{Wplink|iOS jailbreaking|jailbreak}} the device, as the latest version naturally has patches for the latest jailbreak exploits. App developers also require access to earlier iOS versions to test that their app works correctly. The alternative, Xcode&#039;s iOS Simulator, is not a complete replacement for real hardware, as it does not have all features of a physical device.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Vajpai |first=Shreeti |date=24 Jun 2024 |title=iOS Emulators / Simulators vs Real iOS Devices |url=https://contextqa.com/test-on-ios-emulators-simulators/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250519081214/https://contextqa.com/test-on-ios-emulators-simulators/ |archive-date=19 May 2025 |access-date=22 Jun 2025 |website=ContextQA}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Instead, app developers are forced to purchase several test devices, and remember to &#039;&#039;never&#039;&#039; allow them to update.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Parts availability===&lt;br /&gt;
Many parts are not available directly from Apple. Those that are available directly from Apple may be more expensive than paying Apple to repair your device. Parts available to certified repair centers are extremely limited. Apple does not stock current generation iPad parts within GSX (See Certified Repair Centers). A limited selection of iPad parts are available from iFixit, however this can exclude some flex PCBs necessary for repairing headphone jacks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If an Apple iPhone has GPS calibration issues and or {{Wplink|Bluetooth}} connectivity issues, Apple will do their own diagnostics. You explain to the Apple employee how and when the issues occur and you explain in detail your methods to reproduce the issues. The issues occur when your phone is in your pocket while using navigation and when you hold your phone upside down while using your Apple Beats wireless headphones. After Apple runs their diagnostics and they are not able to detect the issues, they will move onto the next step which is fully resetting your device. This is considered a standard troubleshooting procedure. When you ask the Apple store manager if they would be willing to exchange your device for a similar model if they cannot fix your device they respond with &amp;quot;No, because these phones are designed to be fixed&amp;quot;. After the software reset fail, Apple will require you to leave your phone with them so they can send it to their offsite repair facility for further diagnostics. After a few days, Apple will come to the conclusion that your phone requires an entire new midsection. When asked what was replaced, Apple will inform you that the entire inside has been replaced — essentially giving you a new phone (with a new IMEI, EID, etc.) apart from the casing and screen.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Diagnostic software availability===&lt;br /&gt;
Calibration software for some Apple devices has only recently become available to end users. End user calibration tools have only become accessible in iOS 18. Similar calibration tools have been available to Certified Repair Centers, but are generally limited as many parts are serialized, i.e. lid sensors on Mac Books.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Certified repair centers===&lt;br /&gt;
Certified Repair Centers have some limited access to Apple&#039;s proprietary backend (GSX2). GSX contains many tools necessary to repair devices such as diagnostic tools, calibration tools, parts catalog, and device repair history. GSX is only accessible to repair centers Apple deems certified. GSX does not stock parts for iPads. It does not allow the calibration of parts such as lid sensors for a device, if that device does not have an open repair and purchased parts. The new iOS 18 calibration tool is very similar to Apple&#039;s ASU (GSX&#039;s diagnostic/calibration tool). Some videos of GSX can be found online. See: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy8bS1AgxcY GSX - How to Gain GSX Apple Access - iOSGenius]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Advertisements in first party apps===&lt;br /&gt;
In 2014, Apple and the band U2 partnered to give all iTunes users a free digital copy of their newest album at the time, &#039;&#039;Songs of Innocence&#039;&#039;, which was marketed as &amp;quot;the biggest album release ever in history&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2014/09/09Apple-U2-Release-Songs-of-Innocence-Exclusively-for-iTunes-Store-Customers/|title=Apple &amp;amp; U2 Release “Songs of Innocence” Exclusively for iTunes Store Customers|date=2014-09-09|work=Apple Newsroom|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250405230217/https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2014/09/09Apple-U2-Release-Songs-of-Innocence-Exclusively-for-iTunes-Store-Customers/|archive-date=2025-04-05|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Many users who didn&#039;t want the album couldn&#039;t remove it from their iTunes library due to the album being listed as a &amp;quot;past purchase&amp;quot; on their account (however the album could always be &amp;quot;hidden&amp;quot;).&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/2014/09/apples-devious-u2-album-giveaway-even-worse-spam/|title=Apple&#039;s Devious U2 Album Giveaway Is Even Worse Than Spam|date=2014-09-16|first=Vijith|last=Assar|work=WIRED|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250530112829/https://www.wired.com/2014/09/apples-devious-u2-album-giveaway-even-worse-spam/|archive-date=2025-05-30|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Some reports speculated the deal was worth 100 million dollars and was done due to the band&#039;s declining popularity.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2014/09/15/348612823/apples-u2-album-promotion-backfires|title=Apple&#039;s U2 Album Promotion Backfires|first=Nathan|last=Rott|date=2014-09-15|work=NPR|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250601154245/https://www.npr.org/2014/09/15/348612823/apples-u2-album-promotion-backfires|archive-date=2025-06-01|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In 2022, Bono, a member of U2, wrote in his memoir how Tim Cook reportedly said how &amp;quot;there’s something not right about giving [U2&#039;s] art away for free&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;the whole point of what we’re trying to do at Apple is to not give away music free. The point is to make sure musicians get paid&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://fortune.com/2022/10/24/tim-cook-said-free-u2-album-itunes-was-not-right/|title=Apple CEO Tim Cook thought U2 putting its album on your iPhone was ‘not right’—even though he did it anyway|first=Tristan|last=Bove|date=2022-10-24|work=Fortune|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127191141/https://fortune.com/2022/10/24/tim-cook-said-free-u2-album-itunes-was-not-right/|archive-date=2025-01-27|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In 2025, Apple added a promotional offer for F1 The Movie in their Wallet application.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=F1 The Movie - News |url=https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/f1/news/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/pQCP7 |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=Apple TV+ Press}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Users have mentioned how this could violate Apple&#039;s own policy on advertising, how the high price of Apple devices shouldn&#039;t justify first party ads, and the annoyance of seeing it.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |author=u/african-nightmare |date=2025-06-24 |title=Getting ads in Apple Wallet, how to disable? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/1ljfs7u/getting_ads_in_apple_wallet_how_to_disable/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/dNE2S |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-06-25 |work=Reddit}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; For users on the iOS 26 beta, there is an option to disable &amp;quot;Offers &amp;amp; Promotions&amp;quot;, with users on iOS 18 needing to disable notifications completely for the Wallet app.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/24/iphone-customers-upset-by-apple-wallet-ad-pushing-f1-movie/|title=iPhone customers upset by Apple Wallet ad pushing ‘F1’ movie|first=Sarah|last=Perez|date=2025-06-24|work=TechCrunch|access-date=2025-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250624213223/https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/24/iphone-customers-upset-by-apple-wallet-ad-pushing-f1-movie/|archive-date=2025-06-24|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===AirDrop censorship (&#039;&#039;2022&#039;&#039;)===&lt;br /&gt;
As a result of the 2019 Hong Kong protests, Apple was pressured by the Chinese government to set a time limit for the AirDrop &amp;quot;everyone&amp;quot; option for iPhones due to its impact at scheduling protests against the government to avoid censorship.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/10/23450967/apple-airdrop-limited-china-goverment-protests|title=Apple limits AirDrop in China after its use in protests|first=Jess|last=Weatherbed|date=2022-11-10|work=The Verge|access-date=2025-08-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250723112204/https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/10/23450967/apple-airdrop-limited-china-goverment-protests|archive-date=2025-07-23|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In 2023, the setting was applied to all iPhones worldwide to &amp;quot;mitigate unwanted file sharing&amp;quot;, meaning users will need to set their airdrop setting manually every ten minutes instead of leaving it on permanently, leaving the only other options as &amp;quot;contacts only&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;receiving off&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web|url=https://9to5mac.com/2025/03/17/apple-globally-censoring-this-iphone-communication-feature-deserves-renewed-scrutiny/|title=Apple globally censoring this iPhone communication feature deserves renewed scrutiny|first=Zac|last=Hall|date=2025-03-17|work=9To5Mac|access-date=2025-08-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250723142521/https://9to5mac.com/2025/03/17/apple-globally-censoring-this-iphone-communication-feature-deserves-renewed-scrutiny/|archive-date=2025-07-23|url-status=live}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===&amp;quot;Peanuts&amp;quot; TV Special Takeover===&lt;br /&gt;
In late October of 2020, Apple announced that it&#039;s Apple TV+ service had become the exclusive home of the library of classic &#039;&#039;Peanuts&#039;&#039; animated specials, including &#039;&#039;A Charlie Brown Christmas&#039;&#039;, &#039;&#039;It&#039;s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown&#039;&#039;, and &#039;&#039;A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving&#039;&#039;. For almost 50 years, these beloved specials were shown once a year on free over-the-air TV, but as of 2020, anybody who wishes to watch them is now required to own a device that offers the Apple TV+ service and an active Apple TV+ subscription.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{cite web |last=Adalian |first=Josef |date=2020-10-19 |title=Apple TV+ Says: Welcome, Great Pumpkin |url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/10/its-the-great-pumpkin-charlie-brown-streaming-apple-tv.html |url-status=archived |archive-url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/10/its-the-great-pumpkin-charlie-brown-streaming-apple-tv.html |archive-date=2020-10-19 |access-date=2025-11-05 |work=Vulture}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===2024 Antitrust Lawsuit===&lt;br /&gt;
In March 2024, the United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Apple claiming that the &amp;quot;closed garden&amp;quot; ecosystem Apple creates surrounding its iPhones stifles competition and innovation. The lawsuit alleges that Apple is directly forcing customers to purchase and use iPhones and their accessories and software in several ways:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Forcing mobile carriers including AT&amp;amp;T, Verizon, and T-Mobile to offer its best customer deals exclusively to those who purchase iPhones.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting the functionality of Super apps such as WeChat.&lt;br /&gt;
*Forcing in-app purchases through applications such as Fortnite to be made within the App Store and taking a part of the proceeds as commission pay.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting the use of third-party digital wallets and requiring users to exclusively use Apple Pay.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting how third-party message apps can interact with iMessage.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting their HomeKit home automation system and all compatible devices to work only on Apple&#039;s products and issuing cease &amp;amp; desist orders against emulators designed to make HomeKit compatible with third-party products.&lt;br /&gt;
*Restricting compatibility of third party smart watches.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Apple is expected to go to trial in early 2027.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{cite web |last=Liedtke |first=Michael |date=2025-06-30 |title=Judge allows antitrust lawsuit against Apple to proceed |url=https://apnews.com/article/apple-antitrust-case-justice-department-664c187d7d09d57460076c7aa2f0c0bf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/wip/2sRIS |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-07-14 |work=Associated Press}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===European Union USB-C Directive 2022/2380===&lt;br /&gt;
As part of Directive (EU) 2022/2380, the EU mandated that all smartphones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, and other portable electronic devices must utilize USB-C as a universal charging standard by the end of 2024, with laptops following by 2026. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2022-12-07 |title=Directive (EU) 2022/2380 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 November 2022 amending Directive 2014/53/EU on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of radio equipment (Text with EEA relevance) |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32022L2380 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/eYlnR |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-09-02 |website=EUR-Lex}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This regulatory measure directly addresses consumer frustration with incompatible chargers types and aims to significantly reduce electronic waste. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2024-12-28 |title=USB-C-Standard: Schluss mit dem Kabelwirrwarr |url=https://www.zdfheute.de/wirtschaft/ladekabel-usb-c-standard-apple-entsorgung-elektroschrott-100.html |access-date=2025-09-02 |website=zdfheute}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; The legislation allows manufacturers to unbundle chargers from devices, potentially saving consumers money, and ensures charging speed harmonization across compatible devices. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
While Apple initially opposed the standardization, arguing that it would &amp;quot;stifle innovation rather than encourage it,&amp;quot; the company ultimately conceded defeat, with Apple&#039;s head of marketing stating &amp;quot;we have no choice&amp;quot; regarding compliance. &amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===European Digital Markets Act.===&lt;br /&gt;
This law forced many companies including Apple to change the way they operate to create a fairer competition. Read more about this law [[Digital Markets Act|here]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Changes Apple introduced iOS and iPadOS to comply with this law:====&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Introduced the ability to install applications from alternative marketplaces&lt;br /&gt;
*asks which browser and search engine should be the default one&lt;br /&gt;
*Developers now are allowed to publish in the EU browsers that do not use webkit&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Controversies:====&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*Apple removed iPhone torrenting app iTorrent from alternative marketplace AltStore PAL, developer said that the access was revoked &amp;quot;without any warning&amp;quot;. In a statement to The Verge, Apple spokesperson Peter Ajemian said, “Notarization for this app was removed in order to comply with government sanctions-related rules in various jurisdictions. We have communicated this to the developer.”&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite news |last=Weatherbed |first=Jess |date=August 28, 2025 |title=Apple pulls iPhone torrent app from AltStore PAL in Europe |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/767344/apple-removes-itorrent-altstore-pal-ios-marketplace |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250903102041/https://www.theverge.com/news/767344/apple-removes-itorrent-altstore-pal-ios-marketplace |archive-date=September 3, 2025 |work=The Verge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Elon Musk Lawsuit===&lt;br /&gt;
In August of 2025, businessman Elon Musk accused Apple of engaging in anti-competitive practices by only allowing their AI program OpenAI to reach the top of the sales chart on Apple App Store. He announced his plan to sue Apple for this practice.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{cite web |last=Durden |first=Tyler |date=2025-08-12 |title=Musk Accuses Apple Of &amp;quot;Unequivocal Antitrust Violation&amp;quot; For Favoring OpenAI In App Store Rankings |url=https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/musk-accuses-apple-unequivocal-antitrust-violation-favoring-openai-app-store-rankings |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/G7191 |archive-date=2025-09-20 |access-date=2025-08-14 |work=ZeroHedge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;gallery&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
File:Apple Wallet F1 sponsored ad (1).jpg|Notification of the offer&lt;br /&gt;
File:Apple Wallet F1 sponsored ad (2).jpg|Home screen of Wallet app&lt;br /&gt;
File:Apple Wallet F1 sponsored ad (3).jpg|Apple Cash card screen&lt;br /&gt;
File:Apple Wallet F1 sponsored ad (4).PNG|Screen when selecting &amp;quot;learn more&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/gallery&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Greenwashing&amp;lt;!-- This section needs more work and more sources. It might also make sense to move it to a page of its own --&amp;gt;===&lt;br /&gt;
Apple claims to be environmentally friendly and invests significant amounts of funds in corresponding PR campaigns,&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Environment {{!}} Mother Nature |url=https://www.apple.com/environment/mother-nature/ |access-date=2025-09-15 |website=Apple}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &amp;lt;!-- The source&#039;s title is &amp;quot;Environment | Mother Nature&amp;quot;, but currently the browser title is &amp;quot;Environment&amp;quot; &amp;amp; article title is &amp;quot;Apple 2030 - We’ve reduced our emissions by over 60%&amp;quot;. Is this supposed to be another URL or them changing the page? Hmm...  --&amp;gt; but the reality is not quite as green.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Customers are lead to think that their purchases and frequent replacement of their devices do not have a negative impact on the environment, which is not the case.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In autumn of 2025, stricter EU regulations on misleading marketing claims and a lawsuite by German environmental and consumer protection non-profit organization &#039;&#039;Deutsche Umwelthilfe&#039;&#039; have forced Apple to remove their claim of carbon neutrality on several products on their EU websites. Affected products include the Apple Watch 3 and Apple Watch Series 11.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Schwan |first=Ben |date=2025-11-26 |title=Wegen EU-Regeln: Apple zieht Klimaneutralitäts-Claim zurück [Due to EU regulations: Apple retracts claim of climate neutrality] |url=https://www.heise.de/news/Wegen-EU-Regeln-Apple-zieht-Klimaneutralitaets-Claim-zurueck-10711532.html |access-date=2025-11-26 |website=Heise Online}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Green energy pooling====&lt;br /&gt;
Apple shares manufacturing capacity at Chinese/Taiwanese companies FoxConn and Pegatron with other companies. If Apple uses a hypothetical 20% of their manufacturing capacity, and company B, C,  D, and E also each take up 20%, and the company doing the manufacturing runs on 20% renewably generated energy, now Apple as well as companies B, C, D, and E will each publicly claim that their manufacturing runs 100% on renewable energy. In other words, each company will claim the 20% renewable energy was used for &#039;&#039;their&#039;&#039; production.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite journal |last=Gieselmann |first=Hartmut |date=2023 |title=Von wegen CO2-neutral – Umweltexperten werfen Apple Greenwashing vor |url=https://www.heise.de/select/ct/2023/23/2326512021124424489 |journal=c&#039;t Magazin für Computertechnik [Germany] |volume=2023 |issue=23 |pages=49}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====CO&amp;lt;small&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/small&amp;gt; Certificates and forest projects====&lt;br /&gt;
…&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====The packaging trick====&lt;br /&gt;
Apple, like many companies, regularly emphasises how environmentally friendly their packaging is and highlight advancements in this area.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |title=Apple 2030 – We’ve reduced our emissions by over 60% |url=https://www.apple.com/environment/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/Cor7F |archive-date=2025-09-10 |access-date=2025-09-15 |website=Apple}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This deliberately distracts from the fact that only a negligible fraction of the environmental footprint of an electronic device comes from the packaging, as it is made of siginificant amounts or rare earth minerals, metals and mined components and consuming vast amounts of energy, water and fuel in manufacturing and transport.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Some of the environmental advancements touted by Apple could also be argued to be environmentally beneficial side effects of purely economic decisions aimed at maximizing profit, such as shipping iPhones without chargers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Dragan |first=Lauren |date=2023-09-12 |title=iPhones No Longer Come With a Charger or Headphones. Here’s What to Get If You Need Them. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/iphone-12-charger-headphones-options/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/p33vb |archive-date=2025-10-26 |access-date=2025-10-26 |website=The New York Times}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Shredding vast amounts of fully functional devices====&lt;br /&gt;
In 2020, it came to light that Apple had filed a lawsuit against a recycling company, revealing that 100,000 iPhones had been illegitimately shipped to China to be sold there instead of being shredded as had been agreed with Apple.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Lovejoy |first=Ben |date=2024-04-24 |title=100,000 iPhones stolen instead of scrapped; Apple accused of shredding usable devices |url=https://9to5mac.com/2024/04/18/100000-iphones-stolen-instead-of-scrapped/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/oLvMZ |archive-date=2024-08-28 |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=9to5mac}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Carrique |first=Felicitas |date=2020-10-04 |title=Apple sues recycling partner for reselling more than 100,000 iPhones, iPads, and Watches it was hired to dismantle |url=https://www.theverge.com/apple/2020/10/4/21499422/apple-sues-recycling-company-reselling-ipods-ipads-watches |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/YRqdf |archive-date=2020-10-04 |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=The Verge}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
These devices were likely trade-in devices from people who received a discount on a new model in exchange. Bloomberg News writes, referring to the contract with the recycler:&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Carr |first=Austin |date=2024-04-18 |title=What Really Happens When You Trade In an iPhone at the Apple Store |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-04-18/apple-iphone-recycling-program-has-secrets |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/bfc3Y |archive-date=2024-08-05 |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=Bloomberg}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;Even if the iPhones looked good enough for resale, Apple Inc.’s contract with GEEP (said with a hard “g”) explicitly required that every product it sent be destroyed.&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;Used iPhone that are sold on the used market are a direct competition to new sales by Apple.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Apple likely does not want the public to know about these processes, since security seems to be tight around the shredding process:&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;In some cases, Apple hired outside security consultants to escort trucks to its recyclers and monitor the destruction process, which the tech giant could further analyze through data reports charting scrap weights and commodity yields to ensure the input matched the output.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Carr |first=Austin |date=2025-03-17 |title=Apple Drops Lawsuit Against Recycler in Mystery of Missing iPhones |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-03-17/apple-drops-lawsuit-against-recycler-in-mystery-of-missing-iphones |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.ph/2LdNE |archive-date=2025-05-17 |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=Bloomberg News}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;Apple later retreated the lawsuit,&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot; /&amp;gt; leading to speculation that it wanted to avoid having to disclose how many devices they are really having shredded. &amp;lt;!-- uh-oh, you can&#039;t accuse them like that on a wiki page!!1 (Wiki English: please rewrite according to Editorial Guidelines) --&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====iPhone recycling robot mostly a publicity stunt====&lt;br /&gt;
The first iteration of Apple&#039;s iPhone recycling robot, designed for the iPhone 6, was never more than a publicity stunt, according to an article by Bloomberg:&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;Liam’s precision automation, however, proved a dead end. It could handle just one iPhone model, and not that well. If a device had corroded screws or sticky insides, the robot would glitch. A person familiar with the project estimates Liam could run for about 10 minutes without human intervention. Another person says Apple at times fed the robot still-functioning iPhones and, for media demos, cherry-picked cleaner units so it didn’t crash, suggesting Liam was geared more for promotion than scalability.&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;The same article cites industry insider claiming that the new iteration of the robot is only able to recycle as many devices in a year as Apple sells in just 48 hours.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Thus it is safe to assume that the vast majority of trade-in devices are simply shredded.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Products==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[ICloud]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[:Category:Apple IPhones|IPhones]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Software==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Apple App Store]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Apple Gatekeeper]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Xcode]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Placeholder box|Link to relevant theme articles or companies with similar incidents.}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References== &lt;br /&gt;
{{Reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Apple]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=31107</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=31107"/>
		<updated>2025-11-27T07:02:25Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: Citation&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Incomplete}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=25 September 2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Search Engine&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused search engine&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is an American software company focused on online privacy, and was founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;     &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo had removed/de-ranked certain content, raising concerns about the extent of its unrestricted search results.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo browser had specifically allowed Microsoft trackers to continue running, at the expense of user privacy.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through showing ads in the search results. The advertisements are only indicative of the keywords used in the search.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; This subscription sells DuckDuckGo VPN, Personal Information Removal, Identity Theft Restoration, and Advanced AI models.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Weinberg |first=Gabriel |date=4 Sep 2025 |title=The DuckDuckGo subscription now includes more advanced AI chat models, along with VPN &amp;amp; more |url=https://spreadprivacy.com/ai-subscription/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 Nov 2025 |website=spreadprivacy.com}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market control===&lt;br /&gt;
According to Statista, DuckDuckGo takes up around 2% of the U.S. search engine market. More prevalent search engines such as [[Google]], and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]], take up most of the search engine market.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused search engines DuckDuckGo is one of the most prevalent.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;https://www.cloudwards.net/search-engine-statistics/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy censorship (&#039;&#039;2022&#039;&#039;)===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo had removed the search results for numerous popular pirate websites, including The Pirate Bay, 1337x, and Fmovies. DuckDuckGo responded that it was not intentional and the source of the issues was with [[Bing]]&#039;s data. The search results for the mentioned website were restored by 19 April 2022.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Van der Sar |first=Ernesto |title=DuckDuckGo ‘Removes’ Pirate Sites and YouTube-DL from Its Search Results (Updated) |url=https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ |website=TorrentFreak |date=15 Apr 2022 |access-date=21 Nov 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220419151120/https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ |archive-date=19 Apr 2022}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Many websites that could be considered questionable remained unsearchable, however, raising concerns about smaller search engines&#039; reliance on data from Bing.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Van der Sar |first=Ernesto |title=DuckDuckGo ‘Restores’ Pirate Sites and Points to Bing as Culprit |url=https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-restores-pirate-sites-and-points-to-bing-220419/ |website=TorrentFreak |date=19 Apr 2022 |access-date=21 Nov 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220419102608/https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-restores-pirate-sites-and-points-to-bing-220419/ |archive-date=19 Apr 2022}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;amp;emsp;&#039;&#039;See also: [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Tracking block bias (&#039;&#039;2022&#039;&#039;)===&lt;br /&gt;
In May 2022, it was discovered that DuckDuckGo&#039;s privacy browser allowed Microsoft trackers on third-party websites due to a search syndication agreement with [[Microsoft]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Abrams |first=Lawrence |title=DuckDuckGo browser allows Microsoft trackers due to search agreement |url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/ |website=Bleeping Computer |date=24 May 2022 |access-date=21 Nov 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525123251/https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/ |archive-date=25 May 2022}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, this changed in August 2022 when DuckDuckGo&#039;s contract with Microsoft expired, and Microsoft&#039;s tracking was also blocked.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Weinberg |first=Gabriel |title=More Privacy and Transparency for DuckDuckGo Web Tracking Protections |url=https://spreadprivacy.com/more-privacy-and-transparency/ |website=Spread Privacy: The Official DuckDuckGo Blog |date=5 Aug 2022 |access-date=21 Nov 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805185059/https://spreadprivacy.com/more-privacy-and-transparency/ |archive-date=5 Aug 2022}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political censorship (&#039;&#039;2025&#039;&#039;)===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo&#039;s owner announced that the search engine would be de-ranking websites deemed to spread Russian misinformation.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Kan |first=Michael |title=DuckDuckGo to Down-Rank Sites Associated With Russian Disinformation |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation |website=PCMag |date=10 Mar 2022 |access-date=21 Nov 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310194537/https://uk.pcmag.com/software-services/139164/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation |archive-date=10 Mar 2022}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Bing]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Brave browser|Brave]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:DuckDuckGo]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=AirPods&amp;diff=31106</id>
		<title>AirPods</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=AirPods&amp;diff=31106"/>
		<updated>2025-11-27T06:50:25Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{StubNotice}}{{InfoboxProductLine&lt;br /&gt;
| Title = AirPods&lt;br /&gt;
| Release Year = 2016-12-13&lt;br /&gt;
| Product Type = Wireless earbuds&lt;br /&gt;
| In Production = Yes&lt;br /&gt;
| Official Website = https://apple.com/airpods&lt;br /&gt;
| Logo = AirPods logo.png&lt;br /&gt;
}}AirPods are wireless earbuds designed by [[Apple]]. They first debuted on September 07, 2016, alongside the iPhone 7, and were released on December 13, 2016.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=7 Sep 2016 |title=Apple reinvents the wireless headphone with AirPods |url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016/09/apple-reinvents-the-wireless-headphones-with-airpods/ |url-status=live |access-date=24 Nov 2025 |website=Apple}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
AirPods are designed in a way that makes them unrepairable, leading to customers having to buy a new pair after a few years of use. Apple can replace them, but won&#039;t repair them or help you do it yourself. According to an expert from iFixit:&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Dalvin |date=20 Apr 2023 |title=Apple Doesn’t Repair AirPods. Here’s Why. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omMPJEoZGJE |url-status=live |access-date=24 Nov 2025 |website=Youtube |publisher=Wall Street Journal}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;If you want to take this apart, non-destructively, to replace the batteries, as far as I know, that&#039;s impossible.&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;The rechargeable batteries in AirPods can see fast-tracked degradation at a certain number of battery cycles,&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot; /&amp;gt; with two-year-old sets lasting for less than half of the advertised five hours.{{Citation needed}} &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Up until September 22, 2023, Apple used their proprietary Lightning connector on the AirPods&#039; charging case.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Borresen |first=Jennifer |date=22 Sep 2023 |title=iPhone 15 pro uses USB-C charger: An exploration of how Apple got here |url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2023/09/22/iphone-15-pro-usb-c-charger-explained/70916655007/ |access-date=24 Nov 2025 |website=USA Today}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Apple has a program to service batteries and purchase replacement individual AirPods and charging cases. The replacement of one or both AirPods or the charging case has a lower price with AppleCare+ than without. Apple offers battery servicing for free with AppleCare+ and for a fee without.{{Citation needed}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Placeholder box|Overview of concerns that arise from the conduct towards users of products part of the product line.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Touch on relevant topics like:&lt;br /&gt;
* User Freedom&lt;br /&gt;
* User Privacy&lt;br /&gt;
* Business Model&lt;br /&gt;
* Market Control}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===User Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Airpods are not designed to be free as they are only feature-rich with other products in the apple ecosystem. With non-apple products they have limited functionality as basic wireless headphones due to the artificial restrictions that Apple has put in place.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;https://www.soundguys.com/dont-use-airpods-android-20767/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However there have been projects attempting to allow the more sophisticated usage of airpods with non-apple products such as librepods.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;https://github.com/cysgodi/librepods&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;https://www.macrumors.com/2025/11/21/librepods-unlocks-airpods-features-android/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product line. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
{{Placeholder box|Replace the placeholder text in the sections below with the incidents that affect this product line and a short summary. Also replace the link so it point to the right company article.}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Example incident one (&#039;&#039;date&#039;&#039;)===&lt;br /&gt;
{{Main|link to the main article}} {{Placeholder box|Short summary of the incident (could be the same as the summary preceding the article).}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Example incident two (&#039;&#039;date&#039;&#039;)===&lt;br /&gt;
...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Incidents affecting all of the company&#039;s products can be found in the company article: [[Company article]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Products==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*AirPods (1st generation) (December 13, 2016&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2 March 2025 |title=Every Apple AirPods Generation: A Full History of Release Dates - IGN |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/all-apple-airpods-release-dates-in-order |website=IGN}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;)&lt;br /&gt;
*AirPods (2nd generation) (March 20, 2019&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;)&lt;br /&gt;
*AirPods Pro (1st generation) (October 30, 2019&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;)&lt;br /&gt;
*AirPods Max  (December 15, 2020&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;)&lt;br /&gt;
*AirPods (3rd generation) (October 26, 2021&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;)&lt;br /&gt;
*AirPods Pro 2 (previously 2nd generation) (September 23, 2022&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;)&lt;br /&gt;
*AirPods 4/ANC (September 20, 2024&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;)&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Placeholder box|Link to relevant theme articles or product lines with similar incidents.}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Apple]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Airpods]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Apple]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Products]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=AirPods&amp;diff=31104</id>
		<title>AirPods</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=AirPods&amp;diff=31104"/>
		<updated>2025-11-27T06:43:40Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: /* Consumer impact summary */Added new section&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{StubNotice}}{{InfoboxProductLine&lt;br /&gt;
| Title = AirPods&lt;br /&gt;
| Release Year = 2016-12-13&lt;br /&gt;
| Product Type = Wireless earbuds&lt;br /&gt;
| In Production = Yes&lt;br /&gt;
| Official Website = https://apple.com/airpods&lt;br /&gt;
| Logo = AirPods logo.png&lt;br /&gt;
}}AirPods are wireless earbuds designed by [[Apple]]. They first debuted on September 07, 2016, alongside the iPhone 7, and were released on December 13, 2016.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=7 Sep 2016 |title=Apple reinvents the wireless headphone with AirPods |url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016/09/apple-reinvents-the-wireless-headphones-with-airpods/ |url-status=live |access-date=24 Nov 2025 |website=Apple}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
AirPods are designed in a way that makes them unrepairable, leading to customers having to buy a new pair after a few years of use. Apple can replace them, but won&#039;t repair them or help you do it yourself. According to an expert from iFixit:&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Dalvin |date=20 Apr 2023 |title=Apple Doesn’t Repair AirPods. Here’s Why. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omMPJEoZGJE |url-status=live |access-date=24 Nov 2025 |website=Youtube |publisher=Wall Street Journal}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;blockquote&amp;gt;If you want to take this apart, non-destructively, to replace the batteries, as far as I know, that&#039;s impossible.&amp;lt;/blockquote&amp;gt;The rechargeable batteries in AirPods can see fast-tracked degradation at a certain number of battery cycles,&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot; /&amp;gt; with two-year-old sets lasting for less than half of the advertised five hours.{{Citation needed}} &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Up until September 22, 2023, Apple used their proprietary Lightning connector on the AirPods&#039; charging case.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Borresen |first=Jennifer |date=22 Sep 2023 |title=iPhone 15 pro uses USB-C charger: An exploration of how Apple got here |url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2023/09/22/iphone-15-pro-usb-c-charger-explained/70916655007/ |access-date=24 Nov 2025 |website=USA Today}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Apple has a program to service batteries and purchase replacement individual AirPods and charging cases. The replacement of one or both AirPods or the charging case has a lower price with AppleCare+ than without. Apple offers battery servicing for free with AppleCare+ and for a fee without.{{Citation needed}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{Placeholder box|Overview of concerns that arise from the conduct towards users of products part of the product line.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Touch on relevant topics like:&lt;br /&gt;
* User Freedom&lt;br /&gt;
* User Privacy&lt;br /&gt;
* Business Model&lt;br /&gt;
* Market Control}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===User Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Airpods are not designed to be free as they are only feature-rich with other products in the apple ecosystem. With non-apple products they have limited functionality as basic wireless headphones due to the artificial restrictions that Apple has put in place. However there have been projects attempting to allow the more sophisticated usage of airpods with non-apple products such as librepods.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product line. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
{{Placeholder box|Replace the placeholder text in the sections below with the incidents that affect this product line and a short summary. Also replace the link so it point to the right company article.}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Example incident one (&#039;&#039;date&#039;&#039;)===&lt;br /&gt;
{{Main|link to the main article}} {{Placeholder box|Short summary of the incident (could be the same as the summary preceding the article).}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Example incident two (&#039;&#039;date&#039;&#039;)===&lt;br /&gt;
...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Incidents affecting all of the company&#039;s products can be found in the company article: [[Company article]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Products==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*AirPods (1st generation) (December 13, 2016&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=2 March 2025 |title=Every Apple AirPods Generation: A Full History of Release Dates - IGN |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/all-apple-airpods-release-dates-in-order |website=IGN}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;)&lt;br /&gt;
*AirPods (2nd generation) (March 20, 2019&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;)&lt;br /&gt;
*AirPods Pro (1st generation) (October 30, 2019&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;)&lt;br /&gt;
*AirPods Max  (December 15, 2020&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;)&lt;br /&gt;
*AirPods (3rd generation) (October 26, 2021&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;)&lt;br /&gt;
*AirPods Pro 2 (previously 2nd generation) (September 23, 2022&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;)&lt;br /&gt;
*AirPods 4/ANC (September 20, 2024&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;)&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Placeholder box|Link to relevant theme articles or product lines with similar incidents.}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Apple]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Airpods]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Apple]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Products]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=User:Clipster&amp;diff=24312</id>
		<title>User:Clipster</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=User:Clipster&amp;diff=24312"/>
		<updated>2025-09-11T00:30:53Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: /* My Pages */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==Introduction==&lt;br /&gt;
Hello there! I’m completely new to writing/editing Wikipedia pages in general so please let me know if there are any problems I’m unaware of.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==My Pages==&lt;br /&gt;
[[DuckDuckGo Browser|DuckDuckGo]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Hulu]] (I’ll work on these later)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Alibaba]] (I’ll work on these later)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=User:Clipster&amp;diff=24311</id>
		<title>User:Clipster</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=User:Clipster&amp;diff=24311"/>
		<updated>2025-09-11T00:30:38Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: /* My Pages */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==Introduction==&lt;br /&gt;
Hello there! I’m completely new to writing/editing Wikipedia pages in general so please let me know if there are any problems I’m unaware of.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==My Pages==&lt;br /&gt;
[[DuckDuckGo Browser|DuckDuckGo]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Hulu]](I’ll work on these later)&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Alibaba]](I’ll work on these later)&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=User:Clipster&amp;diff=23628</id>
		<title>User:Clipster</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=User:Clipster&amp;diff=23628"/>
		<updated>2025-09-04T01:26:46Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==Introduction==&lt;br /&gt;
Hello there! I’m completely new to writing/editing Wikipedia pages in general so please let me know if there are any problems I’m unaware of.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==My Pages==&lt;br /&gt;
[[DuckDuckGo Browser|DuckDuckGo]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Hulu]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Alibaba]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=User:Clipster&amp;diff=23623</id>
		<title>User:Clipster</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=User:Clipster&amp;diff=23623"/>
		<updated>2025-09-04T01:03:11Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==Introduction==&lt;br /&gt;
Hello there! I’m completely new to writing/editing Wikipedia pages in general so please let me know if there are any problems I’m unaware of.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==My Pages==&lt;br /&gt;
[[DuckDuckGo Browser|DuckDuckGo]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Hulu]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=User:Clipster&amp;diff=23617</id>
		<title>User:Clipster</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=User:Clipster&amp;diff=23617"/>
		<updated>2025-09-04T00:44:24Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==Introduction==&lt;br /&gt;
Hello there! I’m Clipster and as you can probably tell from the name I’m from the wave of users exposed to the Clippy video by Louis Rossmann. I’m completely new to writing/editing Wikipedia pages in general so please let me know if there are any problems I’m unaware of.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==My Pages==&lt;br /&gt;
[[DuckDuckGo Browser|DuckDuckGo]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Hulu]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=SoundCloud&amp;diff=23614</id>
		<title>SoundCloud</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=SoundCloud&amp;diff=23614"/>
		<updated>2025-09-04T00:26:14Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{CompanyCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|Founded=2008-10-28&lt;br /&gt;
|Industry=Entertainment&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=Soundcloud.svg&lt;br /&gt;
|Type=Private&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://soundcloud.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Music streaming service.&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
SoundCloud is a music streaming platform founded in 2007. The SoundCloud website was made public in October 2008.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;https://community.soundcloud.com/company/about-us&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===User freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*SoundCloud allows artists to enable direct downloads on their tracks. Listeners of any membership tier can use direct downloads on the website.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite news |last=McCall |first=Vivian |date=2021-01-14 |title=How to download SoundCloud songs from the website onto your computer, or from the mobile app with SoundCloud Go |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/how-to-download-soundcloud-songs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250816170647/https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/how-to-download-soundcloud-songs |archive-date=2025-08-16 |work=Business Insider}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===User privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business model===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*SoundCloud has three membership tiers for listeners. Free, which is ad-supported, Go, which is ad-free, and Go+, which is ad-free and gives access to locked songs not available with other subscriptions.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=SoundCloud|title=What type of subscription is for me? |url=https://help.soundcloud.com/hc/en-us/articles/360051072534-What-type-of-subscription-is-for-me |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250727092854/https://help.soundcloud.com/hc/en-us/articles/360051072534-What-type-of-subscription-is-for-me |archive-date=2025-07-27}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
*SoundCloud has three membership tiers for artists. Without a paid subscription, SoundCloud limits the hours of music which can be uploaded to an account. The upload limit for the Basic package is is 2 hours, 3 for Artist, and Artist Pro users have no limit.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market control===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
===Generative AI===&lt;br /&gt;
In January 2024, SoundCloud announced integration with AI music tools Fadr, Soundful and Voice-Swap, allowing users to directly post AI generated content to the platform. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite news |last=Paine |first=Andre |title=SoundCloud integrates with assistive AI tools to enable direct uploads for artists |url=https://www.musicweek.com/digital/read/soundcloud-integrates-with-assistive-ai-tools-to-enable-direct-uploads-for-artists/089164 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250816171344/https://www.musicweek.com/digital/read/soundcloud-integrates-with-assistive-ai-tools-to-enable-direct-uploads-for-artists/089164 |archive-date=2025-08-16 |work=MusicWeek}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In May 2025, an article published by Futurism accused SoundCloud of updating their Terms of Service to allow all content on the platform to be used to train generative AI.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite news |date=2025-05-09 |title=SoundCloud Quietly Updated Their Terms to Let AI Feast on Artists&#039; Music |url=https://futurism.com/soundcloud-ai-terms-of-service |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250816171715/https://futurism.com/soundcloud-ai-terms-of-service |archive-date=2025-08-16 |work=Futurism}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; SoundCloud later clarified that it&#039;s use of AI was strictly to provide “personalized recommendations, content organization, fraud detection, and improvements to content identification”, not to train generative AI models.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite news |last=Corcoran |first=Nina |date=2025-05-14 |title=SoundCloud Updates AI Policy in Terms of Use After Backlash |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/soundcloud-updates-ai-policy-in-terms-of-use-after-backlash/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250816172013/https://pitchfork.com/news/soundcloud-updates-ai-policy-in-terms-of-use-after-backlash/ |archive-date=2025-08-16 |work=Pitchfork}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Spotify]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Apple Music]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Amazon Music]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Firefox&amp;diff=22251</id>
		<title>Firefox</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Firefox&amp;diff=22251"/>
		<updated>2025-08-26T06:32:06Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Stub}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|Company=Mozilla&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2004&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser, Web Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://www.firefox.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Firefox is a free open-source browser created and owned by Mozilla.&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=Firefox_Logo.svg}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Firefox&#039;&#039;&#039; is a free and open-source web browser developed by the Mozilla Foundation. It is officially available on Windows (10 and above&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=21 Feb 2025 |title=Firefox users on Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 moving to Extended Support Release |url=https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-users-windows-7-8-and-81-moving-extended-support |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250729074747/https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-users-windows-7-8-and-81-moving-extended-support |archive-date=29 Jul 2025 |access-date=20 Aug 2025 |website=Mozilla Support}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;), macOS and Linux.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=20 Aug 2025 |title=Firefox for desktop |url=https://www.firefox.com/en-US/browsers/desktop/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250729082008/https://www.firefox.com/en-US/browsers/desktop/ |archive-date=29 Jul 2025 |access-date=20 Aug 2025 |website=Firefox}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-CIS}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-Inc}}&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Example incident one (&#039;&#039;date&#039;&#039;)===&lt;br /&gt;
{{Main|link to the main article}}&lt;br /&gt;
Short summary of the incident (could be the same as the summary preceding the article).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Mozilla introduces TOS to Firefox (&#039;&#039;02/27/2025&#039;&#039;)===&lt;br /&gt;
On February 26th, 2025 Mozilla announced in their blog that they are introducing Terms of Use to Firefox, effective June 10th, 2025. &amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last= |date=2025-02-26 |title=Firefox Terms of Use |url=https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/legal/terms/firefox/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-08-18 |website=Mozilla}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Their reasoning is to &amp;quot;give [the user] more transparency over [their] rights and permissions as [they] use Firefox&amp;quot;.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |last=Varma |first=Ajit |date=2025-02-26 |title=Introducing a terms of use and updated privacy notice for Firefox |url=https://blog.mozilla.org/en/firefox/firefox-terms-of-use/ |url-status=live |website=Mozilla Blog}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In the same blog post they announce an update to their Privacy Policy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Under section &amp;quot;Mozilla Can Update or Terminate This Agreement&amp;quot; in the ToS, it is announced that updates to it will be posted online, and continued use of Firefox is taken as the user&#039;s acceptance of the new terms. No mention is made of any other commitment to notify the user (in-browser notification, etc.). In the next section, &amp;quot;Termination&amp;quot;, it is explicitly stated that Mozilla will &amp;quot;try to notify [the user]&amp;quot; at their email address or next time they try to access their account, in case Mozilla denies or suspend anyone&#039;s access to Firefox.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Google Chrome]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Microsoft Edge]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Bing]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[DuckDuckGo Browser|DuckDuckGo]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Brave browser|Brave]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Yandex&amp;diff=20137</id>
		<title>Yandex</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Yandex&amp;diff=20137"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T19:20:37Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: Fixed reference&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{stub}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{InfoboxCompany&lt;br /&gt;
| Name = Yandex LLC&lt;br /&gt;
| Type = Private&lt;br /&gt;
| Founded = 1997&lt;br /&gt;
| Industry = Technology, Internet based services&lt;br /&gt;
| Official Website = https://yandex.com/&lt;br /&gt;
| Logo = Yandex logo.png&lt;br /&gt;
}}[[wikipedia:Yandex|Yandex]]  is a Russian technology conglomerate that provides internet-related services such as [[wikipedia:Yandex_Search|Yandex Search]], [[wikipedia:Yandex_Taxi|Yandex Taxi]] and [[wikipedia:Yandex_Maps\|Yandex Maps]] It was founded in 1997 by [[wikipedia:Arkady_Volozh|Arkady Volozh]] and [[wikipedia:Ilya_Segalovich|Ilya Segalovich]] as a search engine and over the years developed to become number one used search engine in the Russian Federation&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=July 2024 |title=Search Engine Market Share Russian Federation |url=https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share/all/russian-federation |url-status=live |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |website=Statcounter}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; and started having subsidiary companies in many different industries including: [https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yandex_Cloud cloud computing], [[wikipedia:Yandex_Maps|web mapping]], [[wikipedia:Yandex_Eda|online food ordering]], [[wikipedia:Kinopoisk|streaming media]], [[wikipedia:Yandex_Market|online shopping]], a [[wikipedia:Yandex_Taxi|ridesharing company]], [[wikipedia:Yandex_Music|Music]], and not so long ago started making it&#039;s own [https://yandex.ru/support/yandex-factory/commo/ru/ electronic devices]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== User Freedom ====&lt;br /&gt;
The user can freely create an account and delete it, but when the user tries to delete an account, it tries to keep them from deleting it by asking questions why they wish to delete their profile.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== User Privacy ====&lt;br /&gt;
As of 19.05.2022, the Yandex [https://yandex.com/legal/confidential/ privacy policy] states that they will collect: Your name, mobile phone number, address and age; Http headers, IP address, cookies, web beacons/pixel tags, browser information, information about your hardware and software, wi-fi network data; Date and time of accessing the Sites or Services; Your search history, data on purchases in the Services, data on visited organizations, likes and preferences, email addresses of your mailing contacts, phonebook data, information about interaction with other users, as well as files and content stored in Yandex systems; (Geo)location information; Your payment cards information, and other payment information, Other information about you.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=19 May 2022 |title=Yandex Legal documents |url=https://yandex.com/legal/confidential/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |website=Yandex}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Buisness Model ====&lt;br /&gt;
Buisness Model of Yandex is maintaining its customer relationships through continuous innovation, customer support services, and personalized user experiences. Also Yandex is investing in it&#039;s own AI.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Market Control ====&lt;br /&gt;
Yandex is the leading search engine in the Russian Federation, and is actively trying to get even more subsidiary companies to control more of the russian market.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
{| class=&amp;quot;wikitable&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|+&lt;br /&gt;
!Contoversy&lt;br /&gt;
!Year&lt;br /&gt;
!Background Info&lt;br /&gt;
!Aftermath&lt;br /&gt;
!Related Article&lt;br /&gt;
!Related Video (s)&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Yandex being bundled with sketchy software, and paying bootleg windows copy makers to include their browser as the starting one&lt;br /&gt;
|unknown - present&lt;br /&gt;
!&lt;br /&gt;
|As of right now, yandex didn&#039;t suffer any consequences&lt;br /&gt;
|[https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/detections/pup-optional-yandex PUP.Optional.Yandex]&lt;br /&gt;
|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MzkwNa-g-0 &#039;&#039;&#039;Как я обхитрил Яндекс и всех сборщиков Windows&#039;&#039;&#039;]&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Yandex makes all searches about [[wikipedia:Alexei_Navalny|Navalny]] give only negative results &lt;br /&gt;
|27 april 2020 - 28 april 2020&lt;br /&gt;
|Navalny was the main oppositioner of the Russian Goverment. Via the search results they tried to paint him in a bad way.&lt;br /&gt;
|Yandex had to back down and say it was a &#039;timed experiment&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20200428080018/https://tjournal.ru/news/162614-yandeks-vsemi-svoimi-servisami-risuet-obraz-navalnogo «Яндекс» всеми своими сервисами рисует образ Навального]&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Yandex was accused of advertising potentially unsafe results,including fake versions of well-known programs and websites.&lt;br /&gt;
|3 sept 2024&lt;br /&gt;
|Yandex has promoted fake results for Skype, Anydesk, and other software, that was bundled with malware.&lt;br /&gt;
|Yandex was taken to court, and was forced to pay 10k rubles  ( ≈ 125 dollars)&lt;br /&gt;
|[https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4443619 «Яндекс» наказали за рекламу контрафакта]&lt;br /&gt;
[https://habr.com/ru/articles/489254/ Яндекс помогает распространять вредоносное ПО?]&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Yandex collects data about users&#039; locations, their travel speeds, and the names of the Wi-Fi networks they connect to. also profiles users based on their search queries using Yandex &amp;quot;Alice&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
|Jan 2023&lt;br /&gt;
|In january 2023 there was a massive leak of yandex source code, containing about 45 gigabytes in compressed view&lt;br /&gt;
|In a press release about the data breach, Yandex said that user data was not affected, and apologized for its opaque recommendation system and &amp;quot;racial slurs&amp;quot; in some parts of its code.&lt;br /&gt;
|[https://www.wired.com/story/yandex-leaks-crypta-ads/ Leaked Yandex Code Breaks Open the Creepy Black Box of Online Advertising]&lt;br /&gt;
[https://ir.yandex/press-releases?year=2023&amp;amp;id=2023-01-31 Yandex comments on cybersecurity incident]&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|-&lt;br /&gt;
|Yandex was spying on its android users using [[wikipedia:Yandex.Metrica|Yandex Metrica]]&lt;br /&gt;
|Jun. 2025&lt;br /&gt;
|Yandex Metrica was sending unique identificators of it&#039;s users since 2017, from browsers into Yandex apps, which let them to link the websites the user visited to a specific user account in the Yandex ecosystem.&lt;br /&gt;
|After the incident was known, google started an investigation, which made yandex to stop collecting data.&lt;br /&gt;
|[https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/06/meta-and-yandex-are-de-anonymizing-android-users-web-browsing-identifiers/ Meta and Yandex are de-anonymizing Android users’ web browsing identifiers]&lt;br /&gt;
|&lt;br /&gt;
|}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Products==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==== Products ====&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[wikipedia:Yandex_Search|Yandex Search]] -  23 sept 1997 - present ===&lt;br /&gt;
Was used to censor searches to favor a political party.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[wikipedia:Yandex_Taxi|Yandex Taxi]] - 26 oct 2011 - present ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[wikipedia:Yandex_Maps\|Yandex Maps]] - 27 aug 2004 - present ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[wikipedia:Yandex.Metrica|Yandex Metrica]] - 2008 - present ===&lt;br /&gt;
Was used to steal data from android users&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[wikipedia:Yandex_Music|Yandex Music]] - 22 Sept 2010 - present ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[wikipedia:Yandex_Eda|Yandex Eda]] - Jan 2018 - present ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[wikipedia:Yandex_Cloud|Yandex Cloud]] - Oct 2020 - present ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[wikipedia:Yandex_Market|Yandex Market]] - 30 Nov 2000 - present ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [https://yandex.ru/support/yandex-factory/commo/ru/ Commo] - 28 Mar 2022 - present ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[wikipedia:Yandex_Disk|Yandex Disk]] - Apr 2012 - present ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[wikipedia:Yandex_Mail|Yandex Mail]] - June 2000 - present ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[wikipedia:Dzen_News|Dzen News]] - 21 June 2000 - present ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[wikipedia:Yandex_Translate|Yandex Translate]] - 22 Mar 2011 - present ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== [[wikipedia:Alice_(virtual_assistant)|Yandex Alice]] - 10 oct 2017 - present ===&lt;br /&gt;
Was used to profile users to sell them more personalised things.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Bing]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[DuckDuckGo Browser|DuckDuckGo]]&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Brave_browser&amp;diff=19779</id>
		<title>Brave browser</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Brave_browser&amp;diff=19779"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T06:10:51Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: /* See also */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{InfoboxProductLine&lt;br /&gt;
| Title = Brave Browser&lt;br /&gt;
| Release Year = 2016&lt;br /&gt;
| Product Type = Web Browser&lt;br /&gt;
| In Production = Yes&lt;br /&gt;
| Official Website = https://brave.com/&lt;br /&gt;
| Logo = Changed-Brave-Browser-logo-sans-text.png&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave&#039;&#039;&#039; is a free and open source web browser based on chromium.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Brave browser source code https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Privacy focused by design, it comes equipped with a dedicated ad-blocker&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Brave rust based ad blocker source code https://github.com/brave/adblock-rust&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; that operates independently from the Chromium codebase and is therefore not subject to [https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Chromium#Manifest_V3 Google&#039;s WebExtension update]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Launched in 2016 by Brave Software, the company&#039;s business model is primarily based on ad revenue generated through its [https://brave.com/fr/brave-rewards/ Brave Rewards Program]. More broadly, it leverages its own cryptocurrency, [https://basicattentiontoken.org/ Basic Attention Token (BAT)]. By opting into the Brave Rewards program, users receive occasional ad notifications on their desktop and have the option to donate BAT tokens to verified publishers, such as website owners and online creators.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
Overview of concerns that arise from the conduct towards users of the product (if applicable):&lt;br /&gt;
===User Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
===User Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
===Business Model===&lt;br /&gt;
===Market Control===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Affiliated links in the address bar===&lt;br /&gt;
In June 2020, it was discovered that when users typed &#039;binance.us&#039; into the address bar, they were suggested the url &#039;binance.us/en?ref=35089877&#039;, which included a referral code for Brave Software, Inc.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Twitter thread from 6 June 2020 by @cryptonator1337 addressing the binance referral code injection      https://web.archive.org/web/20200606164737/https://twitter.com/cryptonator1337/status/1269201480105578496&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The issue was later addressed publicly by Brave&#039;s founder and CEO, [[wikipedia:Brendan_Eich|Brendan Eich]], who apologized and referred to the incident as a &#039;mistake&#039;.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Brendan Eich apologizing for the affiliated links issue on twitter https://web.archive.org/web/20200701040411/https://twitter.com/BrendanEich/status/1269313200127795201&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Unverified publishers and BAT Tips===&lt;br /&gt;
Before 2020, the Brave Rewards panel misled users by not clearly indicating whether the content creator they intended to tip was a verified publisher and, therefore, able to receive the BAT sent to them. This led users to believe that the publishers they tipped had received the funds, even if they had not.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
While Brave claims that all BAT purchased by users is held indefinitely until claimed by the publisher, this does not necessarily apply to BAT acquired through other means, such as promotional tokens gifted by Brave.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Following the controversy, an update was implemented to clearly indicate in Brave whether a publisher was unaffiliated with the platform. Initially, tips sent to unverified creators were returned to the user after 90 days if unclaimed. This policy was later changed to completely prevent users from tipping unverified creators.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Controversial background services===&lt;br /&gt;
In October 2023, a user reported that Brave Browser had installed multiple binaries and services running in the background, which were updating themselves without their knowledge.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=Oct 2023 |title=Brave has become malware |url=https://community.brave.com/t/brave-has-become-malware/510414 |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[Brave Community]]}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Upon further investigation, the user discovered that &#039;&#039;&#039;six services&#039;&#039;&#039; were operating with &#039;&#039;&#039;local system privileges&#039;&#039;&#039;:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Elevation Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Update-Service “brave” (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Update-Service “bravem” (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave VPN Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave VPN Wireguard Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Additionally, the user found &#039;&#039;&#039;two tasks&#039;&#039;&#039; in the Windows Task Scheduler configured to run with the highest privileges. These tasks ensured that all six services remained active; if any service was disabled, the tasks would automatically reactivate and restart them.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The user criticized the use of &#039;&#039;&#039;local system privileges&#039;&#039;&#039; for network services, highlighting that such practices introduce significant security vulnerabilities and are generally unnecessary for a browser.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even after uninstalling Brave, the user reported that &#039;&#039;&#039;update services, tasks, and binaries&#039;&#039;&#039; remained on their system, further exacerbating their concerns about Brave&#039;s intrusive behavior.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*[[DuckDuckGo Browser|DuckDuckGo]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19778</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19778"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T06:10:23Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Incomplete}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/duckduckgo-guide-comprehensive-feature-analysis/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;    &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding removed/de-ranked content, raising concerns about the extent of its unrestricted search results.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]], and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo’s owner announced that the search engine would be de-ranking websites deemed to  spread Russian misinformation. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo has completely removed the search results for numerous popular pirate websites, including The Pirate Bay, 1337x, and Fmovies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Tracking Block Bias (5/22/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo&#039;s privacy browser allows Microsoft trackers on third-party websites due to a search syndication agreement with Microsoft. However, this changed in August when DuckDuckGo’s contract with Microsoft expired, and Microsoft’s tracking was also blocked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Bing]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Brave browser|Brave]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Brave_browser&amp;diff=19777</id>
		<title>Brave browser</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Brave_browser&amp;diff=19777"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T06:09:06Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{InfoboxProductLine&lt;br /&gt;
| Title = Brave Browser&lt;br /&gt;
| Release Year = 2016&lt;br /&gt;
| Product Type = Web Browser&lt;br /&gt;
| In Production = Yes&lt;br /&gt;
| Official Website = https://brave.com/&lt;br /&gt;
| Logo = Changed-Brave-Browser-logo-sans-text.png&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave&#039;&#039;&#039; is a free and open source web browser based on chromium.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Brave browser source code https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Privacy focused by design, it comes equipped with a dedicated ad-blocker&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Brave rust based ad blocker source code https://github.com/brave/adblock-rust&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; that operates independently from the Chromium codebase and is therefore not subject to [https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Chromium#Manifest_V3 Google&#039;s WebExtension update]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Launched in 2016 by Brave Software, the company&#039;s business model is primarily based on ad revenue generated through its [https://brave.com/fr/brave-rewards/ Brave Rewards Program]. More broadly, it leverages its own cryptocurrency, [https://basicattentiontoken.org/ Basic Attention Token (BAT)]. By opting into the Brave Rewards program, users receive occasional ad notifications on their desktop and have the option to donate BAT tokens to verified publishers, such as website owners and online creators.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
Overview of concerns that arise from the conduct towards users of the product (if applicable):&lt;br /&gt;
===User Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
===User Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
===Business Model===&lt;br /&gt;
===Market Control===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Affiliated links in the address bar===&lt;br /&gt;
In June 2020, it was discovered that when users typed &#039;binance.us&#039; into the address bar, they were suggested the url &#039;binance.us/en?ref=35089877&#039;, which included a referral code for Brave Software, Inc.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Twitter thread from 6 June 2020 by @cryptonator1337 addressing the binance referral code injection      https://web.archive.org/web/20200606164737/https://twitter.com/cryptonator1337/status/1269201480105578496&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The issue was later addressed publicly by Brave&#039;s founder and CEO, [[wikipedia:Brendan_Eich|Brendan Eich]], who apologized and referred to the incident as a &#039;mistake&#039;.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Brendan Eich apologizing for the affiliated links issue on twitter https://web.archive.org/web/20200701040411/https://twitter.com/BrendanEich/status/1269313200127795201&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Unverified publishers and BAT Tips===&lt;br /&gt;
Before 2020, the Brave Rewards panel misled users by not clearly indicating whether the content creator they intended to tip was a verified publisher and, therefore, able to receive the BAT sent to them. This led users to believe that the publishers they tipped had received the funds, even if they had not.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
While Brave claims that all BAT purchased by users is held indefinitely until claimed by the publisher, this does not necessarily apply to BAT acquired through other means, such as promotional tokens gifted by Brave.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Following the controversy, an update was implemented to clearly indicate in Brave whether a publisher was unaffiliated with the platform. Initially, tips sent to unverified creators were returned to the user after 90 days if unclaimed. This policy was later changed to completely prevent users from tipping unverified creators.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Controversial background services===&lt;br /&gt;
In October 2023, a user reported that Brave Browser had installed multiple binaries and services running in the background, which were updating themselves without their knowledge.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=Oct 2023 |title=Brave has become malware |url=https://community.brave.com/t/brave-has-become-malware/510414 |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[Brave Community]]}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Upon further investigation, the user discovered that &#039;&#039;&#039;six services&#039;&#039;&#039; were operating with &#039;&#039;&#039;local system privileges&#039;&#039;&#039;:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Elevation Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Update-Service “brave” (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Update-Service “bravem” (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave VPN Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave VPN Wireguard Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Additionally, the user found &#039;&#039;&#039;two tasks&#039;&#039;&#039; in the Windows Task Scheduler configured to run with the highest privileges. These tasks ensured that all six services remained active; if any service was disabled, the tasks would automatically reactivate and restart them.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The user criticized the use of &#039;&#039;&#039;local system privileges&#039;&#039;&#039; for network services, highlighting that such practices introduce significant security vulnerabilities and are generally unnecessary for a browser.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even after uninstalling Brave, the user reported that &#039;&#039;&#039;update services, tasks, and binaries&#039;&#039;&#039; remained on their system, further exacerbating their concerns about Brave&#039;s intrusive behavior.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[DuckDuckGo Browser|DuckDuckGo]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Brave_browser&amp;diff=19775</id>
		<title>Brave browser</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Brave_browser&amp;diff=19775"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T06:07:44Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: /* Consumer impact summary */Cleaning up page for consistency&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{InfoboxProductLine&lt;br /&gt;
| Title = Brave Browser&lt;br /&gt;
| Release Year = 2016&lt;br /&gt;
| Product Type = Web Browser&lt;br /&gt;
| In Production = Yes&lt;br /&gt;
| Official Website = https://brave.com/download/&lt;br /&gt;
| Logo = Changed-Brave-Browser-logo-sans-text.png&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave&#039;&#039;&#039; is a free and open source web browser based on chromium.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Brave browser source code https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Privacy focused by design, it comes equipped with a dedicated ad-blocker&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Brave rust based ad blocker source code https://github.com/brave/adblock-rust&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; that operates independently from the Chromium codebase and is therefore not subject to [https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Chromium#Manifest_V3 Google&#039;s WebExtension update]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Launched in 2016 by Brave Software, the company&#039;s business model is primarily based on ad revenue generated through its [https://brave.com/fr/brave-rewards/ Brave Rewards Program]. More broadly, it leverages its own cryptocurrency, [https://basicattentiontoken.org/ Basic Attention Token (BAT)]. By opting into the Brave Rewards program, users receive occasional ad notifications on their desktop and have the option to donate BAT tokens to verified publishers, such as website owners and online creators.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
Overview of concerns that arise from the conduct towards users of the product (if applicable):&lt;br /&gt;
===User Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
===User Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
===Business Model===&lt;br /&gt;
===Market Control===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Affiliated links in the address bar===&lt;br /&gt;
In June 2020, it was discovered that when users typed &#039;binance.us&#039; into the address bar, they were suggested the url &#039;binance.us/en?ref=35089877&#039;, which included a referral code for Brave Software, Inc.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Twitter thread from 6 June 2020 by @cryptonator1337 addressing the binance referral code injection      https://web.archive.org/web/20200606164737/https://twitter.com/cryptonator1337/status/1269201480105578496&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The issue was later addressed publicly by Brave&#039;s founder and CEO, [[wikipedia:Brendan_Eich|Brendan Eich]], who apologized and referred to the incident as a &#039;mistake&#039;.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Brendan Eich apologizing for the affiliated links issue on twitter https://web.archive.org/web/20200701040411/https://twitter.com/BrendanEich/status/1269313200127795201&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Unverified publishers and BAT Tips===&lt;br /&gt;
Before 2020, the Brave Rewards panel misled users by not clearly indicating whether the content creator they intended to tip was a verified publisher and, therefore, able to receive the BAT sent to them. This led users to believe that the publishers they tipped had received the funds, even if they had not.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
While Brave claims that all BAT purchased by users is held indefinitely until claimed by the publisher, this does not necessarily apply to BAT acquired through other means, such as promotional tokens gifted by Brave.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Following the controversy, an update was implemented to clearly indicate in Brave whether a publisher was unaffiliated with the platform. Initially, tips sent to unverified creators were returned to the user after 90 days if unclaimed. This policy was later changed to completely prevent users from tipping unverified creators.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Controversial background services===&lt;br /&gt;
In October 2023, a user reported that Brave Browser had installed multiple binaries and services running in the background, which were updating themselves without their knowledge.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=Oct 2023 |title=Brave has become malware |url=https://community.brave.com/t/brave-has-become-malware/510414 |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[Brave Community]]}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Upon further investigation, the user discovered that &#039;&#039;&#039;six services&#039;&#039;&#039; were operating with &#039;&#039;&#039;local system privileges&#039;&#039;&#039;:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Elevation Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Update-Service “brave” (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Update-Service “bravem” (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave VPN Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave VPN Wireguard Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Additionally, the user found &#039;&#039;&#039;two tasks&#039;&#039;&#039; in the Windows Task Scheduler configured to run with the highest privileges. These tasks ensured that all six services remained active; if any service was disabled, the tasks would automatically reactivate and restart them.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The user criticized the use of &#039;&#039;&#039;local system privileges&#039;&#039;&#039; for network services, highlighting that such practices introduce significant security vulnerabilities and are generally unnecessary for a browser.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even after uninstalling Brave, the user reported that &#039;&#039;&#039;update services, tasks, and binaries&#039;&#039;&#039; remained on their system, further exacerbating their concerns about Brave&#039;s intrusive behavior.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[DuckDuckGo Browser|DuckDuckGo]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Brave_browser&amp;diff=19774</id>
		<title>Brave browser</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Brave_browser&amp;diff=19774"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T06:05:43Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{InfoboxProductLine&lt;br /&gt;
| Title = Brave Browser&lt;br /&gt;
| Release Year = 2016&lt;br /&gt;
| Product Type = Web Browser&lt;br /&gt;
| In Production = Yes&lt;br /&gt;
| Official Website = https://brave.com/download/&lt;br /&gt;
| Logo = Changed-Brave-Browser-logo-sans-text.png&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave&#039;&#039;&#039; is a free and open source web browser based on chromium.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Brave browser source code https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Privacy focused by design, it comes equipped with a dedicated ad-blocker&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Brave rust based ad blocker source code https://github.com/brave/adblock-rust&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; that operates independently from the Chromium codebase and is therefore not subject to [https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Chromium#Manifest_V3 Google&#039;s WebExtension update]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Launched in 2016 by Brave Software, the company&#039;s business model is primarily based on ad revenue generated through its [https://brave.com/fr/brave-rewards/ Brave Rewards Program]. More broadly, it leverages its own cryptocurrency, [https://basicattentiontoken.org/ Basic Attention Token (BAT)]. By opting into the Brave Rewards program, users receive occasional ad notifications on their desktop and have the option to donate BAT tokens to verified publishers, such as website owners and online creators.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Incomplete section}}&lt;br /&gt;
Overview of concerns that arise from the conduct towards users of the product (if applicable):&lt;br /&gt;
*User Freedom&lt;br /&gt;
*User Privacy&lt;br /&gt;
*Business Model&lt;br /&gt;
*Market Control&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Affiliated links in the address bar===&lt;br /&gt;
In June 2020, it was discovered that when users typed &#039;binance.us&#039; into the address bar, they were suggested the url &#039;binance.us/en?ref=35089877&#039;, which included a referral code for Brave Software, Inc.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Twitter thread from 6 June 2020 by @cryptonator1337 addressing the binance referral code injection      https://web.archive.org/web/20200606164737/https://twitter.com/cryptonator1337/status/1269201480105578496&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The issue was later addressed publicly by Brave&#039;s founder and CEO, [[wikipedia:Brendan_Eich|Brendan Eich]], who apologized and referred to the incident as a &#039;mistake&#039;.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Brendan Eich apologizing for the affiliated links issue on twitter https://web.archive.org/web/20200701040411/https://twitter.com/BrendanEich/status/1269313200127795201&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Unverified publishers and BAT Tips===&lt;br /&gt;
Before 2020, the Brave Rewards panel misled users by not clearly indicating whether the content creator they intended to tip was a verified publisher and, therefore, able to receive the BAT sent to them. This led users to believe that the publishers they tipped had received the funds, even if they had not.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
While Brave claims that all BAT purchased by users is held indefinitely until claimed by the publisher, this does not necessarily apply to BAT acquired through other means, such as promotional tokens gifted by Brave.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Following the controversy, an update was implemented to clearly indicate in Brave whether a publisher was unaffiliated with the platform. Initially, tips sent to unverified creators were returned to the user after 90 days if unclaimed. This policy was later changed to completely prevent users from tipping unverified creators.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Controversial background services===&lt;br /&gt;
In October 2023, a user reported that Brave Browser had installed multiple binaries and services running in the background, which were updating themselves without their knowledge.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=Oct 2023 |title=Brave has become malware |url=https://community.brave.com/t/brave-has-become-malware/510414 |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[Brave Community]]}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Upon further investigation, the user discovered that &#039;&#039;&#039;six services&#039;&#039;&#039; were operating with &#039;&#039;&#039;local system privileges&#039;&#039;&#039;:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Elevation Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Update-Service “brave” (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Update-Service “bravem” (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave VPN Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave VPN Wireguard Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Additionally, the user found &#039;&#039;&#039;two tasks&#039;&#039;&#039; in the Windows Task Scheduler configured to run with the highest privileges. These tasks ensured that all six services remained active; if any service was disabled, the tasks would automatically reactivate and restart them.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The user criticized the use of &#039;&#039;&#039;local system privileges&#039;&#039;&#039; for network services, highlighting that such practices introduce significant security vulnerabilities and are generally unnecessary for a browser.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even after uninstalling Brave, the user reported that &#039;&#039;&#039;update services, tasks, and binaries&#039;&#039;&#039; remained on their system, further exacerbating their concerns about Brave&#039;s intrusive behavior.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[DuckDuckGo Browser|DuckDuckGo]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Brave_browser&amp;diff=19771</id>
		<title>Brave browser</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Brave_browser&amp;diff=19771"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T06:04:02Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{InfoboxProductLine&lt;br /&gt;
| Title = Brave Browser&lt;br /&gt;
| Release Year = 2016&lt;br /&gt;
| Product Type = Web Browser&lt;br /&gt;
| In Production = Yes&lt;br /&gt;
| Official Website = https://brave.com/download/&lt;br /&gt;
| Logo = Brave-Browser-logo-sans-text.png&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave&#039;&#039;&#039; is a free and open source web browser based on chromium.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Brave browser source code https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Privacy focused by design, it comes equipped with a dedicated ad-blocker&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Brave rust based ad blocker source code https://github.com/brave/adblock-rust&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; that operates independently from the Chromium codebase and is therefore not subject to [https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Chromium#Manifest_V3 Google&#039;s WebExtension update]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Launched in 2016 by Brave Software, the company&#039;s business model is primarily based on ad revenue generated through its [https://brave.com/fr/brave-rewards/ Brave Rewards Program]. More broadly, it leverages its own cryptocurrency, [https://basicattentiontoken.org/ Basic Attention Token (BAT)]. By opting into the Brave Rewards program, users receive occasional ad notifications on their desktop and have the option to donate BAT tokens to verified publishers, such as website owners and online creators.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Incomplete section}}&lt;br /&gt;
Overview of concerns that arise from the conduct towards users of the product (if applicable):&lt;br /&gt;
*User Freedom&lt;br /&gt;
*User Privacy&lt;br /&gt;
*Business Model&lt;br /&gt;
*Market Control&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Affiliated links in the address bar===&lt;br /&gt;
In June 2020, it was discovered that when users typed &#039;binance.us&#039; into the address bar, they were suggested the url &#039;binance.us/en?ref=35089877&#039;, which included a referral code for Brave Software, Inc.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Twitter thread from 6 June 2020 by @cryptonator1337 addressing the binance referral code injection      https://web.archive.org/web/20200606164737/https://twitter.com/cryptonator1337/status/1269201480105578496&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The issue was later addressed publicly by Brave&#039;s founder and CEO, [[wikipedia:Brendan_Eich|Brendan Eich]], who apologized and referred to the incident as a &#039;mistake&#039;.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Brendan Eich apologizing for the affiliated links issue on twitter https://web.archive.org/web/20200701040411/https://twitter.com/BrendanEich/status/1269313200127795201&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Unverified publishers and BAT Tips===&lt;br /&gt;
Before 2020, the Brave Rewards panel misled users by not clearly indicating whether the content creator they intended to tip was a verified publisher and, therefore, able to receive the BAT sent to them. This led users to believe that the publishers they tipped had received the funds, even if they had not.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
While Brave claims that all BAT purchased by users is held indefinitely until claimed by the publisher, this does not necessarily apply to BAT acquired through other means, such as promotional tokens gifted by Brave.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Following the controversy, an update was implemented to clearly indicate in Brave whether a publisher was unaffiliated with the platform. Initially, tips sent to unverified creators were returned to the user after 90 days if unclaimed. This policy was later changed to completely prevent users from tipping unverified creators.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Controversial background services===&lt;br /&gt;
In October 2023, a user reported that Brave Browser had installed multiple binaries and services running in the background, which were updating themselves without their knowledge.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=Oct 2023 |title=Brave has become malware |url=https://community.brave.com/t/brave-has-become-malware/510414 |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[Brave Community]]}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Upon further investigation, the user discovered that &#039;&#039;&#039;six services&#039;&#039;&#039; were operating with &#039;&#039;&#039;local system privileges&#039;&#039;&#039;:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Elevation Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Update-Service “brave” (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Update-Service “bravem” (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave VPN Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave VPN Wireguard Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Additionally, the user found &#039;&#039;&#039;two tasks&#039;&#039;&#039; in the Windows Task Scheduler configured to run with the highest privileges. These tasks ensured that all six services remained active; if any service was disabled, the tasks would automatically reactivate and restart them.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The user criticized the use of &#039;&#039;&#039;local system privileges&#039;&#039;&#039; for network services, highlighting that such practices introduce significant security vulnerabilities and are generally unnecessary for a browser.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even after uninstalling Brave, the user reported that &#039;&#039;&#039;update services, tasks, and binaries&#039;&#039;&#039; remained on their system, further exacerbating their concerns about Brave&#039;s intrusive behavior.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[DuckDuckGo Browser|DuckDuckGo]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Brave_browser&amp;diff=19769</id>
		<title>Brave browser</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Brave_browser&amp;diff=19769"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T06:01:46Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: More info&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{InfoboxProductLine&lt;br /&gt;
| Title = Brave Browser&lt;br /&gt;
| Release Year = 2016&lt;br /&gt;
| Product Type = Web Browser&lt;br /&gt;
| In Production = Yes&lt;br /&gt;
| Official Website = https://brave.com/download/&lt;br /&gt;
| Logo = Brave-Browser-logo-sans-text.svg&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave&#039;&#039;&#039; is a free and open source web browser based on chromium.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Brave browser source code https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Privacy focused by design, it comes equipped with a dedicated ad-blocker&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Brave rust based ad blocker source code https://github.com/brave/adblock-rust&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; that operates independently from the Chromium codebase and is therefore not subject to [https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Chromium#Manifest_V3 Google&#039;s WebExtension update]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Launched in 2016 by Brave Software, the company&#039;s business model is primarily based on ad revenue generated through its [https://brave.com/fr/brave-rewards/ Brave Rewards Program]. More broadly, it leverages its own cryptocurrency, [https://basicattentiontoken.org/ Basic Attention Token (BAT)]. By opting into the Brave Rewards program, users receive occasional ad notifications on their desktop and have the option to donate BAT tokens to verified publishers, such as website owners and online creators.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Incomplete section}}&lt;br /&gt;
Overview of concerns that arise from the conduct towards users of the product (if applicable):&lt;br /&gt;
*User Freedom&lt;br /&gt;
*User Privacy&lt;br /&gt;
*Business Model&lt;br /&gt;
*Market Control&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Affiliated links in the address bar===&lt;br /&gt;
In June 2020, it was discovered that when users typed &#039;binance.us&#039; into the address bar, they were suggested the url &#039;binance.us/en?ref=35089877&#039;, which included a referral code for Brave Software, Inc.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Twitter thread from 6 June 2020 by @cryptonator1337 addressing the binance referral code injection      https://web.archive.org/web/20200606164737/https://twitter.com/cryptonator1337/status/1269201480105578496&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The issue was later addressed publicly by Brave&#039;s founder and CEO, [[wikipedia:Brendan_Eich|Brendan Eich]], who apologized and referred to the incident as a &#039;mistake&#039;.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Brendan Eich apologizing for the affiliated links issue on twitter https://web.archive.org/web/20200701040411/https://twitter.com/BrendanEich/status/1269313200127795201&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Unverified publishers and BAT Tips===&lt;br /&gt;
Before 2020, the Brave Rewards panel misled users by not clearly indicating whether the content creator they intended to tip was a verified publisher and, therefore, able to receive the BAT sent to them. This led users to believe that the publishers they tipped had received the funds, even if they had not.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
While Brave claims that all BAT purchased by users is held indefinitely until claimed by the publisher, this does not necessarily apply to BAT acquired through other means, such as promotional tokens gifted by Brave.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Following the controversy, an update was implemented to clearly indicate in Brave whether a publisher was unaffiliated with the platform. Initially, tips sent to unverified creators were returned to the user after 90 days if unclaimed. This policy was later changed to completely prevent users from tipping unverified creators.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Controversial background services===&lt;br /&gt;
In October 2023, a user reported that Brave Browser had installed multiple binaries and services running in the background, which were updating themselves without their knowledge.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=Oct 2023 |title=Brave has become malware |url=https://community.brave.com/t/brave-has-become-malware/510414 |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[Brave Community]]}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Upon further investigation, the user discovered that &#039;&#039;&#039;six services&#039;&#039;&#039; were operating with &#039;&#039;&#039;local system privileges&#039;&#039;&#039;:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Elevation Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Update-Service “brave” (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Update-Service “bravem” (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave VPN Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave VPN Wireguard Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Additionally, the user found &#039;&#039;&#039;two tasks&#039;&#039;&#039; in the Windows Task Scheduler configured to run with the highest privileges. These tasks ensured that all six services remained active; if any service was disabled, the tasks would automatically reactivate and restart them.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The user criticized the use of &#039;&#039;&#039;local system privileges&#039;&#039;&#039; for network services, highlighting that such practices introduce significant security vulnerabilities and are generally unnecessary for a browser.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even after uninstalling Brave, the user reported that &#039;&#039;&#039;update services, tasks, and binaries&#039;&#039;&#039; remained on their system, further exacerbating their concerns about Brave&#039;s intrusive behavior.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[DuckDuckGo Browser|DuckDuckGo]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Brave_browser&amp;diff=19768</id>
		<title>Brave browser</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Brave_browser&amp;diff=19768"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T05:59:49Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{InfoboxProductLine&lt;br /&gt;
| Title = Brave Browser&lt;br /&gt;
| Release Year = 2016&lt;br /&gt;
| Product Type = Web Browser&lt;br /&gt;
| In Production = Yes&lt;br /&gt;
| Official Website = https://brave.com/download/&lt;br /&gt;
| Logo = Brave-Browser-logo-sans-text.svg&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave&#039;&#039;&#039; is a free and open source web browser based on chromium.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Brave browser source code https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Privacy focused by design, it comes equipped with a dedicated ad-blocker&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;Brave rust based ad blocker source code https://github.com/brave/adblock-rust&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; that operates independently from the Chromium codebase and is therefore not subject to [https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Chromium#Manifest_V3 Google&#039;s WebExtension update]. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Launched in 2016 by Brave Software, the company&#039;s business model is primarily based on ad revenue generated through its [https://brave.com/fr/brave-rewards/ Brave Rewards Program]. More broadly, it leverages its own cryptocurrency, [https://basicattentiontoken.org/ Basic Attention Token (BAT)]. By opting into the Brave Rewards program, users receive occasional ad notifications on their desktop and have the option to donate BAT tokens to verified publishers, such as website owners and online creators.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Incomplete section}}&lt;br /&gt;
Overview of concerns that arise from the conduct towards users of the product (if applicable):&lt;br /&gt;
*User Freedom&lt;br /&gt;
*User Privacy&lt;br /&gt;
*Business Model&lt;br /&gt;
*Market Control&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Affiliated links in the address bar===&lt;br /&gt;
In June 2020, it was discovered that when users typed &#039;binance.us&#039; into the address bar, they were suggested the url &#039;binance.us/en?ref=35089877&#039;, which included a referral code for Brave Software, Inc.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Twitter thread from 6 June 2020 by @cryptonator1337 addressing the binance referral code injection      https://web.archive.org/web/20200606164737/https://twitter.com/cryptonator1337/status/1269201480105578496&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The issue was later addressed publicly by Brave&#039;s founder and CEO, [[wikipedia:Brendan_Eich|Brendan Eich]], who apologized and referred to the incident as a &#039;mistake&#039;.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Brendan Eich apologizing for the affiliated links issue on twitter https://web.archive.org/web/20200701040411/https://twitter.com/BrendanEich/status/1269313200127795201&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Unverified publishers and BAT Tips===&lt;br /&gt;
Before 2020, the Brave Rewards panel misled users by not clearly indicating whether the content creator they intended to tip was a verified publisher and, therefore, able to receive the BAT sent to them. This led users to believe that the publishers they tipped had received the funds, even if they had not.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:2&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
While Brave claims that all BAT purchased by users is held indefinitely until claimed by the publisher, this does not necessarily apply to BAT acquired through other means, such as promotional tokens gifted by Brave.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:1&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Following the controversy, an update was implemented to clearly indicate in Brave whether a publisher was unaffiliated with the platform. Initially, tips sent to unverified creators were returned to the user after 90 days if unclaimed. This policy was later changed to completely prevent users from tipping unverified creators.&amp;lt;ref name=&amp;quot;:0&amp;quot; /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Controversial background services===&lt;br /&gt;
In October 2023, a user reported that Brave Browser had installed multiple binaries and services running in the background, which were updating themselves without their knowledge.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;{{Cite web |date=Oct 2023 |title=Brave has become malware |url=https://community.brave.com/t/brave-has-become-malware/510414 |url-status=live |access-date=15 Mar 2025 |website=[[Brave Community]]}}&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Upon further investigation, the user discovered that &#039;&#039;&#039;six services&#039;&#039;&#039; were operating with &#039;&#039;&#039;local system privileges&#039;&#039;&#039;:&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Elevation Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Update-Service “brave” (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave Update-Service “bravem” (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave VPN Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
*&#039;&#039;&#039;Brave VPN Wireguard Service (Local System)&#039;&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Additionally, the user found &#039;&#039;&#039;two tasks&#039;&#039;&#039; in the Windows Task Scheduler configured to run with the highest privileges. These tasks ensured that all six services remained active; if any service was disabled, the tasks would automatically reactivate and restart them.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The user criticized the use of &#039;&#039;&#039;local system privileges&#039;&#039;&#039; for network services, highlighting that such practices introduce significant security vulnerabilities and are generally unnecessary for a browser.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Even after uninstalling Brave, the user reported that &#039;&#039;&#039;update services, tasks, and binaries&#039;&#039;&#039; remained on their system, further exacerbating their concerns about Brave&#039;s intrusive behavior.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Incomplete section}}&lt;br /&gt;
Link to relevant theme articles or products with similar incidents.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Yandex&amp;diff=19765</id>
		<title>Yandex</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Yandex&amp;diff=19765"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T05:48:59Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{stub}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{InfoboxCompany&lt;br /&gt;
| Name = Yandex LLC&lt;br /&gt;
| Type = Private&lt;br /&gt;
| Founded = 1997&lt;br /&gt;
| Industry = Technology, Internet based services&lt;br /&gt;
| Official Website = https://yandex.com/&lt;br /&gt;
| Logo = Yandex logo.png&lt;br /&gt;
}}Yandex  is a Russian technology conglomerate that provides internet-related services such as [[wikipedia:Yandex_Search|Yandex Search]], [[wikipedia:Yandex_Taxi|Yandex Taxi]] and [[wikipedia:Yandex_Maps\|Yandex Maps]] It was founded in 1997 by [[wikipedia:Arkady_Volozh|Arkady Volozh]] and [[wikipedia:Ilya_Segalovich|Ilya Segalovich]] as a search engine and over the years developed to ... in many different industries including&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-CIS}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-Inc}}&lt;br /&gt;
===Yandex and Meta bypassing Android security (&#039;&#039; Jun. 2025&#039;&#039;)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Products==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-P}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Bing]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[DuckDuckGo Browser|DuckDuckGo]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19763</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19763"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T05:42:37Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Incomplete}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/duckduckgo-guide-comprehensive-feature-analysis/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;    &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding removed/de-ranked content, raising concerns about the extent of its unrestricted search results.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]], and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo’s owner announced that the search engine would be de-ranking websites deemed to  spread Russian misinformation. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo has completely removed the search results for numerous popular pirate websites, including The Pirate Bay, 1337x, and Fmovies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Tracking Block Bias (5/22/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo&#039;s privacy browser allows Microsoft trackers on third-party websites due to a search syndication agreement with Microsoft. However, this changed in August when DuckDuckGo’s contract with Microsoft expired, and Microsoft’s tracking was also blocked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Bing]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19762</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19762"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T05:40:38Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Incomplete}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/duckduckgo-guide-comprehensive-feature-analysis/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;   &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding removed/de-ranked content, raising concerns about the extent of its unrestricted search results.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]], and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo’s owner announced that the search engine would be de-ranking websites deemed to  spread Russian misinformation. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo has completely removed the search results for numerous popular pirate websites, including The Pirate Bay, 1337x, and Fmovies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Tracking Block Bias (5/22/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo&#039;s privacy browser allows Microsoft trackers on third-party websites due to a search syndication agreement with Microsoft. However, this changed in August when DuckDuckGo’s contract with Microsoft expired, and Microsoft’s tracking was also blocked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Bing]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=User:Clipster&amp;diff=19753</id>
		<title>User:Clipster</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=User:Clipster&amp;diff=19753"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T05:28:14Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==Introduction==&lt;br /&gt;
Hello there! I’m Clipster and as you can probably tell from the name I’m from the wave of users exposed to the Clippy video by Louis Rossmann. I’m completely new to writing/editing Wikipedia pages in general so please let me know if there are any problems I’m unaware of.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==My Pages==&lt;br /&gt;
[[DuckDuckGo Browser|DuckDuckGo]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19749</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19749"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T05:20:06Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Incomplete}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding removed/de-ranked content, raising concerns about the extent of its unrestricted search results.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]], and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo’s owner announced that the search engine would be de-ranking websites deemed to  spread Russian misinformation. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo has completely removed the search results for numerous popular pirate websites, including The Pirate Bay, 1337x, and Fmovies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Tracking Block Bias (5/22/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo&#039;s privacy browser allows Microsoft trackers on third-party websites due to a search syndication agreement with Microsoft. However, this changed in August when DuckDuckGo’s contract with Microsoft expired, and Microsoft’s tracking was also blocked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Bing]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19746</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19746"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T05:13:14Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: /* Consumer impact summary */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Incomplete}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding filtered/disranked content.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.engadget.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-204936242.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Consequently, DuckDuckGo’s claims to unrestricted content can be ruled as questionable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]], and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo’s owner announced that the search engine would be de-ranking websites deemed to  spread Russian misinformation. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo has completely removed the search results for numerous popular pirate websites, including The Pirate Bay, 1337x, and Fmovies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Tracking Block Bias (5/22/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo&#039;s privacy browser allows Microsoft trackers on third-party websites due to a search syndication agreement with Microsoft. However, this changed in August when DuckDuckGo’s contract with Microsoft expired, and Microsoft’s tracking was also blocked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Bing]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19745</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19745"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T05:12:27Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: /* Privacy */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Incomplete}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding filtered/disranked content.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Consequently, DuckDuckGo’s claims to unrestricted content can be ruled as questionable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]], and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo’s owner announced that the search engine would be de-ranking websites deemed to  spread Russian misinformation. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo has completely removed the search results for numerous popular pirate websites, including The Pirate Bay, 1337x, and Fmovies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Tracking Block Bias (5/22/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo&#039;s privacy browser allows Microsoft trackers on third-party websites due to a search syndication agreement with Microsoft. However, this changed in August when DuckDuckGo’s contract with Microsoft expired, and Microsoft’s tracking was also blocked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Bing]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19743</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19743"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T05:11:20Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: /* Privacy */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Incomplete}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding filtered/disranked content.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Consequently, DuckDuckGo’s claims to unrestricted content can be ruled as questionable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.engadget.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-204936242.html&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]], and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo’s owner announced that the search engine would be de-ranking websites deemed to  spread Russian misinformation. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo has completely removed the search results for numerous popular pirate websites, including The Pirate Bay, 1337x, and Fmovies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Tracking Block Bias (5/22/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo&#039;s privacy browser allows Microsoft trackers on third-party websites due to a search syndication agreement with Microsoft. However, this changed in August when DuckDuckGo’s contract with Microsoft expired, and Microsoft’s tracking was also blocked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Bing]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=User:Clipster&amp;diff=19733</id>
		<title>User:Clipster</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=User:Clipster&amp;diff=19733"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T04:58:01Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
==Introduction==&lt;br /&gt;
Hello there! I’m Clipster and as you can probably tell from the name I’m from the wave of users exposed to the Clippy video by Louis Rossmann. I’ve been slowly noticing these invasive practices and questioning myself, though I’m glad I’m not the only one. I’m completely new to writing/editing Wikipedia pages in general so please let me know if there are any problems I’m unaware of.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==My Pages==&lt;br /&gt;
[[DuckDuckGo Browser|DuckDuckGo]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=User:Clipster&amp;diff=19727</id>
		<title>User:Clipster</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=User:Clipster&amp;diff=19727"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T04:53:10Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Hello!&lt;br /&gt;
==Introductions==&lt;br /&gt;
==My Pages==&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19716</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19716"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T04:40:50Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Incomplete}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding filtered/disranked content.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Consequently, DuckDuckGo’s claims to unrestricted content can be ruled as questionable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]], and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo’s owner announced that the search engine would be de-ranking websites deemed to  spread Russian misinformation. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo has completely removed the search results for numerous popular pirate websites, including The Pirate Bay, 1337x, and Fmovies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Tracking Block Bias (5/22/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo&#039;s privacy browser allows Microsoft trackers on third-party websites due to a search syndication agreement with Microsoft. However, this changed in August when DuckDuckGo’s contract with Microsoft expired, and Microsoft’s tracking was also blocked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Bing]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19715</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19715"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T04:40:26Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Incomplete}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding filtered/disranked content.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Consequently, DuckDuckGo’s claims to unrestricted content can be ruled as questionable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]], and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-Inc}}&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo’s owner announced that the search engine would be de-ranking websites deemed to  spread Russian misinformation. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo has completely removed the search results for numerous popular pirate websites, including The Pirate Bay, 1337x, and Fmovies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Tracking Block Bias (5/22/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo&#039;s privacy browser allows Microsoft trackers on third-party websites due to a search syndication agreement with Microsoft. However, this changed in August when DuckDuckGo’s contract with Microsoft expired, and Microsoft’s tracking was also blocked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Bing]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19712</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19712"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T04:33:33Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Incomplete}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding filtered/disranked content.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Consequently, DuckDuckGo’s claims to unrestricted content can be ruled as questionable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]], and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-Inc}}&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo’s owner announced that the search engine would be de-ranking websites deemed to  spread Russian misinformation. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo has completely removed the search results for numerous popular pirate websites, including The Pirate Bay, 1337x, and Fmovies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Tracking Block Bias (5/22/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Bing]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19711</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19711"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T04:33:18Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Incomplete}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding filtered/disranked content.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Consequently, DuckDuckGo’s claims to unrestricted content can be ruled as questionable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]], and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-Inc}}&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo’s owner announced that the search engine would be de-ranking websites deemed to  spread Russian misinformation. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo has completely removed the search results for numerous popular pirate websites, including The Pirate Bay, 1337x, and Fmovies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Tracking Block Bias (5/22/2022)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Bing]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19710</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19710"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T04:30:31Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Incomplete}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding filtered/disranked content.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Consequently, DuckDuckGo’s claims to unrestricted content can be ruled as questionable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]], and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-Inc}}&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo’s owner announced that the search engine would be de-ranking websites deemed to  spread Russian misinformation. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo has completely removed the search results for numerous popular pirate websites, including The Pirate Bay, 1337x, and Fmovies.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Tracking Block Bias (4/15/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Bing]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19707</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19707"/>
		<updated>2025-08-16T04:20:52Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{Incomplete}}&lt;br /&gt;
{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding filtered/disranked content.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Consequently, DuckDuckGo’s claims to unrestricted content can be ruled as questionable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]], and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-Inc}}&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo’s owner announced that the search engine would be de-ranking websites deemed to  spread Russian misinformation. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Tracking Block Bias (4/15/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Google]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Bing]]&lt;br /&gt;
*[[Yandex]]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19438</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19438"/>
		<updated>2025-08-15T04:07:59Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===User Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding filtered/disranked content.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Consequently, DuckDuckGo’s claims to unrestricted content can be ruled as questionable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===User Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business Model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market Control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]] and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-Inc}}&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Tracking Block Bias (4/15/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-SA}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19437</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19437"/>
		<updated>2025-08-15T04:07:18Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===User Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding filtered/disranked content.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Consequently, DuckDuckGo’s claims to unrestricted content can be ruled as questionable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===User Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business Model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market Control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]] and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-Inc}}&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
=== Tracking Block Bias (4/15/2025) ===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: &#039;&#039;Main article: [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleeping_Computer link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-SA}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19435</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19435"/>
		<updated>2025-08-15T04:03:11Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===User Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding filtered/disranked content.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Consequently, DuckDuckGo’s claims to unrestricted content can be ruled as questionable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===User Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business Model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market Control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]] and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-Inc}}&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-SA}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19434</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19434"/>
		<updated>2025-08-15T04:02:48Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===User Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding filtered/disranked content.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Consequently, DuckDuckGo’s claims to unrestricted content can be ruled as questionable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===User Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business Model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market Control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]] and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-Inc}}&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-SA}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19433</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19433"/>
		<updated>2025-08-15T04:02:20Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===User Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding filtered/disranked content.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Consequently, DuckDuckGo’s claims to unrestricted content can be ruled as questionable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===User Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business Model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market Control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]] and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-Inc}}&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: &#039;&#039;Main article: [https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/ link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:&#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-SA}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19432</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19432"/>
		<updated>2025-08-15T04:01:41Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===User Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding filtered/disranked content.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Consequently, DuckDuckGo’s claims to unrestricted content can be ruled as questionable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===User Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business Model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market Control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]] and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-Inc}}&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
{{Main|link to the main article}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
: &#039;&#039;Main article: [https://www.pcmag.com/news/duckduckgo-to-down-rank-sites-associated-with-russian-disinformation link to the main article]&#039;&#039;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-SA}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19429</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19429"/>
		<updated>2025-08-15T03:57:57Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===User Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding filtered/disranked content.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Consequently, DuckDuckGo’s claims to unrestricted content can be ruled as questionable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===User Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business Model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market Control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]] and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-Inc}}&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
{{Main|link to the main article}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Piracy Censorship (4/15/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
{{Main|link to the main article}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-SA}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19428</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19428"/>
		<updated>2025-08-15T03:57:00Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===User Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding filtered/disranked content.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Consequently, DuckDuckGo’s claims to unrestricted content can be ruled as questionable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===User Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business Model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market Control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]] and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-Inc}}&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
{{Main|link to the main article}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Example incident two (&#039;&#039;date&#039;&#039;)===&lt;br /&gt;
{{Main|link to the main article}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-SA}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19427</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19427"/>
		<updated>2025-08-15T03:56:32Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===User Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding filtered/disranked content.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Consequently, DuckDuckGo’s claims to unrestricted content can be ruled as questionable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===User Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business Model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market Control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]] and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-Inc}}&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Political Censorship (3/1/2025)===&lt;br /&gt;
{{Main|link to the main article}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Example incident two (&#039;&#039;date&#039;&#039;)===&lt;br /&gt;
...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-SA}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19426</id>
		<title>DuckDuckGo</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://mirror.consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=DuckDuckGo&amp;diff=19426"/>
		<updated>2025-08-15T03:47:44Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Clipster: /* User Freedom */&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{ProductCargo&lt;br /&gt;
|ReleaseYear=2008&lt;br /&gt;
|InProduction=Yes&lt;br /&gt;
|ArticleType=Product&lt;br /&gt;
|Category=Browser&lt;br /&gt;
|Logo=DuckDuckGologo.png&lt;br /&gt;
|Website=https://duckduckgo.com/&lt;br /&gt;
|Description=Privacy-focused browser&lt;br /&gt;
}}DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, is a minimalistic privacy focused browser.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/about &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Additionally, DuckDuckGo also claims to offer features like encryption and tracker blocking to enhance online security. The company is based in Paoli, Pennsylvania.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Consumer impact summary==&lt;br /&gt;
===User Freedom===&lt;br /&gt;
Despite its reputation for privacy and freedom, DuckDuckGo has had controversies regarding filtered/disranked content.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://torrentfreak.com/duckduckgo-removes-pirate-sites-and-youtube-dl-from-its-search-results-220415/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; Consequently, DuckDuckGo’s claims to unrestricted content can be ruled as questionable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===User Privacy===&lt;br /&gt;
While it’s user privacy is significantly better than most other mainstream browsers, DuckDuckGo has been involved in controversies in regards to discrimination in blocking trackers.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Business Model===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo primarily generates revenue through keyword-based advertising.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://umatechnology.org/the-truth-about-duckduckgo-monetization/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; In addition to this, DuckDuckGo also earns income from subscription fees paid to access its Privacy Pro feature.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy-pro &amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Market Control===&lt;br /&gt;
DuckDuckGo is a relatively niche browser in comparison to behemoths in the space such as [[Google]] and to a lesser degree, [[Bing]].&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt; https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220046/duckduckgo-search-engine-market-share-by-region/&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt; However, when compared to other privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo fares pretty well against competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Incidents==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-Inc}}&lt;br /&gt;
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this product. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Example incident one (&#039;&#039;date&#039;&#039;)===&lt;br /&gt;
{{Main|link to the main article}}&lt;br /&gt;
Short summary of the incident (could be the same as the summary preceding the article).&lt;br /&gt;
===Example incident two (&#039;&#039;date&#039;&#039;)===&lt;br /&gt;
...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==See also==&lt;br /&gt;
{{Ph-C-SA}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==References==&lt;br /&gt;
{{reflist}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Clipster</name></author>
	</entry>
</feed>