Consumer Rights Wiki - User contributions [en]

Roblox

2025-03-03T08:00:49Z

Dginovker: Add incidents section, including and accusations of child labor and Linux compatibility

{{InfoboxCompany
| Name = Roblox
| Type = Company
| Founded = 2004
| Industry = Gaming
| Official Website = https://roblox.com/
| Logo = Roblox.svg
}}

[[wikipedia:Roblox|'''Roblox''']] is an online platform which lets users create their own games, as well as all sorts of virtual items for their personal avatars. The platform is owned by the Roblox Corporation.

==Forced arbitration==
Section 11 of the Roblox [[Terms of service|Terms of Use]] states that the user, by accepting the terms, waives his right to litigation and must resolve any disputes through Mandatory Informal Dispute Resolution (MIDR).<ref>https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-us/articles/115004647846-Roblox-Terms-of-Use#dispute-resolution-user-roblox</ref> Should MIDR not resolve a dispute, users in the United States must proceed with [[Forced arbitration|binding arbitration]].

==Intentional difficulty of contact==
To initiate MIDR in the first place, users in the United States must send a physically written notice by certified mail or through Federal Express. This creates additional steps for the users, which may dissuade them from pursuing a dispute in the first place.

== Incidents ==

=== Accusations of Child Labor ===

In January 2022, The Guardian ran a story accused Roblox of profiting off child labor, detailing stories of teenagers being scammed and becoming victims of sexual grooming in communities conveniently off the platform<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/jan/09/the-trouble-with-roblox-the-video-game-empire-built-on-child-labour</ref>. In October 2022, the first of many lawsuits alleging Roblox enabled a girl's sexual exploitation was filed<ref>https://www.reuters.com/legal/game-company-roblox-enabled-girls-sexual-exploitation-lawsuit-claims-2022-10-05/</ref>.

=== Blocking Linux Users ===
In April 2023, Roblox intentionally blocked Linux users playing the game via Wine, a tool used for running Windows apps on POSIX-compliant operating systems<ref>https://devforum.roblox.com/t/the-new-roblox-64-bit-byfron-client-forbids-wine-users-from-using-it-most-likely-unintentional/2305528/2</ref>.

== References ==
<references />
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Electronic Arts

2025-03-03T07:40:45Z

Dginovker: Add a rare good deeds section

{{InfoboxCompany
| Name = Electronic Arts
| Type = Public
| Founded = 1982
| Industry = Video Games
| Official Website = https://ea.com/
| Logo = Electronic Arts.png
}}[[wikipedia:Electronic_Arts|'''Electronic Arts''']] ('''EA''') is a former video-game developer and now publisher founded in 1982 by Trip Hawkins. It is well known for its simulator titles under the ''Sim'' series (''The Sims,'' ''SimCity,'' ''MySims,'' etc.), titles published under its EA Sports division (''Madden,'' ''FIFA,'' etc.), and its ''Battlefield'' series.

EA has received criticism for its reliance on microtransactions, its focus on [[downloadable content]] (DLC), and other business practices that some consumers perceive as excessively unfavorable (predatory and anti-consumer). 

==Controversial practices==

===Origin shutdown===
On April 17, 2025, EA will shut down its Origin client,<ref>https://www.pcgamesn.com/the-sims-4/ea-origin-shut-down</ref> which was the final option for 32-bit hardware to run EA-published titles. While most consumers have already switched to using 64-bit hardware, the [[end-of-life]] of 32-bit support means that vintage enthusiasts, tech historians, and users who previously did not need to upgrade their 32-bit hardware are unable to either install or run the libraries that they paid for.

===Lootboxes===
See also: [[EA lootbox controversies]]
Multiple games published by EA in recent years have garnered significant controversy over what is essentially legal gambling. This is most commonly seen in EA sports titles and their "Ultimate Team" modes, which has players using in-game currency that can be purchased with real-world money to buy card packs, in order to potentially get high-value player cards. This monetization method, considered by many to be "predatory", most notably introduced controversy within the modern release of ''Star Wars Battlefront 2'', wherein the most powerful character in-game, Darth Vader, could only be obtained through this lootbox system.<ref>https://www.pcworld.com/article/3231668/gaming/loot-boxes-ruining-gaming.html</ref><ref>http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-10-09-star-wars-battlefront-2-has-a-loot-crate-problem</ref><ref>http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-10-12-thinking-outside-the-loot-box</ref> It was not until several weeks after the backlash that EA would tone down these lootboxes by changing loot pools.<ref>https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/10/star-wars-battlefront-ii-changes-its-loot-box-plans-but-is-it-enough/</ref><ref>https://www.vg247.com/2017/10/13/after-beta-controversy-dice-has-better-clarified-the-loot-crate-system-in-the-final-version-of-star-wars-battlefront-2/</ref> Lootboxes remained within the title until [[Disney]] directly instructed EA to stop because of gambling concerns.<ref>https://www.wsj.com/articles/electronic-arts-pulls-microtransactions-from-star-wars-battlefront-ii-after-fan-backlash-1510936871</ref> 

===DRM===
EA holds the record for most pirated game with the title ''[[Spore]],'' which was directly because of EA's use of [[SecuROM]], and was one of the earlier known titles to introduce always-online [[digital rights management]] (DRM).<ref name=":0">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8ltfyqD3lM</ref> Some releases of ''Mass Effect'' also used SecuROM, and would instill excessive limits, such as a three-install limit that both could not be refunded by uninstalling and could only be increased through customer-service calls, and a recurring-validation system that required that the game have its activation code run every 10 days.<ref>http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/83689-Mass-Effect-Spore-To-Use-Recurring-Validation</ref> While its use of SecuROM died off in the mid-2010s, the company merely switched to DRM that has been far worse for consumers, [[Denuvo]]. One significant EA title that has used this DRM is ''Star Wars: Jedi Survivor.'' 

===''Spore''===
Further reading: ''[[Spore]]''
''Spore'' retains a historical 1.7+ million pirated copies,<ref>https://www.ncesc.com/gaming-pedia/how-many-times-was-spore-pirated/</ref><ref>https://torrentfreak.com/spore-most-pirated-game-ever-thanks-to-drm-080913/</ref> directly related to EA's use of [[SecuROM]].<ref name=":0" /> In more recent years, ''Spore'''s server access was locked down to EA accounts,<ref name=":1">https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=582350678</ref> mostly thanks to a free [[Steam]] key exploit. This has led to various problems for legitimate consumers who merely wanted to play the iconic game and its sibling ''Darkspore,'' since according to guides,<ref name=":1" /> users could only have a singular install of the game on any device, were required to have an EA account using an alphanumeric password, and needed a CD key to redeem on the user's EA account.<ref>https://support.gog.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002333209-Spore-How-to-get-access-to-online-features?product=gog</ref> This has brought concern among the community, leading to community-developed tools to circumvent these server problems.<ref>https://sporecommunity.com/</ref>

===License exclusivity===
With various [[Intellectual property|intellectual properties]], from ''Star Wars''<ref>https://gamerant.com/ea-no-longer-star-wars-exclusive-publisher-lucasfilm-games-ubisoft-bethesda/</ref> to the NFL, EA has forced its way into holding what is essentially an artificial monopoly over large genres of the industry. Its exclusive licenses with various football organizations, such as the AFL and NFL, has resulted in an antitrust lawsuit against it.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20110510050257/http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_documents/0611_nfl_ea_wm.pdf</ref> This lawsuit ended in a $600K settlement, but did not resolve the primary problems caused by EA's exclusive deals.<ref>https://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080612-lawsuit-flags-ea-for-illegal-procedure-on-football-monopoly.html</ref><ref>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/06/ea-punts-gives-600k-to-former-football-star-in-madden-nfl-rights-flap/</ref> NCAA players brought additional lawsuits against EA, alleging that it was not authorized to use their likeness in its games. These suits were also settled out of court.<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/sports/ncaafootball/ea-sports-wont-make-college-video-game-in-2014.html?_r=0</ref><ref>http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/23859858/ea-sports-settles-likeness-suits-thousands-of-current-former-players-eligible-for-money</ref>

===Buyouts and closures===
In order for EA to hold its high position, it has been known to buy out its competition.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20191230013406/https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2018/02/01/bad-reputation-americas-top-20-most-hated-companies/1058718001/</ref> Often, this has led to the detriment of the companies they buy out,<ref>https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2012-apr-04-la-fi-mo-electronic-arts-worst-company-consumerist-20120404-story.html</ref> and by extension, the media which they release. A historical example, Westwood Studios, which pioneered the RTS genre with the ''Command & Conquer'' series, was shut down about five years after its purchase by EA, and its notable franchise was left abandoned years later, with entries either delisted or broken after GameSpy-based DRM were broken circa 2014.<ref>https://www.pcgamer.com/reddit-compiles-terrifying-list-of-games-affected-by-gamespy-shutdown/</ref> While its habit of buying and closing studios has thinned since 2008, it similarly closed Visceral Games, the developer of ''Dead Space,'' in 2017.<ref>https://www.engadget.com/2017/10/17/ea-shuts-down-visceral-games/</ref>

== Good Deeds ==

In February 2025, EA worked with C&C community members to open source four Command & Conquer games under the GPL license, in a move widely celebrated by the gaming community<ref>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43197131</ref><ref>https://news.itsfoss.com/ea-open-source-cc-games/</ref>.

==References==
<references />
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

ICloud

2025-03-03T03:17:42Z

Dginovker: Make it read better

[[wikipedia:ICloud|'''iCloud''']] is a cloud storage and cloud computing service provided by [[Apple]]. It offers various internet-based services, including iCloud Photos, device backups, and the Find My network.

== Incidents ==

=== 2014 Celebrity Photo Leaks ===

In August 2014, a series of brute-force attacks targeted iCloud accounts, leading to the unauthorized access and release of private photographs belonging to multiple celebrities.<ref>[[wikipedia:2014_celebrity_nude_photo_leak|2014 celebrity nude photo leak]]</ref> Apple denied that a breach of iCloud itself had occurred, attributing the incident to weak user passwords and phishing attacks.<ref>https://www.theverge.com/2014/9/2/6098107/apple-denies-icloud-breach-celebrity-nude-photo-hack</ref> However, vulnerabilities allowing brute-force attacks remained unaddressed the following year, raising concerns over iCloud’s security measures.<ref>https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/icloud-accounts-risk-brute-force-attack-hacker-exploits-painfully-obvious-password-flaw-1481623</ref>

=== Data Hosting in China ===

In 2018, Apple transitioned Chinese users’ iCloud data to local servers in compliance with Chinese data laws.<ref>https://thehackernews.com/2021/05/how-apple-gave-chinese-government.html</ref> The move raised concerns regarding government surveillance, as the encryption keys for the data were also stored within China.<ref>https://thehackernews.com/2021/05/how-apple-gave-chinese-government.html</ref> Apple stated that this change only affected users residing in mainland China; however, it did not specify how it distinguishes between residents and visitors.<ref>https://support.apple.com/en-us/111754</ref>

=== End-to-End Encryption Restrictions in the United Kingdom ===

In February 2025, Apple disabled Advanced Data Protection (also known as ADP), its end-to-end encryption feature for iCloud, for users in the [[United Kingdom]]. The decision followed a request from the UK government, which sought access to encrypted user data.<ref>https://www.zdnet.com/article/why-apples-disabling-of-icloud-encryption-in-the-uk-is-bad-news-for-everyone/</ref>

== References ==

ICloud

2025-03-03T02:34:25Z

Dginovker: Formatting

[[wikipedia:ICloud|'''iCloud''']] is a suite of Apple services that run over the internet, including popular services like iCloud Photos, backups and Find My.

== Incidents ==

=== Nude Photo Leaks ===

In August 2014, iCloud passwords were brute forced, enabling many celebrities to have their nudes leaked<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_celebrity_nude_photo_leak</ref>. Apple downplayed the event by denying any iCloud breach occurred<ref>https://www.theverge.com/2014/9/2/6098107/apple-denies-icloud-breach-celebrity-nude-photo-hack</ref>, but the root cause was still unaddressed by the next year<ref>https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/icloud-accounts-risk-brute-force-attack-hacker-exploits-painfully-obvious-password-flaw-1481623</ref>.

=== Hosting Data in Chinese Servers ===

In 2018, Apple moved Chinese users' data to be hosted in Chinese servers, a move said to grant the Chinese government access to"emails, photos, documents, contacts and locations" of Chinese users<ref>https://thehackernews.com/2021/05/how-apple-gave-chinese-government.html</ref>. While the data remains encrypted, the encryption keys were also moved to Chinese servers<ref>https://thehackernews.com/2021/05/how-apple-gave-chinese-government.html</ref>. Apple claims this only affects Chinese citizens living in mainland China, but provides no insight on how this distinction is made, or clarity on whether tourists visiting China will have their data uploaded to the Chinese servers<ref>https://support.apple.com/en-us/111754</ref>.

=== Disabling End to End Encryption in the UK ===

In February 2025, Apple disabled Advanced Data Protection for UK users following a government request to access encrypted data<ref>https://www.zdnet.com/article/why-apples-disabling-of-icloud-encryption-in-the-uk-is-bad-news-for-everyone/</ref>.

== References ==

ICloud

2025-03-03T02:33:59Z

Dginovker: Init page with some incidents

[[wikipedia:ICloud|'''iCloud''']] is a suite of Apple services that run over the internet, including popular services like iCloud Photos, backups and Find My.

== Incidents ==

=== Nude Photo Leaks ===

In August 2014, iCloud passwords were brute forced, enabling many celebrities to have their nudes leaked<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_celebrity_nude_photo_leak</ref>. Apple downplayed the event by denying any iCloud breach occurred<ref>https://www.theverge.com/2014/9/2/6098107/apple-denies-icloud-breach-celebrity-nude-photo-hack</ref>, but the root cause was still unaddressed by the next year<ref>https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/icloud-accounts-risk-brute-force-attack-hacker-exploits-painfully-obvious-password-flaw-1481623</ref>.

=== Hosting Data in Chinese Servers ==

In 2018, Apple moved Chinese users' data to be hosted in Chinese servers, a move said to grant the Chinese government access to"emails, photos, documents, contacts and locations" of Chinese users<ref>https://thehackernews.com/2021/05/how-apple-gave-chinese-government.html</ref>. While the data remains encrypted, the encryption keys were also moved to Chinese servers<ref>https://thehackernews.com/2021/05/how-apple-gave-chinese-government.html</ref>. Apple claims this only affects Chinese citizens living in mainland China, but provides no insight on how this distinction is made, or clarity on whether tourists visiting China will have their data uploaded to the Chinese servers<ref>https://support.apple.com/en-us/111754</ref>.

=== Disabling End to End Encryption in the UK ===

In February 2025, Apple disabled Advanced Data Protection for UK users following a government request to access encrypted data<ref>https://www.zdnet.com/article/why-apples-disabling-of-icloud-encryption-in-the-uk-is-bad-news-for-everyone/</ref>.

== References ==

Xcode

2025-03-03T02:08:01Z

Dginovker: Add references section header, minor formatting

Xcode is an IDE provided by [[Apple]], primarily for creating iOS and MacOS apps. In order to run apps on real devices, Xcode is required for signing iOS/macOS apps.

== Tracking ==

Xcode requires an Apple ID to install, and sends telemetry to Apple during every local build and every launch<ref>https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/132709</ref><ref>https://lapcatsoftware.com/articles/2025/2/5.html</ref>.

== Usage ==

Xcode is irreplaceable for signing iOS/macOS apps. A 2024 Stack Overflow developer survey found almost no developers want to start using Xcode<ref>https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2024/technology#worked-with-vs-want-to-work-with-new-collab-tools-worked-want</ref>.

== References ==

Genshin Impact

2025-03-03T02:07:17Z

Dginovker: Add references section header

Genshin Impact is an open world battle game developed by MiHoYo.

== Incidents ==

Genshin Impact uses kernel-level (Ring 0) anticheat, which provides full access to system resources. In 2022, the anticheat driver mhyprot2.sys was used by hackers to bypass all privileges and deliver ransomware<ref>https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/22/h/ransomware-actor-abuses-genshin-impact-anti-cheat-driver-to-kill-antivirus.html</ref>.

== References ==

Canonical

2025-03-03T02:06:40Z

Dginovker: Add references section header

[[wikipedia:Canonical_(company)|'''Canonical''']] is software company best known for creating Ubuntu. It is largely funded by South African billionaire Mark Shuttleworth.

== Upstreaming ==

Alongside Red Hat and Google, Canonical makes up a substantial portion of upstream security patches in the Linux ecosystem. They maintain AppArmor<ref>https://apparmor.net/</ref>, a Linux security system that proactively manages threats, Snap<ref>https://snapcraft.io/</ref>, a Linux appstore with sandbox support, and Livepatch<ref>https://docs.kernel.org/livepatch/livepatch.html</ref>, a system to patch the Linux kernel without needing to reboot.

== Tracking ==

Canonical has collects user telemetry via Snap<ref>https://snapcraft.io/docs/snap-store-metrics</ref>, which is shipped by default in Ubuntu<ref>https://snapcraft.io/docs/installing-snap-on-ubuntu</ref>.

Previously, Canonical sent local file search queries to their own servers, which were used to recommend ads on Amazon<ref>https://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/ubuntu-spyware-what-to-do</ref>. In 2014, this feature was removed<ref>https://www.pcworld.com/article/436097/ubuntus-unity-8-desktop-removes-the-amazon-search-spyware.html</ref>, but in 2018 added opt-out telemetry tracking hardware components, software configuration, and crashes<ref>https://superuser.com/questions/1311588/how-to-opt-out-usage-data-collection-in-ubuntu-18-04-bionic</ref>.

== References ==

Lemmy

2025-03-03T02:06:03Z

Dginovker: Fix external link

[[wikipedia:Lemmy_(social_network)|'''Lemmy''']] is an open source, decentralized media network that is most similar to [[Reddit]]. It is built on the ActivityPub protocol, allowing users to interact with posts on Mastodon and Kbin.

== Privacy ==

While Lemmy itself and the majority of Lemmy apps are open source<ref>https://join-lemmy.org/apps</ref>, vote privacy is fundamental incompatible with ActivityPub, meaning anyone can see what content you like and dislike<ref>https://join-lemmy.org/docs/users/03-votes-and-ranking.html#vote-privacy</ref>.

== Incidents ==

In February 2024, Lemmy was called out for not allowing users delete media they uploaded, violating GDPR<ref>https://tech.michaelaltfield.net/2024/03/04/lemmy-fediverse-gdpr/</ref>. Instead of allowing users to delete media, Lemmy developers implemented a feature to wipe all user generated content when you delete your account<ref>https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy-ui/issues/2384</ref>.

== External Links ==

* [https://lemmy.ml/c/louisrossmann@lemmy.world Louis Rossmann community on Lemmy]

== References ==

Lemmy

2025-03-03T02:05:09Z

Dginovker: Add external links and references header

[[wikipedia:Lemmy_(social_network)|'''Lemmy''']] is an open source, decentralized media network that is most similar to [[Reddit]]. It is built on the ActivityPub protocol, allowing users to interact with posts on Mastodon and Kbin.

== Privacy ==

While Lemmy itself and the majority of Lemmy apps are open source<ref>https://join-lemmy.org/apps</ref>, vote privacy is fundamental incompatible with ActivityPub, meaning anyone can see what content you like and dislike<ref>https://join-lemmy.org/docs/users/03-votes-and-ranking.html#vote-privacy</ref>.

== Incidents ==

In February 2024, Lemmy was called out for not allowing users delete media they uploaded, violating GDPR<ref>https://tech.michaelaltfield.net/2024/03/04/lemmy-fediverse-gdpr/</ref>. Instead of allowing users to delete media, Lemmy developers implemented a feature to wipe all user generated content when you delete your account<ref>https://github.com/LemmyNet/lemmy-ui/issues/2384</ref>.

== External Links ==

* [https://lemmy.ml/c/louisrossmann@lemmy.world|Louis Rossmann community on Lemmy]

== References ==

Lemmy

2025-03-03T02:02:02Z

Dginovker: init

2025-03-03T01:49:38Z

Dginovker: /* Controversies */ Rename to incidents, add more examples

{{StubNotice}}

{{InfoboxCompany
| Company = Reddit
| Name = Reddit
| Type = Public
| Founded = 2005
| Industry = Social Media Services
| Official Website = https://reddit.com/
| Logo = Reddit_logo_2023.svg.png
}}[[wikipedia:Reddit|'''Reddit''']] is an American social network for social-news aggregation, content rating, and forums. As of December 2024, Reddit is the eighth most-visited website in the world. It was founded by University of Virginia roommates Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, as well as Aaron Swartz, in 2005.

==Incidents==
===Going Closed Source===

In September 2017, Reddit reverted on their open source policy and archived their public repositories, citing difficulty to stealth launch features and desire to move away from a monorepo architecture. Users responded by noting neither of these reasons require being closed source, and that Reddit had been slowly being less transparent over time<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/changelog/comments/6xfyfg/an_update_on_the_state_of_the_redditreddit_and/</ref>.

===Data Breach===
In August 2018, Reddit suffered a data breach due to employees using SMS 2FA. Leaked data included old hashed passwords and private messages from before 2007<ref>https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/08/reddit-breach-highlights-limits-of-sms-based-authentication/</ref>.

===Erasing Aaron Swartz===
In October 2020, Reddit removed the late [[wikipedia:Aaron_Swartz|'''Aaron Swartz''']] from the About page<ref>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24677419</ref>. Aaron Swartz was a political activist supporting open access to knowledge resources who died by suicide in 2013 to avoid prosecution for leaking MIT's archive of research articles.

===API paywall===
In April of 2023, Reddit announced they would be locking API features and functionality previously accessible to it's users behind a paywall, citing concerns about user generated content being trained on AI. This resulted in a backlash in the community as alternative apps utilizing Reddit's API would be rendered completely useless. While some user's held out hope that app developers could pay this fee to keep their user base, Apollo developer Christian Selig crushed any hope of this idea, explaining that the cost of this API fee was too high and that he would be ceasing development for the foreseeable future.

Users expressed concerns that this wasn't due to AI but due to greed and an attempt to monopolize information as Reddit is often cited as many people's go to resource for almost any topic. This sentiment resulted in one of the largest internet protests known as the Reddit Blackout. The Reddit Blackout was an event in which subreddits would be closed, marked as NSFW to prevent advertisements, or flooded with posts shaming Reddit's CEO. Users would also delete their posts, accounts, or edit them to shame the CEO in an attempt to reduce the value of the information. <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Reddit_API_controversy "2023 Reddit API controversy"] - Wikipedia </ref> 

===VPN Blockage===
In December 2023, Reddit started blocking users from accessing the site while on a VPN, unless they logged in.<ref>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38666028</ref>

===Ads That Look Like User Posts===
In March, 2024, Reddit rolled out a feature that made ads look like they came from real users (and by extent, were "upvoted" by real users). Reddit boasted these ads had 28% higher click-through rate than regular ads <ref>https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/14/reddit-introduces-a-new-ad-format-that-looks-similar-to-posts-made-by-users/</ref>

==See Also==

* [[Lemmy]]

==General References:==
<references />

[[Category:Social media companies]]
[[Category:Reddit]]

User:Dginovker

2025-03-03T01:16:05Z

Dginovker: Created page with "Hi, I'm dginovker, or redbracket on Discord. I'm here because I believe companies should have a permanent track record of the anti-consumer choices they make."

Hi, I'm dginovker, or redbracket on Discord. I'm here because I believe companies should have a permanent track record of the anti-consumer choices they make.

Canonical

2025-03-02T21:17:12Z

Dginovker: Created page with "'''Canonical''' is software company best known for creating Ubuntu. It is largely funded by South African billionaire Mark Shuttleworth. == Upstreaming == Alongside Red Hat and Google, Canonical makes up a substantial portion of upstream security patches in the Linux ecosystem. They maintain AppArmor<ref>https://apparmor.net/</ref>, a Linux security system that proactively manages threats, Snap<ref>https://snapcraft.io/</ref>, a Linux..."

Genshin Impact

2025-03-02T18:59:32Z

Dginovker: Add Genshin Impact with the famous anticheat ransomware example

Xcode

2025-03-02T18:35:13Z

Dginovker: Created page with "Xcode is an IDE provided by Apple, primarily for creating iOS and MacOS apps. In order to run apps on real devices, Xcode is required for signing iOS/macOS apps. === Tracking === Xcode requires an Apple ID to install, and sends telemetry to Apple during every local build and every launch<ref>https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/132709</ref><ref>https://lapcatsoftware.com/articles/2025/2/5.html</ref>. === Usage === Xcode is irreplaceable for signing iOS/macOS..."

Xcode is an IDE provided by [[Apple]], primarily for creating iOS and MacOS apps. In order to run apps on real devices, Xcode is required for signing iOS/macOS apps.

=== Tracking ===

Xcode requires an Apple ID to install, and sends telemetry to Apple during every local build and every launch<ref>https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/132709</ref><ref>https://lapcatsoftware.com/articles/2025/2/5.html</ref>.

=== Usage ===

Xcode is irreplaceable for signing iOS/macOS apps. A 2024 Stack Overflow developer survey found almost no developers want to start using Xcode<ref>https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2024/technology#worked-with-vs-want-to-work-with-new-collab-tools-worked-want</ref>.

Planned obsolescence

2025-02-14T08:11:50Z

Dginovker: Populate page with some info

{{StubNotice}}

**Planned obsolescence** is when a product is designed, either intentionally or conveniently, with an artificially shorter lifespan. It has become an increasing problem with remote software updates.

===Famous Planned Obsolescence Cases===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Cases
!Year
!Company
!Product
!Details
|-
|2017
|Apple
|iPhones
|Apple admitted it had released software updates that could slow down older iPhone models when their batteries degraded. This was allegedly done to prevent unexpected shutdowns caused by aging batteries. This resulted in 3 settlements totaling over USD $600M<ref>https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/science/4153770-apple-to-start-paying-out-claims-in-500m-iphone-slowdown-lawsuit-reports/</ref>
|-
|2018
|Samsung
|Galaxy Note 4
|Italy’s antitrust body fined Samsung €5 million regarding software updates that allegedly slowed down certain Galaxy phones.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/oct/24/apple-samsung-fined-for-slowing-down-phones</ref>
|-
|2016
|HP
|Printer
|HP released firmware updates for "Dynamic Security", causing printers to show error messages or stop working if a non-HP-branded cartridge was installed. Multiple settlements were reached totaling over USD $5M between 2016 and 2020.<ref>https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/01/hp-sued-again-for-blocking-third-party-ink-from-printers-accused-of-monopoly/</ref>
|}

===See Also===

*[[IPhone planned obsolescence incidencies]]<br />

===References===
{{reflist}}

#REDIRECT [[Self-destructive design]]
[[Category:Common terms]]