Consumer Rights Wiki - User contributions [en]

Uber

2025-11-14T21:38:21Z

Lee Carré: /* Incidents */ Add section “Uber sabotages drivers to evade paying promotional bonuses”

{{InfoboxCompany
| Name = Uber Technologies, Inc.
| Type = Public
| Founded = 2009
| Industry = Transport
| Official Website = https://www.uber.com
| Logo = Uber logo 2018.png
}}

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uber '''Uber Technologies, Inc'''] is an American multinational company that provides a variety of transport-related services. In recent years they have been involved in a number of controversies associated with anti-consumer practices

==Incidents==

===Uber EULA precludes trial===
''Main article: [[Uber EULA precludes jury trial]]''

Following a 2023 car crash, Uber moved to dismiss a lawsuit, citing that the plaintiffs have waived their rights to a jury trial when they accepted Uber's Terms of Service that contain a binding arbitration clause.

===Databreaches===
The [[Federal Trade Commission]] (FTC) filed a complaint for two alleged databreaches, of which Uber became aware in 2014 and 2016.<ref>https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/152_3054_c-4662_uber_technologies_revised_complaint.pdf</ref> As the complaint states in both databreaches, personal information was leaked:<blockquote>[2014] The intruder accessed one file that contained sensitive personal information belonging to Uber Drivers, including over 100,000 unencrypted names and driver’s license numbers, 215 unencrypted names and bank account and domestic routing numbers, and 84 unencrypted names and Social Security numbers. The file also contained other Uber Driver information, including physical addresses, email addresses, mobile device phone numbers, device IDs, and location information from trips the Uber Drivers provided.

[2016] The intruders downloaded 16 files from Respondent’s Amazon S3 Datastore between October 13, 2016 and November 15, 2016. These files contained unencrypted consumer personal information relating to U.S. Riders and Drivers, including, among other things, approximately 25.6 million names and email addresses, 22.1 million names and mobile phone numbers, and 607,000 names and driver’s license numbers. Nearly all of the exposed personal information was collected</blockquote>Uber failed to disclose the second larger breach to consumers or the FTC for more than a year, despite being the subject of an ongoing FTC investigation of its data security practices during that time.<ref name=":0">https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2018/10/federal-trade-commission-gives-final-approval-settlement-uber</ref> In 2018, the FTC approved a settlement with Uber regarding these incident.<ref name=":1">https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/152_3054_c-4662_uber_technologies_revised_decision_and_order.pdf</ref>

*Uber could be subject to civil penalties if it fails to notify the FTC of certain future incidents involving unauthorized access to consumer information, which includes both driver and rider information.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
*The company is also prohibited from misrepresenting how it monitors internal access to consumers’ personal information and the extent to which it protects the privacy, confidentiality, security, and integrity of personal information.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
*Uber must implement a comprehensive privacy program and for 20 years obtain biennial independent, third-party assessments, which it must submit to the Commission, certifying that it has a privacy program in place that meets or exceeds the requirements of the FTC order.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

===Uber One Subscription plan===
The FTC investigation is about the enrollment and cancellation procedures of the service, on whether it complies with the [[click-to-cancel]] rule of the FTC.<ref>https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8xp0enrkl8o</ref> The UK has recently also introduced legislation to crack down subscription traps, set out as part of their [[wikipedia:Digital_Markets,_Competition_and_Consumers_Act_2024|Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act of 2024]] (DMCC).<ref>https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/digital-markets-competition-regime-guidance</ref><ref>https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-measures-unveiled-to-crack-down-on-subscription-traps</ref>

===Uber sabotages drivers to evade paying promotional bonuses===
Drivers report evidence of Uber manipulating their proprietary app in order to thwart drivers working towards a ride-goal promotional bonus (e.g. complete 40 rides, before Thursday, to receive an extra $55).<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNOuDcJ6JuE Driver Eddie § Rider tries to order an Uber next to the driver. You won't believe the results.]</ref>. Uber does this via;
* hindering drivers from using the app (via authentication failure)
* invoking conveniently-timed “background check” shortly before the driver will reach their goal, which prevents the driver from accepting any rides for the duration of the ‘check’, and concluding the “background check” shortly after the promotional offer ends
* not matching riders to drivers who are close to their goal, despite the two parties being located very near each other, and no other drivers are near (e.g. 15 minutes away)
* offering/suggesting rides which are “outside [the] preferences” of a driver's normal habits (e.g. far away, long-distance, at unsociable times of day)

==References==
<references />
[[Category:Uber Technologies]]

List of companies

2025-05-07T23:46:42Z

Lee Carré: /* S */ Update Synology link

__NOTOC__
{{Hatnote|This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items.}}

Below is a list of companies that have dedicated articles in the CAT wiki.

===A===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ AT&T ]]

* [[ AVM Software ]]

* [[ Acer ]]

* [[ Activision Blizzard ]]

* [[ Adobe ]]

* [[ AirAsia ]]

* [[ Allstate ]]

* [[ Ally Financial ]]

* [[ Ally Invest Securities ]]

* [[ Amazon ]]

* [[ Ancestry.com ]]

* [[ Anova Culinary ]]

* [[ Apple ]]

* [[ Arlo ]]

* [[ Asus|ASUS ]]

* [[ Autodesk ]]

* [[ Axis ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===B===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Balena ]]

* [[ BMW ]]

* [[ Brother Industries Ltd. ]]

* [[ Bambu Lab ]]

* [[ Best Buy ]]

* [[ BetterHelp ]]

* [[ BowFlex, Inc. ]]

* [[ Brilliant ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===C===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ CARIAD ]]

* [[ Canon ]]

* [[ Capital One ]]

* [[ Cerberus ]]

* [[ Chamberlain Group ]]

* [[ Charles Schwab ]]

* [[ Chase Bank ]]

* [[ Cloudflare ]]

* [[ Coffee Meets Bagel ]]

* [[ CompTIA ]]

* [[ Cricut ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===D===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}

* [[ DAZN ]]

* [[ Deep Cycle Systems ]]

* [[ Discord ]]

* [[ Disney ]]

* [[ Duolingo ]]

* [[ Dymo ]]

* [[ Dyson ]]

* [[ DJI ]]{{Div col end}}
----

===E===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Ecoflow ]]

* [[ EduVULCAN ]]

* [[ Electronic Arts ]]

* [[ Epic Games, Inc. ]]

* [[ Eufy ]]

* [[ EVGA ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===F===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ FUTO ]]

* [[ Fiio ]]

* [[ Ford ]]

* [[ Future Motion ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===G===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ GameStop ]]

* [[ General Motors ]]

* [[ Glasswire ]]

* [[ GoGuardian ]]

* [[ Google ]]

* [[ GoPro ]]

* [[ Groupon ]]

* [[ Guardzilla ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===H===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ HP Inc. ]]

* [[ Happiest Baby ]]

* [[ Home Connect ]]

* [[ Honda ]]

* [[ Hyundai ]]

* [[ Humble Bundle ]]{{Div col end}}
----

===I===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ IFTTT ]]

* [[ IKEA ]]

* [[ Intel ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===J===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ John Deere ]]
* [[ Jeep ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===K===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Kroger Grocery store electronic shelf labels & facial recognition|Kroger ]]
* [[ Keurig ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===L===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ LG ]]

* [[ Lebara ]]

* [[ Lenovo ]]

* [[ Leo Express ]]

* [[ Lieferando ]]

* [[ LinkedIn ]]

* [[ LiveRamp ]]{{Div col end}}
----

===M===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Magic Leap ]]

* [[ MakerBot ]]

* [[ ManyCam ]]

* [[ Meta ]]

* [[ Microsoft ]]

* [[ Miele ]]

* [[ Monoprice ]]

* [[ Motorola ]]

* [[ Movies Anywhere ]]

* [[ Mozilla ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===N===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Nanoleaf ]]

* [[ Netflix, Inc. ]]

* [[ Nike ]]

* [[ Nintendo ]]

* [[ Nissan ]]

* [[ Nixplay ]]

* [[ NordVPN ]]

* [[ NZXT ]] {{Div col end}}
----

===O===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Optimum ]]
* [[ Optus ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===P===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ PayPal ]]

* [[ PayPal Honey ]]

* [[ Peloton ]]

* [[ Photobucket ]]

* [[ Pitboss Grills ]]

* [[ Pluralsight ]]

* [[ Plutus ]]

* [[ Protonmail ]]

* [[ Purism ]]

* [[ Pinterest ]]{{Div col end}}

*[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Paragon_NTFS_software_license_invalidation Paragon Software]

----

===Q===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Qantas ]]
* [[ Quidd ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===R===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Raven ]]

* [[ Ring ]]

* [[ Redbox ]]

* [[ Reddit ]]

* [[ Robinhood Financial ]]

* [[ Roblox ]]

* [[ Roborock ]]

* [[ Roku, Inc. ]]

* [[ Rovio ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===S===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Samsung ]]

* [[ Seattle Avionics ]]

* [[ SecuROM ]]

* [[ Shopee ]]

* [[ SiriusXM ]]

* [[ Smartwool ]]

* [[ Sonos ]]

* [[ Sony ]]

* [[ Spectrum ]]

* [[ Spotify ]]

* [[ Starlink ]]

* [[ Steam ]]

* [[ Synology ]]
{{Div col end}}

----

===T===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ T-Mobile ]]

* [[ Tado ]]

* [[ TD Ameritrade ]]

* [[ TP-Link ]]

* [[ User testing for mandatory paid subscription into Tado Smart Thermostat app|Tado GmbH ]]

* [[ Take Two ]]

* [[ Team 17 ]]

* [[ Telstra ]]

* [[ Telly ]]

* [[ Terumo Cardiovascular ]]

* [[ Tesla, Inc. ]]

* [[ Thermaltake ]]

* [[ Ticketmaster Entertainment, LLC ]]

* [[ Tinder ]]

* [[ TRMNL ]]

* [[ Toyota ]]

* [[ Tuya Inc. ]]

* [[ Twitch ]]

* [[ Twitter ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===U===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Uber ]]

* [[ Ubisoft ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===V===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Valve ]]

* [[ Verisk Analytics, Inc. ]]

* [[ Virgin Media ]]

* [[ Volkswagen ]]

* [[ Vultr ]]

* [[ Venmo ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===W===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Walmart ]]

* [[ Wink ]]

* [[ Winston-Salem Journal ]]

* [[ Wondershare ]]

* [[ Wyze ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===X===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ X Corp ]]

* [[ Xiaomi ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===Y===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ YouTube ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===Z===

----
[[Category:Companies]]
[[Category:Organizations]]

List of companies

2025-05-07T23:30:11Z

Lee Carré: /* G */ Add GoPro

__NOTOC__
{{Hatnote|This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items.}}

Below is a list of companies that have dedicated articles in the CAT wiki.

===A===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ AT&T ]]

* [[ AVM Software ]]

* [[ Acer ]]

* [[ Activision Blizzard ]]

* [[ Adobe ]]

* [[ AirAsia ]]

* [[ Allstate ]]

* [[ Ally Financial ]]

* [[ Ally Invest Securities ]]

* [[ Amazon ]]

* [[ Ancestry.com ]]

* [[ Anova Culinary ]]

* [[ Apple ]]

* [[ Arlo ]]

* [[ Asus|ASUS ]]

* [[ Autodesk ]]

* [[ Axis ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===B===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Balena ]]

* [[ BMW ]]

* [[ Brother Industries Ltd. ]]

* [[ Bambu Lab ]]

* [[ Best Buy ]]

* [[ BetterHelp ]]

* [[ BowFlex, Inc. ]]

* [[ Brilliant ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===C===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ CARIAD ]]

* [[ Canon ]]

* [[ Capital One ]]

* [[ Cerberus ]]

* [[ Chamberlain Group ]]

* [[ Charles Schwab ]]

* [[ Chase Bank ]]

* [[ Cloudflare ]]

* [[ Coffee Meets Bagel ]]

* [[ CompTIA ]]

* [[ Cricut ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===D===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}

* [[ DAZN ]]

* [[ Deep Cycle Systems ]]

* [[ Discord ]]

* [[ Disney ]]

* [[ Duolingo ]]

* [[ Dymo ]]

* [[ Dyson ]]

* [[ DJI ]]{{Div col end}}
----

===E===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Ecoflow ]]

* [[ EduVULCAN ]]

* [[ Electronic Arts ]]

* [[ Epic Games, Inc. ]]

* [[ Eufy ]]

* [[ EVGA ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===F===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ FUTO ]]

* [[ Fiio ]]

* [[ Ford ]]

* [[ Future Motion ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===G===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ GameStop ]]

* [[ General Motors ]]

* [[ Glasswire ]]

* [[ GoGuardian ]]

* [[ Google ]]

* [[ GoPro ]]

* [[ Groupon ]]

* [[ Guardzilla ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===H===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ HP Inc. ]]

* [[ Happiest Baby ]]

* [[ Home Connect ]]

* [[ Honda ]]

* [[ Hyundai ]]

* [[ Humble Bundle ]]{{Div col end}}
----

===I===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ IFTTT ]]

* [[ IKEA ]]

* [[ Intel ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===J===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ John Deere ]]
* [[ Jeep ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===K===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Kroger Grocery store electronic shelf labels & facial recognition|Kroger ]]
* [[ Keurig ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===L===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ LG ]]

* [[ Lebara ]]

* [[ Lenovo ]]

* [[ Leo Express ]]

* [[ Lieferando ]]

* [[ LinkedIn ]]

* [[ LiveRamp ]]{{Div col end}}
----

===M===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Magic Leap ]]

* [[ MakerBot ]]

* [[ ManyCam ]]

* [[ Meta ]]

* [[ Microsoft ]]

* [[ Miele ]]

* [[ Monoprice ]]

* [[ Motorola ]]

* [[ Movies Anywhere ]]

* [[ Mozilla ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===N===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Nanoleaf ]]

* [[ Netflix, Inc. ]]

* [[ Nike ]]

* [[ Nintendo ]]

* [[ Nissan ]]

* [[ Nixplay ]]

* [[ NordVPN ]]

* [[ NZXT ]] {{Div col end}}
----

===O===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Optimum ]]
* [[ Optus ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===P===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ PayPal ]]

* [[ PayPal Honey ]]

* [[ Peloton ]]

* [[ Photobucket ]]

* [[ Pitboss Grills ]]

* [[ Pluralsight ]]

* [[ Plutus ]]

* [[ Protonmail ]]

* [[ Purism ]]

* [[ Pinterest ]]{{Div col end}}

*[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Paragon_NTFS_software_license_invalidation Paragon Software]

----

===Q===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Qantas ]]
* [[ Quidd ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===R===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Raven ]]

* [[ Ring ]]

* [[ Redbox ]]

* [[ Reddit ]]

* [[ Robinhood Financial ]]

* [[ Roblox ]]

* [[ Roborock ]]

* [[ Roku, Inc. ]]

* [[ Rovio ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===S===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Samsung ]]

* [[ Seattle Avionics ]]

* [[ SecuROM ]]

* [[ Shopee ]]

* [[ SiriusXM ]]

* [[ Smartwool ]]

* [[ Sonos ]]

* [[ Sony ]]

* [[ Spectrum ]]

* [[ Spotify ]]

* [[ Starlink ]]

* [[ Steam ]]
{{Div col end}}

*[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Synology Synology]

----

===T===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ T-Mobile ]]

* [[ Tado ]]

* [[ TD Ameritrade ]]

* [[ TP-Link ]]

* [[ User testing for mandatory paid subscription into Tado Smart Thermostat app|Tado GmbH ]]

* [[ Take Two ]]

* [[ Team 17 ]]

* [[ Telstra ]]

* [[ Telly ]]

* [[ Terumo Cardiovascular ]]

* [[ Tesla, Inc. ]]

* [[ Thermaltake ]]

* [[ Ticketmaster Entertainment, LLC ]]

* [[ Tinder ]]

* [[ TRMNL ]]

* [[ Toyota ]]

* [[ Tuya Inc. ]]

* [[ Twitch ]]

* [[ Twitter ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===U===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Uber ]]

* [[ Ubisoft ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===V===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Valve ]]

* [[ Verisk Analytics, Inc. ]]

* [[ Virgin Media ]]

* [[ Volkswagen ]]

* [[ Vultr ]]

* [[ Venmo ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===W===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ Walmart ]]

* [[ Wink ]]

* [[ Winston-Salem Journal ]]

* [[ Wondershare ]]

* [[ Wyze ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===X===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ X Corp ]]

* [[ Xiaomi ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===Y===
{{Div col|colwidth=20em|gap=2em}}
* [[ YouTube ]]
{{Div col end}}
----

===Z===

----
[[Category:Companies]]
[[Category:Organizations]]

GoPro

2025-05-07T22:48:33Z

Lee Carré: Summary for GoPro

{{StubNotice}}

{{InfoboxCompany
| Name = GoPro
| Type =Private
| Industry =Technology, Consumer Electronics, Videography, Photography
| Official Website =https://www.gopro.com/
}}

[[wikipedia:GoPro|'''GoPro''']] is a technology company which sells cameras and related accessories.

==Consumer impact summary==
GoPro advertises that its Hero series of cameras are waterproof, but their published warranty excludes water damage.

==Products==
*[[GoPro falsly advertising camera as waterproof]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==See also==
{{Placeholder box|Link to relevant theme articles or companies with similar incidents.}}
[[Category:GoPro]]

Brother printers causing issues with third party inks

2025-03-08T16:30:06Z

Lee Carré: Linkify (first) reference to HP

[[Brother Industries, Ltd.|Brother]] used to be known for allowing third-party toner use & being less consumer hostile than companies such as [[HP]]. In recent years, they've implemented '''firmware updates that deliberately degrade print quality when using non-OEM toner'''. These updates disable color registration & other features which coerces consumers into buying expensive genuine Brother toner.

==Exploitative practices==
*'''Post-Sale Function Removal''' – Firmware updates retroactively remove previously available features, such as automatic color registration, for users using non-OEM toner.<ref name="reddit">[https://www.reddit.com/r/printers/comments/s9b2eg Brother MFC firmware update - non-genuine toner now disables critical features.]</ref><ref name="reddit-2">[https://www.reddit.com/r/printers/comments/w60687/brother_mfcl3370cdw_firmware_downgrade_needed/ Brother MFC-L3370CDW Firmware Downgrade needed]</ref>
*'''Vendor lock-in via DRM''' – Printers continue to function with third-party toner but print at degraded quality unless OEM toner is installed.
*'''Anti-consumer software practices''' – Firmware updates cannot be easily rolled back, preventing consumers from restoring lost functionality.<ref name="github-fwupd">[https://github.com/sedrubal/brother_printer_fwupd/issues/9 Brother printer firmware downgrade discussion.]</ref>
*'''Deceptive practices''' – Printers do not outright reject third-party toner but instead '''engineer a failure''', misleading users into thinking their toner is defective.<ref name="hackernews">[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31860131 Tell HN: Brother printers now locking out non-OEM paraphernalia.]</ref><ref name="reddit-2" />

==How it works==
1. Consumers purchase a '''Brother laser printer''' that previously accepted third-party toner.

2. A '''firmware update (e.g., W1.56)''' is pushed, which does not notify users of any major functional changes.

3. After updating, users notice that:

*Color registration '''fails automatically''', misaligning prints.<ref name="cups">[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS/Printer-specific_problems#Updating_the_firmware ArchWiki - Printer-specific problems with Brother.]</ref>
*Brother support '''admits''' that installing OEM toner will resolve the issue instantly.<ref name="hackernews" />
*'''Older firmware versions are removed from Brother’s servers''', preventing downgrades.<ref name="github-ohbrother">[https://github.com/CauldronDevelopmentLLC/oh-brother/issues/30 Discussion on firmware rollback for Brother printers.]</ref>

==Real-world impact==
*Customers who used to save money buying third-party toner are now '''forced into expensive OEM purchases'''.
*Brother’s '''positive reputation''' for allowing third-party toner is tarnished.
*'''No prior warning''' was given to consumers before these updates were installed.
*Workarounds involve '''blocking firmware updates''' or attempting '''risky firmware downgrades''', both of which Brother actively discourages.

==Brother's response==
On March 5th 2025, following the publication of a video on the Louis Rossmann youtube channel, Brother addressed the issue, in a response given to Ars Technica, stating the following <ref name="ars-response">[https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/brother-denies-using-firmware-updates-to-brick-printers-with-third-party-ink/ Brother denies using firmware updates to brick printers with third-party ink]</ref>
<blockquote>
We are aware of the recent false claims suggesting that a Brother firmware update may have restricted the use of third-party ink cartridges. Please be assured that Brother firmware updates do not block the use of third-party ink in our machines.
</blockquote>
They also detailed that
<blockquote>
Brother printers do not intentionally degrade print quality based on whether a Brother Genuine or non-genuine ink/ toner cartridge is used. Brother cannot verify the quality of printing that will result when using a third-party compatible with a Brother printer.
</blockquote>
Finally they attributed the confusion fron consumers to
<blockquote>
Brother encourages the use of Brother Genuine ink and toner for optimal performance and reliability, and it is standard practice that we perform a Brother [G]enuine check when troubleshooting a Brother printer. Compatible supplies may range in quality, and in order to verify that a printer is working properly, we like to troubleshoot with Brother Genuine supplies. We believe this check in the process may have led to a misunderstanding[,] but as we confirmed, the firmware update would not be responsible for the degradation of quality or removal of printer features.
</blockquote>
==User evidence & reports==
===Hacker News Discussion (2022)===
*Users noticed that '''Brother printers accepted third-party toner but deliberately degraded print quality'''.
*One user stated:
<blockquote>''Brother seems to be apparently accepting the ink, but then purposefully making the print quality poorer.''<ref name="hackernews" /></blockquote>

===Reddit reports (r/printers)===
*A '''firmware update on the Brother MFC-3750''' '''disabled automatic color registration''' when third-party toner was detected.<ref name="reddit" />
*A Brother support agent confirmed that installing OEM toner would "fix" the issue instantly, proving that the printer was being artificially restricted.

===GitHub developer investigation===
*A project analyzing '''Brother firmware updates''' discovered that '''older firmware versions were removed from Brother’s servers''', making it impossible for users to roll back to a working version.<ref name="github-fwupd" />
*Another github discussion showed that '''Brother firmware updates increasingly lock out more non-Brother toner cartridges with each new update!'''<ref name="github-ohbrother" />
*This is similar to [[HP Dynamic Security]] which block non-OEM cartridges.

==Comparison to other industry abuses==
{| class="wikitable"
!Company!!Tactic Used
|-
|'''HP'''||"Dynamic Security" firmware updates blocking non-OEM ink
|-
|'''Epson'''||Ink expiration DRM, even when cartridges are full
|-
|'''Canon'''||Firmware updates that disable scanning when ink is low
|-
|'''Brother'''||Print degradation for non-OEM toner users
|}

==Potential legal implications==
Deliberate function removal '''after purchase''' may qualify as '''deceptive trade practices''' in multiple jurisdictions

==Mitigations available to users==
#'''Avoid Firmware Updates''' – Disable auto-updates to prevent forced function removal. This may, however, lead to security risks.
#'''Try to downgrade''' – Some users have managed to roll back firmware, though this is increasingly difficult.<ref name="github-ohbrother" />

==References==
<references />

==Cargo data==
{{Hatnote|Testing extension to add metadata to pages}}
{{IncidentCargo|Companies=Brother Industries Ltd.|Categories=Digital restrictions,Firmware lockout|DateOfIncident=2025}}

[[Category:Brother]]
[[Category:Digital Restrictions]]
[[Category:Vendor Lock-in]]
[[Category:Post-Sale Firmware Lockouts]]