Consumer Rights Wiki - User contributions [en]

Kerbal Space Program 2

2026-03-22T15:44:19Z

Neige: Take-two page link

{{IncidentCargo
|Company=Take Two, Private Division
|StartDate=2019
|EndDate=2025
|Status=Active
|Product=KSP2
|ArticleType=Product
|Type=Product Termination, Abandonware
|Description=KSP2 turned into abandonware, still being sold and charging full price for the game that was never finished.
}}''[[wikipedia:Kerbal_Space_Program_2|'''Kerbal Space Program 2''']]'' is a game designed by Intercept Games and published by Private Division as a sequel to ''Kerbal Space Program''. It was released on Steam in early access on February 24, 2023. Currently, the game is still in early access and costs $49.99.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Kerbal Space Program 2 |url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/954850/Kerbal_Space_Program_2/ |url-status=live |access-date=27 Aug 2025 |website=Steam |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260118091424/https://store.steampowered.com/app/954850/Kerbal_Space_Program_2/ |archive-date=18 Jan 2026}}</ref> Steam lists no updates to the game since June 11, 2024.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Kerbal Space Program 2 |url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/954850?updates=true |url-status=live |access-date=27 Aug 2025 |website=Steam News Hub |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250825183807/https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/954850?updates=true |archive-date=25 Aug 2025}}</ref>

==Background==
''Kerbal Space Program 2'' entered development in 2017 and was initially planned for release in 2020. Development issues pushed back the release of the early access version to February 24, 2023.

==Incident==
On April 29, 2024, [[Take Two|Take-Two]] Interactive Software, the owner of Private Division and Intercept Games, posted a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification to the Washington State Employment Security Department indicating that they planned to close their subsidiary Intercept Games, the developer of ''Kerbal Space Program 2'', on June 28, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) |url=https://esd.wa.gov/about-employees/WARN |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241103073147/https://esd.wa.gov/about-employees/warn |archive-date=3 Nov 2024|access-date=27 Aug 2025 |website=ESDWAGOV}}</ref> Senior team manager Quinn Duffy confirmed on LinkedIn that the team would be laid off on that day, <ref>{{Cite web |last=Duffy |first=Quinn |title=Post |url=https://www.linkedin.com/posts/quinn-duffy_well-here-we-go-again-the-team-at-intercept-activity-7201280703215394816-uyzd/ |url-status=live |access-date=27 Aug 2025 |website=LinkedIn |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240731205415/https://www.linkedin.com/posts/quinn-duffy_well-here-we-go-again-the-team-at-intercept-activity-7201280703215394816-uyzd/ |archive-date=31 Jul 2024}}</ref> although Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick claimed otherwise.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Valentine |first=Rebekah |date=16 May 2024 |title=Take-Two CEO on Intercept, Roll7: 'We Didn't Shutter Those Studios' |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/take-two-ceo-on-intercept-roll7-we-didnt-shutter-those-studios |url-status=live |access-date=27 Aug 2025 |website=IGN |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251213052418/https://www.ign.com/articles/take-two-ceo-on-intercept-roll7-we-didnt-shutter-those-studios |archive-date=13 Dec 2025}}</ref> Take-Two later confirmed the sale of Private Division, ''Kerbal''<nowiki/>'s publisher, to an unknown buyer, preferring to focus on AAA titles.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Batchelor |first=James |date=6 Nov 2024 |title=Zelnick on Private Division sale: "Those projects were smaller, we're in the business of big hits" |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/zelnick-on-private-division-sale-those-projects-were-smaller-were-in-the-business-of-big-hits |url-status=live |access-date=27 Aug 2025 |website=GamesIndustry.biz |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251219035055/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/zelnick-on-private-division-sale-those-projects-were-smaller-were-in-the-business-of-big-hits |archive-date=19 Dec 2025}}</ref>

''Kerbal Space Program 2'' has not seen any updates since June 11, 2024 and remains in early access.<ref name=":1" />

==Consumer response==
''Kerbal Space Program'' fans and buyers left over 4,000 negative reviews on the sequel's Steam page within the three months following the announcement of Intercept Games' closure. At the same time, positive reviews diminished sharply, bringing the Steam page's all-time average to "Mostly Negative."<ref name=":0" />

One recent Steam review with over 500 "helpful" ratings reads:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Minderbinder |first=Milo |date=26 Jul 2025 |title=Review for Kerbal Space Program 2 |url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/thatissoawsome/recommended/954850/ |url-status=live |access-date=27 Aug 2025 |website=Steam Community}}</ref><blockquote>Abandonware. This should at least be removed from the steam store and ideally all people who purchased the game should be refunded.

Do not buy. Get KSP1. Do not fund these practices.</blockquote>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Ph-I-C}}

Subaru Starlink

2026-03-22T15:20:40Z

Neige: Subaru link

''For the satellite {{wplink|internet service provider}}, see [[Starlink]].''
{{ProductLineCargo
|ArticleType=Service
|Category=Software
|Company=Subaru
|Description=
|InProduction=Yes
|Logo=Subaru-starlink.png
|ReleaseYear=2013
|Website=https://subaru.com/
}}
Starlink is a connectivity service equipped on most modern [[Subaru]] vehicles, enabling extensive data collection from the vehicle and its occupants. The service has faced significant criticism and legal challenges over privacy concerns related to its data-collection and -sharing practices.<ref name="MozillaReview" />

==Incidents==

===Obstructive advertising===
Since at least 23-05-25<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Just die already SiriusXM |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/subaru/comments/13rl630/just_die_already_siriusxm/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260222225614/https://old.reddit.com/r/subaru/comments/13rl630/just_die_already_siriusxm/ |archive-date=22 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-11-27 |website=Reddit}}</ref>, Subaru Starlink will sometimes display whole-screen advertisements for [[SiriusXM]] in vehicles with SiriusXM functionality<ref name=":0" />. Advertisements will display regardless of whether the customer purchased a SiriusXM subscription, and cannot be bypassed without explicitly pressing the close button. Normal system usage, such as GPS, media settings, or driving settings cannot be done until the advertisements are closed.

Users are only able to opt-out of this advertising if they have a SiriusXM subscription, which itself will require consent to additional telemetry from SiriusXM<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-11-27 |title=SiriusXM Help & Support Center |url=https://listenercare.siriusxm.com/prweb/autoredirect/app/ExternalKM/help/SupportCenter/article/KC-383215/How-do-I-manage-pop-up-messages-inside-my-vehicle%3F |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260126212422/https://listenercare.siriusxm.com/prweb/autoredirect/app/ExternalKM/help/SupportCenter/article/KC-383215/How-do-I-manage-pop-up-messages-inside-my-vehicle%3F |archive-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref>. Alternative recourse would involve manually uninstalling the telematics module or pulling the fuse powering the telematics module to disable connectivity. <ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-11-27 |title=No sound in front speakers / Mic is missing (Something with Starlink plugs?) - Resolved {{!}} Subaru Crosstrek and XV Forums |url=https://www.subaruxvforum.com/threads/no-sound-in-front-speakers-mic-is-missing-something-with-starlink-plugs-resolved.180778/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260126213325/https://www.subaruxvforum.com/threads/no-sound-in-front-speakers-mic-is-missing-something-with-starlink-plugs-resolved.180778/ |archive-date=26 Jan 2026 |access-date=2025-11-27 |website=Subaru Crosstrek and XV Forums}}</ref> However, this can disable front audio speakers on certain models due to the fuse powering both Starlink telematics and the front speakers<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-03-02 |title=Disconnecting your telematics (Starlink) antenna {{!}} Subaru Outback Forums |url=https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/disconnecting-your-telematics-starlink-antenna.519259/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514174802/https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/disconnecting-your-telematics-starlink-antenna.519259/ |archive-date=14 May 2023 |access-date=2025-11-27 |website=Subaru Outback Forums}}</ref>.

===Starlink app exploit (''2025'')===
The exploit was achieved by intercepting the Starlink app's network requests which revealed the admin portal login screen. Using the "Reset password" feature of the admin portal which was hidden with [[JavaScript]] the hacker found an employee email off [[LinkedIn]] and successfully managed to login to the admin portal. Although implementing 2FA this too was entirely client-side and the modal window blocking further interaction without verification could also be hidden with JavaScript.

Inside the admin portal any employee can access a wide range of personal information, largely comprised of the personal information listed below. Additionally, if the employee has level 2 access, they can remotely lock, unlock, honk, issue speeding warnings and more which they demonstrated on their own and a friend's Subaru car.

The incident was initially ethically disclosed to Subaru on 24-20-11 with a blog post detailing the exploit released on 25-23-01.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Curry |first=Sam |date=23 Jan 2025 |title=Hacking Subaru: Tracking and Controlling Cars via the STARLINK Admin Panel |url=https://samcurry.net/hacking-subaru |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251115022030/https://samcurry.net/hacking-subaru |archive-date=15 Nov 2025|access-date=2025-02-19 |website=samcurry.net}}</ref>

==Data collection==
===Types of data collected===
Subaru’s privacy policy and STARLINK terms of service specify that the following data may be collected:<ref name="SubaruPrivacy">{{Cite web |date= |title=Subaru Privacy Policy |url=https://www.subaru.com/support/privacy-policies.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250221075725/https://www.subaru.com/support/privacy-policies.html |archive-date=21 Feb 2025 |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=subaru.com}}</ref>

*'''Personal information'''
**Names, addresses, and contact details.
**Phone numbers and email addresses.
**Social-security numbers (in specific cases).
**Driver's license numbers.
**Vehicle identification numbers (VIN).
*'''Vehicle data'''
**Location and GPS coordinates.
**Speed, acceleration, and braking patterns.
**Time and duration of trips.
**Maintenance and diagnostic information.
**Sensor data, such as crash severity, tire pressure, and coolant temperature.
*'''Audio and biometric data'''
**Audio recordings through onboard microphones.
**Voice data from STARLINK service-center calls.
**Biometric data from systems that driver attention.
**Search content and commands issued by occupants.

===Collection methods===
Data collection is performed through:
*Vehicle sensors and diagnostic modules.<ref name="MozillaReview">{{Cite web |last=Mozilla Research |first= |date=15 Aug 2023 |title=Mozilla Foundation Privacy Review: Subaru |url=https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/subaru/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906050929/https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/subaru/ |archive-date=6 Sep 2023 |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=foundation.mozilla.org}}</ref>
*GPS tracking systems.
*Cellular-connectivity modules.
*STARLINK mobile apps and web portals.<ref name="MozillaReview" />

==Data sharing and sales==
===Third-party data sharing===
Subaru shares data with several entities, including:
*Data brokers, such as LexisNexis<ref name="SubaruPrivacy" /> and Verisk.<ref name="TorqueNews">{{Cite web |last=Flierl |first=Denis |date=21 May 2024 |title=Vehicle Data Collection Lawsuit |url=https://www.torquenews.com/1084/subaru-now-involved-vehicle-data-collection-lawsuit-investigation |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250801220315/https://www.torquenews.com/1084/subaru-now-involved-vehicle-data-collection-lawsuit-investigation |archive-date=1 Aug 2025|access-date=2025-01-16 |website=torquenews.com}}</ref><ref name="NYT">{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Kashmir |date=11 March 2024 |title=Automakers Are Sharing Drivers’ Data |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/technology/carmakers-driver-tracking-insurance.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311090514/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/technology/carmakers-driver-tracking-insurance.html |archive-date=11 Mar 2024 |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=nytimes.com}}</ref>
*Insurance companies for risk assessment and pricing.<ref name="TorqueNews" />
*Marketing firms.
*Emergency services and law enforcement (when required by law).
*Subaru dealerships and distributors.
*Third-party service providers.<ref name="SubaruPrivacy" />
===Insurance-industry usage===
Data brokers aggregate and sell this information to insurance companies, who may:
*Increase insurance premiums based on driving patterns.
*Monitor driving behaviors to assess risk.
*Use driving data for personalized coverage offerings.<ref name="NYT" />

==Privacy concerns==
===Consent issues===
Key concerns include:
*Simply being a passenger in a STARLINK-equipped vehicle constitutes consent.<ref name="MozillaReview" />
*Lack of active notification during data collection.
*Limited opt-out options that might impact vehicle functionality.

===Difficulties in opting out===
Subaru’s opt-out process involves:
*Submitting detailed personal information.
*Potentially long response times.
*No verification mechanism for successful opt-out.<ref name="ConsumerForum">{{Cite web |date=26 Jan 2025 |title=Privacy Report Discussion |url=https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/privacy-not-included-subaru-report-connected-services-etc.556583/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250510152056/https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/privacy-not-included-subaru-report-connected-services-etc.556583/ |archive-date=10 May 2025 |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=subaruoutback.org}}</ref>

===Legal challenges===
Subaru faces legal scrutiny for:
*Allegations of insufficiently disclosing its data-collection policies what it does with data.
*Potential non-compliance with privacy laws.
*[[Class-action lawsuit]] investigations over consent practices.<ref name="TorqueNews" />

==Technical details==
===System architecture===
STARLINK is built upon:
*Embedded telematics devices.
*4G LTE cellular networks.
*GPS receivers and cloud-based data-processing systems.<ref name="StarlinkTerms">{{Cite web |title=Subaru STARLINK Terms and Conditions |url=https://www.subaru.com/support/terms-and-conditions/subaru-starlink/subaru-starlink-services.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250708205238/https://www.subaru.com/support/terms-and-conditions/subaru-starlink/subaru-starlink-services.html |archive-date=8 Jul 2025 |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=subaru.com}}</ref>

===Data transmission===
*Real-time data transmission through LTE networks.
*Local storage when connectivity is unavailable.<ref name="StarlinkTerms" />

==Consumer-protection issues==
===Privacy rights===
Critics cite:
*Minimal control over data retention.
*Broad sharing permissions in privacy policies.
*Limited transparency about how data is used.<ref name="MozillaReview" />

===Economic harm===
*Insurance-rate adjustments based on driving data.
*Subscription fees for connected services.
*Potential effects on vehicle resale value.<ref name="NYT" />

==References==
<references />

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Bosch

2026-03-20T17:14:08Z

Neige: Added Bosch electrical component installation restrictions

{{Incomplete|Issue 1=Missing sections|Issue 2=Needs additional references}}{{CompanyCargo
|Description=German engineering company.
|Founded=1886
|Industry=Automotive, Electronics, Technology
|Logo=Bosch.svg
|ParentCompany=
|Type=Private
|Website=https://www.bosch.com/
}}
'''{{wplink|Bosch (company)|Robert Bosch GmbH}}''', commonly known as '''Bosch''' (styled '''BOSCH'''), is a German multinational engineering and technology company founded in 1886 by Robert Bosch.

==Consumer-impact summary==
{{Placeholder box|Overview of concerns that arise from the company's conduct regarding (if applicable):
* User freedom
* User privacy
* Business model
* Market control}}

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].
===E-bike components===
Only the e-bike batteries from Bosch themselves can be used on the modern e-bikes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peace |first=Richard |date=23 Feb 2023 |title=Replacement Electric Bike Batteries Guide |url=https://electricbikereport.com/replacement-electric-bike-batteries/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325202127/https://electricbikereport.com/replacement-electric-bike-batteries/ |archive-date=25 Mar 2023 |access-date=21 Jun 2025 |website=Electric Bike Report |quote=Only Bosch manufactured batteries will be used on any new Bosch e-bike – this has always been the case and so it makes advice on interchangeability a little more straightforward than with the likes of Shimano and Brose who have both allowed the use of third party batteries with their mid-drive motor systems.}}</ref>

Many e-bikes, like those of Bosch or [[Shimano]], have their own proprietary systems, making it complicated for third-parties to provide spare parts, which would also void the warranty of the e-bike. [[Right to repair]] legislation would make it easier to provide spare batteries for these e-bikes, which the industry is against by claiming it would be unsafe.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grist |last2=Stone |first2=Maddie |date=10 Aug 2023 |title=E-bike companies are fighting to be exempted from right-to-repair laws |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90935615/e-bike-companies-are-fighting-to-be-exempted-from-right-to-repair-laws |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811193642/https://www.fastcompany.com/90935615/e-bike-companies-are-fighting-to-be-exempted-from-right-to-repair-laws |archive-date=11 Aug 2023 |access-date=21 Jun 2025 |website=Fast Company}}</ref>

Bosch and Shimano place restrictions on consumers from being able to connect lights and other components to their e-bike electrical system.<ref>{{Cite web |last=RunBikeMike |date=1 Jan 2024 |title=Installing an EBike Light To Run Off Your Battery / MagicShine ME2000 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvG7Fpb1tzI&t=50s |url-status=live |access-date=20 March 2026 |website=YouTube}}</ref> Special software only accessible to qualified bike shops is required to activate ports or accept new devices. Additional connectivity barriers exist such as difficult to acquire Bosch specific cables.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bosch eBike Light Switch Activation |url=https://www.e-bikeshop.co.uk/products/bosch-ebike-light-activation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250708203340/https://www.e-bikeshop.co.uk/products/bosch-ebike-light-activation |archive-date=8 Jul 2025 |access-date=20 March 2026 |website=EBikeShop.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |date=15 Mar 2022 |title=Bosch takes the L on right to repair for ebikes |url=https://youtu.be/j7e9hO5yMtk?t=75 |url-status=live |access-date=20 March 2026 |website=YouTube}}</ref>

===Dishwasher with home connect system===
{{Main|Bosch Cloud Dishwasher Incident}}
The home connect system mandates that users connect their dishwasher to Wi‑Fi and register for a Home Connect account in order to access essential functions—such as rinse cycles, eco mode, and delay start—that were previously available directly via physical controls.{{CitationNeeded|reason=I'm seeing some em's, if it's AI, we're going to need a citation}}

===Washing Machine planned obsolescence===
Recent models now have a sealed drum which prevent replacing the bearing or drum spider independently. Additionally the whole drum assembly replacement is sold at a price making it's replacement prohibitive.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2025-11-14 |title=The Truth About SEALED Drums: Naming & Shaming |url=https://youtu.be/crzZEvFf_L4?si=DkgU7zG2lSyuh8nK&t=50 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=crzZEvFf_L4 |archive-date=16 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===Refrigerator cameras deactivated===
Bosch announced that cameras in smart fridges would lose their function on March 31st, 2026. The company worded this as ''"adjusting digital features inside the Home-Connect environment"'' ''("die digitalen Funktionen innerhalb der Home-Connect-Umgebung anzupassen")'' and cites low market demand and unspecified technological advancements as the reasons. In 2022, Bosch had already restricted features to analyse the refrigerator content to get tips for ideal placement of items and recipes for using up leftovers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pakalski |first=Ingo |date=2026-02-25 |title=Bosch deaktiviert Innenkameras in verkauften Kühlschränken [Bosch deactivates interior cameras in refrigerators that have already been sold] |url=https://www.golem.de/news/smart-home-bosch-deaktiviert-innenkameras-in-verkauften-kuehlschraenken-2602-205832.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/vfAGL |archive-date=2026-02-25 |access-date=2026-02-05 |website=Golem}}</ref>

==Products==

*[[Bosch Spexor]] (2019)
*Bosch 500 series dishwasher
*Bosch Series 4, Series 6 washing machines (check specific model numbers in video description of <ref name=":0" />)
*Bosch GLM 50 C

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Home appliance companies]]

SecuROM

2026-03-20T02:11:52Z

Neige: Website links to correct site

{{ProductLineCargo
|ArticleType=
|Category=Digital rights management
|Company=Sony DADC
|InProduction=No
|Logo=SecuROM logo.svg
|ReleaseYear=1998
|Website=https://support.securom.com/index.html
|Description=
}}

'''{{Wplink|SecuROM}}''' is a [[digital rights management]] (DRM) system developed by [[Sony]] for PC games and first released in 1998.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=SecuROM |url=https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/SecuROM |website=PCGamingWiki |date= |access-date=8 Mar 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250502191929/https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/SecuROM |archive-date=2 May 2025}}</ref> Historically, SecuROM is well known for being the most agitating form of DRM of the 2000s, and its inclusion within [[Electronic Arts]]' ''Spore'' has led to the game retaining its position as the most pirated game to-date.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Van der Sar |first=Ernesto |title=Spore: Most Pirated Game Ever Thanks to DRM |url=https://torrentfreak.com/spore-most-pirated-game-ever-thanks-to-drm-080913/ |website=torrentfreak |date=13 Sep 2008 |access-date=8 Mar 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914020027/https://torrentfreak.com/spore-most-pirated-game-ever-thanks-to-drm-080913/ |archive-date=14 Sep 2008}}</ref> SecuROM stopped being supported by Sony quietly some time after 2017, the release date of the last SecuROM-protected title, [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Onyx Onyx]. In 2014, SecuROM was succeeded by a newer DRM system, [[Denuvo]], through a management buyout of its developer.




==Consumer impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}

==General problems==
===Optical-drive bugs===
Various releases of Secu-ROM have been known to sometimes struggle to even detect legitimate copies of games inside users' disc drives.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |author= |title=Copy Protection & DRM |url=https://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_9.html |website=TweakGuides |date= |access-date= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105161102/https://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_9.html |archive-date=5 Nov 2019}}</ref> Additionally, some optical drive models were simply incompatible with SecuROM.<ref name=":1" />

===Explicit Congestion Notification===
Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN), a feature seen on {{Wplink|Windows Vista}} which helped users with still connecting online with large networks, was required to be turned off because of how SecuROM functioned.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gladstone |first=Darren |title=Casual Friday: Why Spore Won't Work |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/536750/casual_spore_drm.html  |website=PC World |date=12 Sep 2008 |access-date=8 Mar 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128124013/https://www.pcworld.com/article/536750/casual_spore_drm.html  |archive-date=28 Nov 2021}}</ref>

===Software conflicts===
SecuROM also fought multiple other pieces of software,<ref name=":1" /> one of which being Process Explorer.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Spikeles |title=Securom blacklisted ProcessExplorer |url=http://forum.sysinternals.com/printer_friendly_posts.asp?TID=10337 |website=Windows Sysinternals |date=17 Mar 2007 |access-date= |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20160303171453/http://forum.sysinternals.com/printer_friendly_posts.asp?TID=10337 |archive-date=3 Mar 2016}}</ref>

===Installation limits===
Users who owned SecuROM-protected games would often be allotted a limited number of times that they can install their games. [[EA]]'s ''[[Spore]]'' had a limit of 3 installs (raised to 5), ''Bioshock'' had 2 (raised to 5, before being removed) and would even limit installs per user on the same device,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chan |first=Leo |title=One copy of BioShock per family (member)? |url=https://www.neoseeker.com/news/7091-one-copy-of-bioshock-per-family-member/ |website=NeoSeeker |date=5 Sep 2007 |access-date=8 Mar 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903190237/https://www.neoseeker.com/news/7091-one-copy-of-bioshock-per-family-member/ |archive-date=3 Sep 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=malloc |title=2K: Tell your brother to buy his own Bioshock, you didn't buy it for the whole family |url=http://maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=20470 |website=MaxConsole |date=5 Sep 2005 |access-date= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013211034/http://maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=20470 |archive-date=13 Oct 2007}}</ref> and Mass Effect had 3, but uninstallations would not increase the number of installs unlike other SecuROM titles.

===Degradation===
Because of the security features introduced by [[Microsoft]] to [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] 10 and later, many older SecuROM titles  cannot function on modern hardware without cracking or other means of circumvention.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=SecuROM |url=https://www.legoisland.org/wiki/SecuROM |website=LegoIsland |date= |access-date=8 Mar 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250305215810/https://www.legoisland.org/wiki/SecuROM |archive-date=5 Mar 2025}}</ref>

==Incidents==


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]].

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Game
!Release year
!Notable effects
!Relevant article
|-
|''BioShock''
|2007
|Users were limited to 2 installs of the game, and had to call in to be allowed further installs. It was raised soon to 5 after a misprint of a phone number in a manual,{{Citation needed}} and eventually the limit discontinued in 2008, however it took much longer before editions of BioShock would be officially released without SecuROM.
|
|-
|''Mass Effect''
|2007
|''Mass Effect'' was the first SecuROM game known to not refund installations for users, and also required that the game installation to be verified every 10 days.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Breckon |first=Nick |title=Electronic Arts Responds to Copy Protection Outcry, Removes 10-day SecuROM Check for the Troops |url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/52618/electronic-arts-responds-to-copy  |website=Shack News |date=9 May 2008 |access-date=8 Mar 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614165437/https://www.shacknews.com/article/52618/electronic-arts-responds-to-copy  |archive-date=14 Jun 2011}}</ref>
|
|-
|''[[Spore (game)|Spore]]''
|2008
|The application of SecuROM in ''Spore'' left the program trapped under always-online DRM,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Modern Vintage Gamer |title=SecuROM - The PC CD-ROM DRM that broke games {{!}} MVG |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8ltfyqD3lM |website=[[YouTube]] |date=25 Nov 2019 |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=u8ltfyqD3lM |archive-date=17 Jan 2025}}</ref> which in the 2000s was costly for anyone's internet bills. The popularity of this game, mixed in with its pre-emptive cracking, and DRM led to the title holding the record as the most pirated video game for years.<ref name=":0" /> Additionally, there were lawsuits that formed over the implementation of SecuROM inside ''Spore.''<ref>{{Cite web |author=
|title=Class Action Complaint |url=http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/09/23/Spore.pdf |website=Courthouse News |date=22 Sep 2008 |access-date= |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20160615114048/http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/09/23/Spore.pdf |archive-date=15 Jun 2016 |format=PDF}}</ref>
|
|-
|''Tron: Evolution''
|2010
|Towards the tail-end of SecuROM's usage in 2019, [[Disney]] decided to terminate their license, thus leading to all legitimate copies of ''Tron: Evolution'' to be unplayable, and the game was subsequently pulled from digital software vendors.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Geigner |first=Timothy |title=Disney's Decision Not To Renew SecuROM License Bricks 'Tron: Evolution' |url=https://www.techdirt.com/2019/12/06/disneys-decision-not-to-renew-securom-license-bricks-tron-evolution/ |website=techdirt |date=6 Dec 2019 |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307202754/https://www.techdirt.com/2019/12/06/disneys-decision-not-to-renew-securom-license-bricks-tron-evolution/ |archive-date=7 Mar 2022}}</ref> Disney claims to be currently updating the game to not have SecuROM, however after nearly six years since its termination, there has been no new updates upon whether the game will re-release
|
|-
|''Final Fantasy VII'' (PC, re-release)
|2012
|The distribution of the re-release of ''FF7'' for PCs caught users off guard when Square Enix distributed this version with SecuROM, and on release, servers were inaccessible, so users could not verify their licenses until much later.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fletcher |first=JC |title=Final Fantasy VII PC released early, then pulled |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/05/final-fantasy-vii-pc-released-early-then-pulled/ |website=Joystiq |date=5 Aug 2012 |access-date= |url-status=usurped |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20120808070024/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/05/final-fantasy-vii-pc-released-early-then-pulled/ |archive-date=8 Aug 2012}}</ref>
|
|}

==See also==
{{Ph-C-SA}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Sony]]

SecuROM

2026-03-20T02:02:47Z

Neige: Spore game link

{{ProductLineCargo
|ArticleType=
|Category=Digital rights management
|Company=Sony DADC
|InProduction=No
|Logo=SecuROM logo.svg
|ReleaseYear=1998
|Website=https://securom.com
|Description=
}}

'''{{Wplink|SecuROM}}''' is a [[digital rights management]] (DRM) system developed by [[Sony]] for PC games and first released in 1998.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=SecuROM |url=https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/SecuROM |website=PCGamingWiki |date= |access-date=8 Mar 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250502191929/https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/SecuROM |archive-date=2 May 2025}}</ref> Historically, SecuROM is well known for being the most agitating form of DRM of the 2000s, and its inclusion within [[Electronic Arts]]' ''Spore'' has led to the game retaining its position as the most pirated game to-date.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Van der Sar |first=Ernesto |title=Spore: Most Pirated Game Ever Thanks to DRM |url=https://torrentfreak.com/spore-most-pirated-game-ever-thanks-to-drm-080913/ |website=torrentfreak |date=13 Sep 2008 |access-date=8 Mar 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914020027/https://torrentfreak.com/spore-most-pirated-game-ever-thanks-to-drm-080913/ |archive-date=14 Sep 2008}}</ref> SecuROM stopped being supported by Sony quietly some time after 2017, the release date of the last SecuROM-protected title, [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Onyx Onyx]. In 2014, SecuROM was succeeded by a newer DRM system, [[Denuvo]], through a management buyout of its developer.




==Consumer impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}

==General problems==
===Optical-drive bugs===
Various releases of Secu-ROM have been known to sometimes struggle to even detect legitimate copies of games inside users' disc drives.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |author= |title=Copy Protection & DRM |url=https://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_9.html |website=TweakGuides |date= |access-date= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105161102/https://www.tweakguides.com/Piracy_9.html |archive-date=5 Nov 2019}}</ref> Additionally, some optical drive models were simply incompatible with SecuROM.<ref name=":1" />

===Explicit Congestion Notification===
Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN), a feature seen on {{Wplink|Windows Vista}} which helped users with still connecting online with large networks, was required to be turned off because of how SecuROM functioned.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gladstone |first=Darren |title=Casual Friday: Why Spore Won't Work |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/536750/casual_spore_drm.html  |website=PC World |date=12 Sep 2008 |access-date=8 Mar 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128124013/https://www.pcworld.com/article/536750/casual_spore_drm.html  |archive-date=28 Nov 2021}}</ref>

===Software conflicts===
SecuROM also fought multiple other pieces of software,<ref name=":1" /> one of which being Process Explorer.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Spikeles |title=Securom blacklisted ProcessExplorer |url=http://forum.sysinternals.com/printer_friendly_posts.asp?TID=10337 |website=Windows Sysinternals |date=17 Mar 2007 |access-date= |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20160303171453/http://forum.sysinternals.com/printer_friendly_posts.asp?TID=10337 |archive-date=3 Mar 2016}}</ref>

===Installation limits===
Users who owned SecuROM-protected games would often be allotted a limited number of times that they can install their games. [[EA]]'s ''[[Spore]]'' had a limit of 3 installs (raised to 5), ''Bioshock'' had 2 (raised to 5, before being removed) and would even limit installs per user on the same device,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chan |first=Leo |title=One copy of BioShock per family (member)? |url=https://www.neoseeker.com/news/7091-one-copy-of-bioshock-per-family-member/ |website=NeoSeeker |date=5 Sep 2007 |access-date=8 Mar 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903190237/https://www.neoseeker.com/news/7091-one-copy-of-bioshock-per-family-member/ |archive-date=3 Sep 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=malloc |title=2K: Tell your brother to buy his own Bioshock, you didn't buy it for the whole family |url=http://maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=20470 |website=MaxConsole |date=5 Sep 2005 |access-date= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013211034/http://maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=20470 |archive-date=13 Oct 2007}}</ref> and Mass Effect had 3, but uninstallations would not increase the number of installs unlike other SecuROM titles.

===Degradation===
Because of the security features introduced by [[Microsoft]] to [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] 10 and later, many older SecuROM titles  cannot function on modern hardware without cracking or other means of circumvention.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title=SecuROM |url=https://www.legoisland.org/wiki/SecuROM |website=LegoIsland |date= |access-date=8 Mar 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250305215810/https://www.legoisland.org/wiki/SecuROM |archive-date=5 Mar 2025}}</ref>

==Incidents==


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]].

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Game
!Release year
!Notable effects
!Relevant article
|-
|''BioShock''
|2007
|Users were limited to 2 installs of the game, and had to call in to be allowed further installs. It was raised soon to 5 after a misprint of a phone number in a manual,{{Citation needed}} and eventually the limit discontinued in 2008, however it took much longer before editions of BioShock would be officially released without SecuROM.
|
|-
|''Mass Effect''
|2007
|''Mass Effect'' was the first SecuROM game known to not refund installations for users, and also required that the game installation to be verified every 10 days.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Breckon |first=Nick |title=Electronic Arts Responds to Copy Protection Outcry, Removes 10-day SecuROM Check for the Troops |url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/52618/electronic-arts-responds-to-copy  |website=Shack News |date=9 May 2008 |access-date=8 Mar 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614165437/https://www.shacknews.com/article/52618/electronic-arts-responds-to-copy  |archive-date=14 Jun 2011}}</ref>
|
|-
|''[[Spore (game)|Spore]]''
|2008
|The application of SecuROM in ''Spore'' left the program trapped under always-online DRM,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Modern Vintage Gamer |title=SecuROM - The PC CD-ROM DRM that broke games {{!}} MVG |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8ltfyqD3lM |website=[[YouTube]] |date=25 Nov 2019 |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=u8ltfyqD3lM |archive-date=17 Jan 2025}}</ref> which in the 2000s was costly for anyone's internet bills. The popularity of this game, mixed in with its pre-emptive cracking, and DRM led to the title holding the record as the most pirated video game for years.<ref name=":0" /> Additionally, there were lawsuits that formed over the implementation of SecuROM inside ''Spore.''<ref>{{Cite web |author=
|title=Class Action Complaint |url=http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/09/23/Spore.pdf |website=Courthouse News |date=22 Sep 2008 |access-date= |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20160615114048/http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/09/23/Spore.pdf |archive-date=15 Jun 2016 |format=PDF}}</ref>
|
|-
|''Tron: Evolution''
|2010
|Towards the tail-end of SecuROM's usage in 2019, [[Disney]] decided to terminate their license, thus leading to all legitimate copies of ''Tron: Evolution'' to be unplayable, and the game was subsequently pulled from digital software vendors.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Geigner |first=Timothy |title=Disney's Decision Not To Renew SecuROM License Bricks 'Tron: Evolution' |url=https://www.techdirt.com/2019/12/06/disneys-decision-not-to-renew-securom-license-bricks-tron-evolution/ |website=techdirt |date=6 Dec 2019 |access-date=16 Mar 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307202754/https://www.techdirt.com/2019/12/06/disneys-decision-not-to-renew-securom-license-bricks-tron-evolution/ |archive-date=7 Mar 2022}}</ref> Disney claims to be currently updating the game to not have SecuROM, however after nearly six years since its termination, there has been no new updates upon whether the game will re-release
|
|-
|''Final Fantasy VII'' (PC, re-release)
|2012
|The distribution of the re-release of ''FF7'' for PCs caught users off guard when Square Enix distributed this version with SecuROM, and on release, servers were inaccessible, so users could not verify their licenses until much later.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fletcher |first=JC |title=Final Fantasy VII PC released early, then pulled |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/05/final-fantasy-vii-pc-released-early-then-pulled/ |website=Joystiq |date=5 Aug 2012 |access-date= |url-status=usurped |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20120808070024/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/05/final-fantasy-vii-pc-released-early-then-pulled/ |archive-date=8 Aug 2012}}</ref>
|
|}

==See also==
{{Ph-C-SA}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Sony]]

Enshittification

2026-03-12T23:01:31Z

Neige: Wikipedia link

{{Incomplete|Issue 1=Some sections are lacking adequate source population or quality|Issue 2=Some sections are far too brief, or aren't even written|Issue 3=Lack of depth; there's not enough links of data that connects each stage together, not to mention real-world examples of companies going through the full process.}}{{ToneWarning}}

'''[[wikipedia:Enshittification|Enshittification]]''', also known as '''crapification''' and '''platform decay''', is a pattern in which two-sided online products and services decline in quality over time. Initially, companies create high-quality offerings to attract users and undercut competition, then they degrade those offerings to better serve business customers, and finally degrade their services to users, business customers and workers to maximize profits for shareholders.

The term was first coined by tech blogger [[Cory Doctorow]] in November 2022<ref>{{Cite web |last=Doctorow |first=Cory |date=28 Nov 2022 |title=Pluralistic: How monopoly enshittified Amazon/28 Nov 2022 |url=https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/28/enshittification/ |url-status=live |access-date=18 Aug 2025 |website=Pluralistic |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260216121528/https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/28/enshittification/ |archive-date=16 Feb 2026}}</ref>, popularized by Arun Maini (Mrwhosetheboss)<ref>[https://www.uniladtech.com/news/tech-news/mrwhosetheboss-explains-google-search-broken-715030-20241030 Popular tech YouTuber exposes why 'broken' Google Search is falling apart] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251117215634/https://www.uniladtech.com/news/tech-news/mrwhosetheboss-explains-google-search-broken-715030-20241030 Archived])</ref><ref>The Internet is starting to Break - Here's Why. - Mrwhosetheboss</ref><ref>Why Google Search is Falling Apart. - Mrwhosetheboss</ref>, and has since gained widespread recognition.<ref>{{Cite web |title=enshittification |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/slang/enshittification |url-status=live |access-date=18 Aug 2025 |website=Merriam-Webster |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260222030743/https://www.merriam-webster.com/slang/enshittification |archive-date=22 Feb 2026}}</ref>

==How it works==
<blockquote>''"It is a seemingly inevitable consequence arising from the combination of the ease of changing how a platform allocates value, combined with the nature of a "two-sided market," where a platform sits between buyers and sellers, hold each hostage to the other, raking off an ever-larger share of the value that passes between them."'' - Cory Doctorow, ''Wired,'' 2023<ref>{{Cite web |last=Doctorow |first=Cory |date=23 Jan 2023 |title=The ‘Enshittification’ of TikTok |url=https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-platforms-cory-doctorow/ |url-status=live |access-date=18 Aug 2025 |website=WIRED |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260120085207/https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-platforms-cory-doctorow/ |archive-date=20 Jan 2026}}</ref></blockquote>Enshittification at its core is a three-stage process.

===Stage 1 - Incentivizing Mass Adoption===
Companies offer their product or service to users with great incentive to try and build an established userbase. It is usually during the early stage of the company is the most focused on providing a positive user experience and listening to feedback.

For example, [[Uber]] aggressively used investor capital to fund massive subsidies, paying to acquire both drivers and passengers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Uber Disrupted An Industry With An Explosive Approach |url=https://www.cascade.app/studies/uber-strategy-study#:~:text=Uber%20combined%20that%20initial%20campaign,rider%20sides%20faster%20and%20easier. |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251112132833/https://www.cascade.app/studies/uber-strategy-study |archive-date=12 Nov 2025}}</ref> It was initially well-received for offering competitive prices for transportation, leading to a large userbase adopting the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wolff |first=Micheal |date=22 Dec 2013 |title=Wolff: The tech company of the year is Uber |url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/wolff/2013/12/22/the-success-of-app-based-car-service-uber/4141669/ |url-status=live |access-date=18 Aug 2025 |website=USA TODAY |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250414222632/https://eu.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/wolff/2013/12/22/the-success-of-app-based-car-service-uber/4141669/ |archive-date=14 Apr 2025}}</ref>

===Stage 2 - Catering to Business Clients===
Once a stable userbase is locked in, companies begin offering access to the userbase to business customers with great incentive. This stage is usually when the user experience begins to decline as the company is now more focused on catering to partners such as suppliers and advertisers.

For example, in 2023, Reddit removed free access to their API nearing the time of its Initial public offering (IPO).<ref name="TheVergeAnnouncement">{{Cite web |last=Shakir |first=Umar |date=April 18, 2023 |title=Reddit's upcoming API changes will make AI companies pony up |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/18/23688463/reddit-developer-api-terms-change-monetization-ai |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614020642/https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/18/23688463/reddit-developer-api-terms-change-monetization-ai |archive-date=June 14, 2023 |access-date=June 17, 2023 |work=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> Then, in 2024, Reddit struck a $60 million deal with [[Google]] to give access to its user-generated content for AI training data.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tong |first=Anna |last2=Wang |first2=Echo |last3=Coulter |first3=Martin |last4=Tong |first4=Anna |last5=Wang |first5=Echo |date=2024-02-22 |title=Exclusive: Reddit in AI content licensing deal with Google |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/reddit-ai-content-licensing-deal-with-google-sources-say-2024-02-22/ |access-date=2025-06-20 |work=Reuters |language=en |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260112221447/https://www.reuters.com/technology/reddit-ai-content-licensing-deal-with-google-sources-say-2024-02-22/ |archive-date=12 Jan 2026}}</ref>

===Stage 3 - Quality Degradation for Shareholders===
When both users and business partners are locked in, the company shifts its surpluses to the shareholders. It no longer has any incentive to grow or maintain quality for either of its customer bases and relentlessly seeks profit at any rate for the shareholders. Companies at this stage also tend to have such a large market presence that switching barriers naturally (or intentionally) fall into place for those trying to leave for alternatives.

An ongoing example is [[YouTube]]'s [[YouTube#Crackdown against ad-blockers|crackdown on users using ad-blockers]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=YouTube intensifies crackdown on ad blockers {{!}} AdGuard |url=https://adguard.com/en/blog/youtube-new-banner-adblockers-violate-tos.html |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=AdGuard Blog |language=en}} ([http://web.archive.org/web/20251211160954/https://adguard.com/en/blog/youtube-new-banner-adblockers-violate-tos.html Archived])</ref> While such a crackdown might reduce [[Ad blocker|ad-blocker]] usage and increase short-term shareholder returns, it degrades the experience for users and reduces the quality of impressions for advertisers. Over 30% of the world's population uses YouTube, with a ~98% market share in online video media.<ref>{{Cite web |title=YouTube - Market Share, Competitor Insights in Media Players And Streaming Platforms |url=https://www.6sense.com/tech/media-players-and-streaming-platforms/youtube-market-share |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=6sense |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250429132430/https://6sense.com/tech/media-players-and-streaming-platforms/youtube-market-share |archive-date=29 Apr 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=23 Essential YouTube Statistics You Need to Know in 2025 |url=https://thesocialshepherd.com/blog/youtube-statistics |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=The Social Shepherd |language=en |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260124141601/https://thesocialshepherd.com/blog/youtube-statistics |archive-date=24 Jan 2026}}</ref>

==Why it is a problem==

===Erosion of user experiences===
It can cause frustration among customers, for example [[Netflix]] has started locking down movies behind expensive plans, so customers are frustrated into subscribing to a more expensive plan.

Enshittification can also lead to [[wikipedia:Feature creep|feature creep]] - especially when new features of a product are intended to further lock in users and increase revenue. This creep can lead to an overall reduction in performance due to [[Bloatware|bloat]] and increased complexity, reducing a product's usability. A prime example of feature creep caused in large part by late-stage enshittification is Microsoft Windows.

===Switching barriers===
Enshittified platforms that act as intermediaries can act as both a monopoly on services and a monopsony on customers, as high switching barriers prevent either from leaving even when better alternatives technically exist. These barriers can be intentionally put in place - such as restricting the user's ability to transfer data or communicate between platforms - or unintentional, such as a platform's userbase being so large that it naturally makes it near impossible for users or partners to find equivalent engagement on an alternative platform.

An example of this would be a long-time eBay seller hoping to leave the site for an alternative with lower fees (possibly Mercari or Etsy). They might first encounter issues migrating all of their listings over to the new platform; a process which could be tedious. Their feedback history will certainly not carry over to the new platform so buyers are initially less likely to view them as trustworthy, potentially impacting sales. Lastly, the alternative platform likely has a vastly smaller userbase than eBay so despite all the possible benefits - the seller is less likely to be successful on the new platform than they are on eBay.

Such switching barriers can create an adversarial relationship between platform users or business partners and the company they're dependent on. The users or partners cannot be successful without access to the wide reach of the platform - but it leaves them wholly dependent on a company that no longer has their best interests in mind.

===Platform death===
A potential end-scenario for enshittified platforms is death, usually caused by a large enough exodus of users and business partners, and a general loss of trust. A platform may not truly "die" per se, but it can completely lose the identity that made it successful in the first place - and might not ever regain it. An ongoing example is [[X Corp|Twitter]] post Elon Musk's takeover. Under its new ownership and branding, the platform drove away swathes of its userbase and advertisers to alternative platforms (such as Bluesky) after its policy shifts proved widely unpopular.

However, the death of an enshittified platform is not an entirely positive end result. It uproots a long established userbase and can greatly disrupt their activities. There is also the chance that alternative platforms lack feature parity with the old platform or that it might not even be able to support the massive influx of new users - at least for some amount of time. At worst, data loss could be involved meaning years worth of information - if not archived beforehand - could potentially be lost if a platform shuts down in some capacity.

==Possible solutions==

===End-to-end principal===
...

===Right of exit===
{{see also|Click-to-cancel|Interoperability}}
The right of exit, or Data portability, is the right of a user to leave a platform without losing the data stored on it, and instead being able to export it and access it in various applications of the user's liking.<ref>{{Cite web |title=DataPortability Project |url=http://www.dataportability.org/ |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090723171111/http://www.dataportability.org/ |archive-date=23 Jul 2009 |access-date=18 Aug 2025 |website=DataPortability}}</ref>

==Examples==
===E-commerce===
In Doctorow's original post, he discussed the practices of Amazon. The online retailer initially drew in users with products sold below cost and free shipping. Once its userbase was well established, more sellers began to sell their products through Amazon. Finally, Amazon began to add fees to increase profits. In 2023, over 45% of the sale price of items went to Amazon in the form of various fees. Amazon also allows sellers the ability to push their listing higher in search results via its paid Sponsored Products program. Doctorow described advertisement within Amazon as a payola scheme in which sellers bid against one another for search-ranking preference, and said that the first five pages of a search for "cat beds" were half advertisements

eBay is another e-commerce site that followed a similar trajectory, initially offering low fees and a robust buying/selling protection system. Once its userbase of largely secondhand buyers and sellers was solidified, eBay raised seller fees and began incentivizing large volume sellers - often actual businesses - with lower selling fees should they subscribe to eBay Store. eBay sellers are also no longer able to leave negative feedback for buyers, greatly reducing the ability of sellers to avoid bad actors. Since then, eBay has introduced promoted listings that are effectively analogous to Amazon's paid sponsored listing system. eBay has also encouraged sellers to use AI generated descriptions that often misrepresent the condition of items being sold, along with opting all of its users into in-house AI training [[Ebay AI opt in by default|by default]] as of its April 21, 2025 privacy policy revision.

===Media streaming platforms===
The enshittification of Netflix is similarly reflected in other competing streaming platforms such as YouTube TV and Amazon Prime Video, where prices have increased despite a decline (or at least no perceivable improvement) in overall service quality. Multiple providers have also downgraded their cheapest paid plans to now come bundled with ads.

===Search engines===
Google started as an ad-free search engine, but over time more paid insertions have been included on the top of the search without a clear and visible distinction between ads and actual legitimate results. In 2024, Google started rolling out AI Overview, but the roll-out was rushed. The AI Overview showed inaccurate, potentially dangerous overviews, such as encouraging eating rocks, suggesting putting glue on top of pizza as a solution to cheese sliding off, encouraging smoking during pregnancy, encouraging suicide and suggesting users to jump off the golden gate bridge.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goodwin |first=Danny |date=24 May 2024 |title=Google AI Overviews under fire for giving dangerous and wrong answers |url=https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-overview-fails-442575 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250623180113/https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-overview-fails-442575 |archive-date=23 Jun 2025 |access-date=21 Jul 2025 |work=Search Engine Land}}</ref> Google has responded to those issues and temporarily disabled the AI overview. While those incidents have been fixed and the AI Overview has been made available again, the AI overview still shows inaccurate results, often citing satire comments as factual sources, or making stuff up. The AI overview has also been criticized for reducing traffic towards genuine sites, where instead of visiting sites to get the information, the information is displayed on top, where people don't have to visit sites to get the information they were looking for, and is also a cause of privacy concerns.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=15 Jul 2025 |title=Google Discover adds AI summaries, threatening publishers with further traffic declines |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/15/google-discover-adds-ai-summaries-threatening-publishers-with-further-traffic-declines/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250718124612/https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/15/google-discover-adds-ai-summaries-threatening-publishers-with-further-traffic-declines/ |archive-date=18 Jul 2025 |access-date=21 Jul 2025 |work=TechCrunch}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Bellan |first=Rebecca |date=10 Jun 2025 |title=Google’s AI search features are killing traffic to publishers |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/10/googles-ai-overviews-are-killing-traffic-for-publishers/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250714040741/https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/10/googles-ai-overviews-are-killing-traffic-for-publishers/ |archive-date=14 Jul 2025 |access-date=21 Jul 2025 |work=TechCrunch}}</ref>

===Social media===
'''[[Facebook]]:'''

Facebook has shifted from a network for personal connection to a platform dominated by advertising and algorithmic manipulation. User data is monetised at the expense of privacy, while the quality of organic content has steadily declined.

'''[[Instagram]]:'''

Once centred on creativity and social sharing, Instagram now prioritises sponsored posts, shopping features, and influencer marketing. Users’ ability to control their feeds has been reduced, reflecting the platform’s focus on profit over consumer experience.

'''[[Reddit]]:'''

Reddit’s 2023 API changes exemplify enshitification, undermining community tools and third-party apps in favour of advertising revenue. This has eroded user autonomy and restricted consumer choice.

'''[[X Corp|Twitter/X]]:'''

Following its acquisition and rebrand, Twitter/X introduced paywalls for basic features, weakened moderation, and increased promoted content. The result has been a degraded service and a diminished consumer experience.

'''[[TikTok]]:'''

TikTok’s powerful recommendation algorithm drives engagement but also funnels users into repetitive content while saturating feeds with advertising. Concerns over data exploitation further highlight the imbalance between corporate gain and consumer rights.

'''[[YouTube]]:'''

YouTube has expanded ad loads and aggressively promoted subscriptions, while algorithmic changes often disadvantage independent creators. Consumers face reduced choice and increased intrusion, hallmarks of enshitification.

'''[[Discord]]:'''

Discord's primary selling point is that it is the most-used method of communication, especially for communities, online.{{Citation needed}} Because of this dominance, it has caused barriers for users intending to switch to alternative platforms such as Stoat or Matrix, as a lack of common users between platforms makes it difficult for more users to transfer over.{{Citation needed}} This fact has been abused by Discord with its infrastructure showing signs of decay,{{Citation needed}} the introduction of advertisements in the format of "quests",{{Citation needed}} and the degradation of free perks.{{Citation needed}}

===Software===
'''[[Adobe]]:'''

*Forced shift from perpetual licenses to subscriptions.
Beginning in 2013 with Creative Cloud, Adobe eliminated the option to purchase perpetual licenses for core products like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere. Users must now maintain an ongoing subscription to access the software at all. Cancelling payments disables applications regardless of prior investment, dramatically increasing long-term costs and removing user ownership in favor of recurring subscriptions.
*Loss of access to files after subscription ends.
Many Adobe file formats (PSD, AI, INDD, AE project files) are proprietary and poorly supported by third-party software. When a subscription ends, users become unable to open, export, or meaningfully edit their own historical work, effectively holding user-created content hostage to enforce continued payment.
*Mandatory Creative Cloud account and DRM for offline tools.
Applications that run locally require frequent online authentication through the Creative Cloud desktop app. Forced sign-ins, background services, and periodic license checks can disable software unexpectedly, undermining reliability and making professional tools dependent on Adobe’s servers.
*Dark patterns in subscription cancellation and pricing.
Adobe’s subscription plans use confusing billing structures (such as “annual plans billed monthly”) that impose early termination fees. Cancellation flows are deliberately complex, with obscured options and repeated retention prompts, resulting in users paying longer than intended or being penalized for leaving.

'''[[Microsoft Windows]]:'''

*Forced Microsoft account sign-in.
Beginning with Windows 10 and further enforced in Windows 11, Microsoft increasingly requires users to sign in with a Microsoft account during setup. This restricts offline use, obscures the option to create a local account, and facilitates expanded telemetry collection and ecosystem lock-in.
*Built-in advertising in a paid operating system.
Despite being a commercial software, Windows includes advertisements and promotional content in the Start Menu, lock screen, system notifications, and settings panels, used to promote Microsoft 365, OneDrive, Edge, and other services and other proprietary software. Even when users disable these features, they are frequently re-enabled after major updates.
*Dark patterns in bundled applications.
Microsoft applications repeatedly nudge users toward Microsoft-preferred choices. Edge persistently prompts users to become the default browser and displays warnings when switching away. OneDrive frames cloud uploads as “protecting your files,” obscuring the fact that local folders are being redirected to Microsoft’s servers. Subscription prompts often lack a clear “Never ask again” option, offering only choices such as “Try for free” or “Maybe later” as in Microsoft365.
*Increased unavoidable telemetry.
Telemetry and diagnostic data collection are enabled by default, with only limited controls available to disable or reduce them—particularly in non-Enterprise editions. Some data collection is mandatory and vaguely documented, undermining informed consent.
*Loss of user control over updates.
Windows updates cannot be permanently disabled through standard settings. Users can only defer updates for a limited period (up to four weeks), after which downloads and installations are often forced, sometimes causing unexpected restarts or re-enabling previously disabled features without user consent.
*Bundled software bloat.
Windows ships with numerous preinstalled Microsoft applications that are not essential to core OS functionality. These apps are installed without explicit user consent and may reappear after major updates even if previously removed.
*Degraded local search in favor of web search.
The start menu and file search experience has progressively gotten worse, blending local results with Bing web searches. This often prioritizes online content and advertisements over fast, predictable local file and application discovery, reducing usability in order to promote Microsoft’s search and advertising ecosystem.

===Video Games===
'''[[Unity Engine runtime fee|Unity]]:'''

Unity Software Inc. implemented sweeping changes to its pricing model for Unity that would affect all users of the engine, forcing users to either adopt their per-download fee or de-list their games.

'''Mobile Games:'''A lot of mobile games have fell into enshittifed experiences. A lot of mobile games were paid in the early days of the [[Apple App Store]], but then became [[Free to Play]] with users being bombarded with ads, [[Microtransactions|micro-transactions]], [[Battle passes|battle-passes]], energy-systems and more, to extract as much money out of the player's pocket, while making the experience less fun. The video game Angry-Birds is a good example of this. What started as a very simple game now has all of the aforementioned tactics baked into it, rendering the playing experience tedious and unpleasant.

===Learning Applications===
'''[[Duolingo]]:'''

...

{{See also|Network effects}}

==Further reading==

*https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/30/go-nuts-meine-kerle/#ich-bin-ein-bratapfel

==External links==

*[https://gavinhoward.com/2023/11/your-loved-ones-are-prisoners-and-you-made-the-chain "Digital chains and modern feudalism"]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Common terms]]

VitalSource

2026-03-12T19:10:36Z

Neige: Founded date

{{CompanyCargo
|Industry=Digital textbooks, Educational technology
|Type=Private
|Website=https://www.vitalsource.com/
|Description=Digital textbook and course material provider for higher education
|Founded=1994}}

'''[[wikipedia:VitalSource|VitalSource]]''' is a digital textbook & course material provider serving students & educational institutions, primarily in the United States higher education market. The company offers digital access to textbooks & other educational content through its online platform & apps, with various license durations including short-term rentals & what it markets as "lifetime" access.

==Consumer-impact summary==
==Incidents==
==="Lifetime" access controversy (December 2024)===
{{Main|VitalSource "Lifetime" false advertising}}
VitalSource markets certain digital textbook licenses as offering "lifetime" access while defining this term as a limited five-year period. The practice came to wider attention in December 2024 when VitalSource published a California disclosure page in response to AB 2426, a state law requiring companies to clearly disclose when digital goods are licensed rather than owned. Despite this disclosure, VitalSource continues to use the term "lifetime" in its storefront marketing without prominently displaying the five-year limitation alongside shorter-duration options that do show explicit expiration dates

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

VitalSource

2026-03-12T19:02:18Z

Neige: Wikipedia link

{{CompanyCargo
|Industry=Digital textbooks,Educational technology
|Type=Private
|Website=https://www.vitalsource.com/
|Description=Digital textbook and course material provider for higher education
}}'''[[wikipedia:VitalSource|VitalSource]]''' is a digital textbook & course material provider serving students & educational institutions, primarily in the United States higher education market. The company offers digital access to textbooks & other educational content through its online platform & apps, with various license durations including short-term rentals & what it markets as "lifetime" access.

==Consumer-impact summary==
==Incidents==
==="Lifetime" access controversy (December 2024)===
{{Main|VitalSource "Lifetime" false advertising}}
VitalSource markets certain digital textbook licenses as offering "lifetime" access while defining this term as a limited five-year period. The practice came to wider attention in December 2024 when VitalSource published a California disclosure page in response to AB 2426, a state law requiring companies to clearly disclose when digital goods are licensed rather than owned. Despite this disclosure, VitalSource continues to use the term "lifetime" in its storefront marketing without prominently displaying the five-year limitation alongside shorter-duration options that do show explicit expiration dates

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

Kerbal Space Program 2

2026-03-12T01:22:49Z

Neige: Wikipedia link

{{IncidentCargo
|Company=Take Two, Private Division
|StartDate=2019
|EndDate=2025
|Status=Active
|Product=KSP2
|ArticleType=Product
|Type=Product Termination, Abandonware
|Description=KSP2 turned into abandonware, still being sold and charging full price for the game that was never finished.
}}''[[wikipedia:Kerbal_Space_Program_2|'''Kerbal Space Program 2''']]'' is a game designed by Intercept Games and published by Private Division as a sequel to ''Kerbal Space Program''. It was released on Steam in early access on February 24, 2023. Currently, the game is still in early access and costs $49.99.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Kerbal Space Program 2 |url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/954850/Kerbal_Space_Program_2/ |url-status=live |access-date=27 Aug 2025 |website=Steam |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260118091424/https://store.steampowered.com/app/954850/Kerbal_Space_Program_2/ |archive-date=18 Jan 2026}}</ref> Steam lists no updates to the game since June 11, 2024.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Kerbal Space Program 2 |url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/954850?updates=true |url-status=live |access-date=27 Aug 2025 |website=Steam News Hub |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250825183807/https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/954850?updates=true |archive-date=25 Aug 2025}}</ref>

==Background==
''Kerbal Space Program 2'' entered development in 2017 and was initially planned for release in 2020. Development issues pushed back the release of the early access version to February 24, 2023.

==Incident==
On April 29, 2024, Take-Two Interactive Software, the owner of Private Division and Intercept Games, posted a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification to the Washington State Employment Security Department indicating that they planned to close their subsidiary Intercept Games, the developer of ''Kerbal Space Program 2'', on June 28, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) |url=https://esd.wa.gov/about-employees/WARN |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241103073147/https://esd.wa.gov/about-employees/warn |archive-date=3 Nov 2024|access-date=27 Aug 2025 |website=ESDWAGOV}}</ref> Senior team manager Quinn Duffy confirmed on LinkedIn that the team would be laid off on that day, <ref>{{Cite web |last=Duffy |first=Quinn |title=Post |url=https://www.linkedin.com/posts/quinn-duffy_well-here-we-go-again-the-team-at-intercept-activity-7201280703215394816-uyzd/ |url-status=live |access-date=27 Aug 2025 |website=LinkedIn |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240731205415/https://www.linkedin.com/posts/quinn-duffy_well-here-we-go-again-the-team-at-intercept-activity-7201280703215394816-uyzd/ |archive-date=31 Jul 2024}}</ref> although Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick claimed otherwise.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Valentine |first=Rebekah |date=16 May 2024 |title=Take-Two CEO on Intercept, Roll7: 'We Didn't Shutter Those Studios' |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/take-two-ceo-on-intercept-roll7-we-didnt-shutter-those-studios |url-status=live |access-date=27 Aug 2025 |website=IGN |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251213052418/https://www.ign.com/articles/take-two-ceo-on-intercept-roll7-we-didnt-shutter-those-studios |archive-date=13 Dec 2025}}</ref> Take-Two later confirmed the sale of Private Division, ''Kerbal''<nowiki/>'s publisher, to an unknown buyer, preferring to focus on AAA titles.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Batchelor |first=James |date=6 Nov 2024 |title=Zelnick on Private Division sale: "Those projects were smaller, we're in the business of big hits" |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/zelnick-on-private-division-sale-those-projects-were-smaller-were-in-the-business-of-big-hits |url-status=live |access-date=27 Aug 2025 |website=GamesIndustry.biz |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251219035055/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/zelnick-on-private-division-sale-those-projects-were-smaller-were-in-the-business-of-big-hits |archive-date=19 Dec 2025}}</ref>

''Kerbal Space Program 2'' has not seen any updates since June 11, 2024 and remains in early access.<ref name=":1" />

==Consumer response==
''Kerbal Space Program'' fans and buyers left over 4,000 negative reviews on the sequel's Steam page within the three months following the announcement of Intercept Games' closure. At the same time, positive reviews diminished sharply, bringing the Steam page's all-time average to "Mostly Negative."<ref name=":0" />

One recent Steam review with over 500 "helpful" ratings reads:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Minderbinder |first=Milo |date=26 Jul 2025 |title=Review for Kerbal Space Program 2 |url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/thatissoawsome/recommended/954850/ |url-status=live |access-date=27 Aug 2025 |website=Steam Community}}</ref><blockquote>Abandonware. This should at least be removed from the steam store and ideally all people who purchased the game should be refunded.

Do not buy. Get KSP1. Do not fund these practices.</blockquote>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Ph-I-C}}

Bosch

2026-03-12T01:08:09Z

Neige: Added link to Shimano page

{{Incomplete|Issue 1=Missing sections|Issue 2=Needs additional references}}{{CompanyCargo
|Description=German engineering company.
|Founded=1886
|Industry=Automotive, Electronics, Technology
|Logo=Bosch.svg
|ParentCompany=
|Type=Private
|Website=https://www.bosch.com/
}}
'''{{wplink|Bosch (company)|Robert Bosch GmbH}}''', commonly known as '''Bosch''' (styled '''BOSCH'''), is a German multinational engineering and technology company founded in 1886 by Robert Bosch.

==Consumer-impact summary==
{{Placeholder box|Overview of concerns that arise from the company's conduct regarding (if applicable):
* User freedom
* User privacy
* Business model
* Market control}}

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].
===E-bike batteries===
Only the e-bike batteries from Bosch themselves can be used on the modern e-bikes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peace |first=Richard |date=23 Feb 2023 |title=Replacement Electric Bike Batteries Guide |url=https://electricbikereport.com/replacement-electric-bike-batteries/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325202127/https://electricbikereport.com/replacement-electric-bike-batteries/ |archive-date=25 Mar 2023 |access-date=21 Jun 2025 |website=Electric Bike Report |quote=Only Bosch manufactured batteries will be used on any new Bosch e-bike – this has always been the case and so it makes advice on interchangeability a little more straightforward than with the likes of Shimano and Brose who have both allowed the use of third party batteries with their mid-drive motor systems.}}</ref>

Many e-bikes, like those of Bosch or [[Shimano]], have their own proprietary systems, making it complicated for third-parties to provide spare parts, which would also void the warranty of the e-bike. [[Right to repair]] legislation would make it easier to provide spare batteries for these e-bikes, which the industry is against by claiming it would be unsafe.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grist |last2=Stone |first2=Maddie |date=10 Aug 2023 |title=E-bike companies are fighting to be exempted from right-to-repair laws |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90935615/e-bike-companies-are-fighting-to-be-exempted-from-right-to-repair-laws |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811193642/https://www.fastcompany.com/90935615/e-bike-companies-are-fighting-to-be-exempted-from-right-to-repair-laws |archive-date=11 Aug 2023 |access-date=21 Jun 2025 |website=Fast Company}}</ref>

===Dishwasher with home connect system===
{{Main|Bosch Cloud Dishwasher Incident}}
The home connect system mandates that users connect their dishwasher to Wi‑Fi and register for a Home Connect account in order to access essential functions—such as rinse cycles, eco mode, and delay start—that were previously available directly via physical controls.{{CitationNeeded|reason=I'm seeing some em's, if it's AI, we're going to need a citation}}

===Washing Machine planned obsolescence===
Recent models now have a sealed drum which prevent replacing the bearing or drum spider independently. Additionally the whole drum assembly replacement is sold at a price making it's replacement prohibitive.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2025-11-14 |title=The Truth About SEALED Drums: Naming & Shaming |url=https://youtu.be/crzZEvFf_L4?si=DkgU7zG2lSyuh8nK&t=50 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=crzZEvFf_L4 |archive-date=16 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===Refrigerator cameras deactivated===
Bosch announced that cameras in smart fridges would lose their function on March 31st, 2026. The company worded this as ''"adjusting digital features inside the Home-Connect environment"'' ''("die digitalen Funktionen innerhalb der Home-Connect-Umgebung anzupassen")'' and cites low market demand and unspecified technological advancements as the reasons. In 2022, Bosch had already restricted features to analyse the refrigerator content to get tips for ideal placement of items and recipes for using up leftovers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pakalski |first=Ingo |date=2026-02-25 |title=Bosch deaktiviert Innenkameras in verkauften Kühlschränken [Bosch deactivates interior cameras in refrigerators that have already been sold] |url=https://www.golem.de/news/smart-home-bosch-deaktiviert-innenkameras-in-verkauften-kuehlschraenken-2602-205832.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/vfAGL |archive-date=2026-02-25 |access-date=2026-02-05 |website=Golem}}</ref>

==Products==

*[[Bosch Spexor]] (2019)
*Bosch 500 series dishwasher
*Bosch Series 4, Series 6 washing machines (check specific model numbers in video description of <ref name=":0" />)
*Bosch GLM 50 C

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Home appliance companies]]

Shimano

2026-03-12T01:04:20Z

Neige: Removed incidents delete me box.

{{StubNotice}}

{{CompanyCargo|Founded=1921|Industry=Bicycling, fishing, and rowing|Type=Public|Website=https://www.shimano.com/en/|Description=Shimano Inc. is a Japanese company that produces cycling components, fishing tackle, and rowing equipment. The company was founded and named after Shozaburo Shimano.|CompanyAlias=Shimano Industries, Inc.}}

[[wikipedia:Shimano|'''Shimano Inc.''']] is a Japanese multinational manufacturing company that produces bicycling components, fishing tackle, and rowing equipment. The company was founded by and named after Shozaburo Shimano.

==Consumer-impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].
===Electrical component installation restrictions===
Customers with Shimano motors including the EP6 and EP801 are restricted from connecting electrical equipment such as lights to their E-bikes. What used to be a click on an app is now a trip to a bike shop or paying hundreds for diagnostic equipment.<ref>{{Cite web |first=RunBikeMike |date=1 Jan 2024 |title=Installing an EBike Light To Run Off Your Battery / MagicShine ME2000 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvG7Fpb1tzI&t=50s |url-status=live |access-date=11 March 2026 |website=YouTube}}</ref>
==Products==
{{Ph-C-P}}

==See also==

*[[E-Bike Tuning Detection: Bosch and Yamaha’s Anti-Tampering Systems]]
*[[Bosch]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Shimano

2026-03-12T00:54:10Z

Neige:

{{StubNotice}}

{{CompanyCargo|Founded=1921|Industry=Bicycling, fishing, and rowing|Type=Public|Website=https://www.shimano.com/en/|Description=Shimano Inc. is a Japanese company that produces cycling components, fishing tackle, and rowing equipment. The company was founded and named after Shozaburo Shimano.|CompanyAlias=Shimano Industries, Inc.}}

[[wikipedia:Shimano|'''Shimano Inc.''']] is a Japanese multinational manufacturing company that produces bicycling components, fishing tackle, and rowing equipment. The company was founded by and named after '''Shozaburo Shimano'''.

==Consumer-impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}

==Incidents==
{{Ph-C-Inc}}

This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].
===Electrical component installation restrictions===
Customers with Shimano motors including the EP6 and EP801 are restricted from connecting electrical equipment such as lights to their E-bikes. What used to be a click on an app is now a trip to a bike shop or paying hundreds for diagnostic equipment.<ref>{{Cite web |first=RunBikeMike |date=1 Jan 2024 |title=Installing an EBike Light To Run Off Your Battery / MagicShine ME2000 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvG7Fpb1tzI&t=50s |url-status=live |access-date=11 March 2026 |website=YouTube}}</ref>
==Products==
{{Ph-C-P}}

==See also==

* [[E-Bike Tuning Detection: Bosch and Yamaha’s Anti-Tampering Systems]]
* [[Bosch]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Shimano

2026-03-12T00:50:22Z

Neige: Added basic information about Shimano and an incident.

{{CompanyCargo|Founded=1921|Industry=Bicycling, fishing, and rowing|Type=Public|Website=https://www.shimano.com/en/|Description=Shimano Inc. is a Japanese company that produces cycling components, fishing tackle, and rowing equipment. The company was founded and named after Shozaburo Shimano.|CompanyAlias=Shimano Industries, Inc.}}

[[wikipedia:Shimano|'''Shimano Inc.''']] is a Japanese multinational manufacturing company that produces bicycling components, fishing tackle, and rowing equipment. The company was founded by and named after '''Shozaburo Shimano'''.

==Consumer-impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}

==Incidents==
{{Ph-C-Inc}}

This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].
===Electrical component installation restrictions===
Customers with Shimano motors including the EP6 and EP801 are restricted from connecting electrical equipment such as lights to their E-bikes. What used to be a click on an app is now a trip to a bike shop or paying hundreds for diagnostic equipment.<ref>{{Cite web |first=RunBikeMike |date=1 Jan 2024 |title=Installing an EBike Light To Run Off Your Battery / MagicShine ME2000 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvG7Fpb1tzI&t=50s |url-status=live |access-date=11 March 2026 |website=YouTube}}</ref>
==Products==
{{Ph-C-P}}

==See also==

* [[E-Bike Tuning Detection: Bosch and Yamaha’s Anti-Tampering Systems]]
* [[Bosch]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Shimano

2026-03-12T00:15:06Z

Neige: Added basic information about Shimano.

{{CompanyCargo|Founded=1921|Industry=Bicycling, fishing, and rowing,|Type=Public|Website=https://www.shimano.com/en/|Description=Shimano Inc. is a Japanese company that produces cycling components, fishing tackle, and rowing equipment. The company was founded and named after Shozaburo Shimano.}}
{{Ph-C-Int}}

==Consumer-impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}

==Incidents==
{{Ph-C-Inc}}

This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].
===Example incident one (''date'')===
{{Main|link to the main CR Wiki article}}
Short summary of the incident (could be the same as the summary preceding the article).
===Example incident two (''date'')===
...

==Products==
{{Ph-C-P}}

==See also==
{{Ph-C-SA}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Shimano

2026-03-11T23:59:24Z

Neige: Created page with "{{CompanyCargo}} {{Ph-C-Int}} ==Consumer-impact summary== {{Ph-C-CIS}} ==Incidents== {{Ph-C-Inc}} This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the {{PAGENAME}} category. ===Example incident one (''date'')=== {{Main|link to the main CR Wiki article}} Short summary of the incident (could be the same as the summary preceding the article). ===Exa..."

{{CompanyCargo}}
{{Ph-C-Int}}

==Consumer-impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}

==Incidents==
{{Ph-C-Inc}}

This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].
===Example incident one (''date'')===
{{Main|link to the main CR Wiki article}}
Short summary of the incident (could be the same as the summary preceding the article).
===Example incident two (''date'')===
...

==Products==
{{Ph-C-P}}

==See also==
{{Ph-C-SA}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

User:Neige

2026-03-11T03:15:14Z

Neige: User page

Hello.

I was partly brought here after facing issues with my Bosch E-bike motor. It seems like the very moment a computer or wire is installed in a consumer product, greedy Bosch wants to take full control of it. Bosch warranties are written like they expect the customer to maintain their bike at a professional level but Bosch also seems to assume that customers are not smart enough to deserve access to the things they own. For example, I can't access diagnostic software to plug in a new light without going to a qualified bike shop. Also, their refusal to accept third party components is probably why they are able to get away with selling spare batteries for $1200. That's almost the price of the whole bike!

Article suggestions

2026-03-06T15:24:29Z

Neige: Removed "may" to improve statement.

This page is dedicated towards providing a communal list for users to submit potential articles to feature on the wiki, and to give editors inspiration on what pages they might want to add to the wiki. If you create an article based on an entry from this list, or see that someone else has done so, please make sure to delete the row from this page in order to prevent confusion.

Sources should be inserted within the 'refs' section of the table. If using the visual editor, take advantage of '<nowiki/>'''insert reference'''<nowiki/>' via ''''ctrl + shift + k'''<nowiki/>' so that the sources are quick to add to future articles. If you are using the source editor, feel free to copy and paste the formatting from other correctly formatted references on the page. The more sources you include with an article idea, the more likely it is that others will pick the article idea up and run with it, so please attempt to include a good variety of descriptive sources!

Please take note of the wiki's [[Consumer Rights Wiki:Inclusion guidelines|Inclusion criteria]] when submitting article suggestions. If you see article suggestions here which do not fit the Wiki, feel free to remove them, leaving your reasoning in an edit note.

If you are an editor looking for further inspiration to write an article, you can also check out the [[Louis Rossmann - Video Directory|Louis Rossmann video directory]] for a good collection of potential articles.

==Example==
Below is an example of what an entry should appear as:
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Company
!Summary of Incident
!Refs
|-
|[[Nintendo]]
|In 2025, the company Nintendo stripped Switch 2 consoles that used the MIG switch cartridge of all online functionality
|<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Scattered Brain |date=Jun 16, 2025 |title=Soo... Nintendo banned my Switch 2 (Don't try the MIG Switch!) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExgYTA18_vo&t=656s |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=ExgYTA18_vo |archive-date=22 Feb 2026|access-date=Jun 18, 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Orland |first=Kyle |date=Jun 17, 2025 |title=Switch 2 users report online console bans after running personal game “backups” |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/06/playing-personal-game-backups-could-get-your-switch-2-banned-by-nintendo/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251222013641/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/06/playing-personal-game-backups-could-get-your-switch-2-banned-by-nintendo/ |archive-date=22 Dec 2025|access-date=Jun 19, 2025 |work=Ars Technica}}</ref>
|}

==List of incidents not yet covered==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Company
!Summary of Incident
!Refs
|-
|[[ABC Financial Services]]
|Manages memberships and recurring service subscriptions for other companies. Prevents customers from being able to cancel a service by locking them into a never-ending cycle of auto renewals, and not allowing the customer to opt out of auto renewal.
|-
|Affinity / [[Canva]] page created needs editors to help
|Canva purchases [[Serif]]; the owner of perpetual license design software Affinity Publisher, Designer, and Photo on March 26th 2024. Provides a pledge to assure users that Canva will not "ruin" the suite. In October 2025, Affinity users are locked out of the community forum for a new "Creative Freedom" announcement on October 30th 2025. Complete radio silence for a whole month while they tease long term users on Twitter and Discord. Finally on October 30th 2025, the new Affinity software is announced as "free". Instead, all creative professionals that used the original software are forced to create a new Canva account to access the new Affinity and thus agree to Canva's ToS<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2025-10-30 |title=Canva Terms of Use |url=https://www.canva.com/policies/terms-of-use/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128105545/https://www.canva.com/policies/terms-of-use/ |archive-date=28 Jan 2026|website=Canva Legal Trust Center}}</ref>. Affinity redirects the pledge page to an announcement for the new software, effectively burying the original pledge<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2024-03-27 |title=The Affinity and Canva Pledge |url=https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/press/newsroom/affinity-and-canva-pledge |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251002083749/https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/press/newsroom/affinity-and-canva-pledge/ |archive-date=2025-10-02 |website=web.archive.org}}</ref>. Questions about Canva now being able to monetize the work of professionals to train their own AI models sold to Canva users are left unanswered. Free, but at what cost?
EDIT: Initial article has been written but needs more work, citation, and verification. [[Canva adds arbitration clause for future Affinity Studio users|See this article here]].
|<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" />
|-
|[[Alibaba]]
|[[wikipedia:Alibaba_Group|WP]]
|
|-
|[[Amazon]]
|Amazon renders Fire TV Blaster unusable, offers Amazon gift card to affected customers
|<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.heise.de/en/news/Amazon-makes-Fire-TV-Blaster-unusable-11145570.html |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260120070820/https://www.heise.de/en/news/Amazon-makes-Fire-TV-Blaster-unusable-11145570.html |archive-date=20 Jan 2026}}</ref>
|-
|[[Anker]]
|In Anker's Terms of Service for Solix solar generator product, under 19.3 Mandatory Updates:
In critical situations—such as addressing severe security vulnerabilities, complying with legal requirements, or ensuring compatibility with our service architecture—we reserve the right to issue mandatory Updates for both the firmware and the App. These essential updates may install automatically, or require immediate installation before further use, and you will not be permitted to opt out. If you fail to install such an update, certain device functionalities or access to the App may be limited or suspended to maintain the security and integrity of our service.
https://www.anker.com/ca/policies/terms-of-service
|
|-
|[[Apple]]
|Apple changes Logic Pro and the Apple office suite into a subscription when it was either a one time purchase or free with the mac.
|
|-
|[[Apple]]
|$17 000 Apple Watch 18 karat gold edition out of support only 8 years after its introduction (not end of sale!). This means no software support, and, crucially, no repair or replacement parts. If the battery dies, the watch is but a paperweight.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Apple will no longer fix the $17,000 gold Apple Watch |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/2/23900158/apple-watch-edition-gold-2015-obsolete-unsupported-beyonce |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260222211749/https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/2/23900158/apple-watch-edition-gold-2015-obsolete-unsupported-beyonce |archive-date=22 Feb 2026|website=The Verge}}</ref>
|-
|[[Apple]], [[Beats]]
|No support for Powerbeats (4th generation) despite the headphones being under 5 years from when Apple last distributed the product for sale. The product is not listed as discontinued or vintage, and by Apple's own guidelines, should be eligible for replacement parts and repair. OEM replacement eartips cannot be purchased for any Beats earphones.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Obtaining service for your Apple product after an expired warranty |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/102772 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260207094149/https://support.apple.com/en-us/102772 |archive-date=7 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-10-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Beats Repair and Service |url=https://support.apple.com/beats/repair |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260104000857/https://support.apple.com/beats/repair |archive-date=4 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-10-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Apple store search for eartips |url=https://www.apple.com/us/search/eartips?src=alp |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251028001314/https://www.apple.com/us/search/eartips?src=alp |archive-date=28 Oct 2025|access-date=2025-10-18}}</ref>
|-
|[[Apple]] iWork/Creator Studio
|The update that makes the iWork apps part of the new Apple Creator Studio subscription now adds tracking that is enabled by default and implemented as opt-out. The information about it is displayed in a first launch screen without any immediate way opt out, which qualifies as a dark pattern. Instead, the user has to go through a slightly convoluted path via the iPhone/iPad system settings app, and under the submenu "Apps" find each of the iWork apps and disable analytics there individually for each app. On Desktop, it is under a dedicated menu item under the "Pages"/"Numbers"/"Keynote" menu.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/ios/comments/1qq7q9m/new_versions_of_keynote_numbers_and_pages_collect/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260223032029/https://old.reddit.com/r/ios/comments/1qq7q9m/new_versions_of_keynote_numbers_and_pages_collect/ |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|[[archive.today]] / archive.ph (Web Archival Service)
|The website used [[JavaScript]] embedded into the website code to conduct a DDOS attack from users' devices against a blogger who has voiced criticism of the service in the past. This may make also cause legal issues for users.
NOTE: A similar technique has previously been used by Chinese search giant [[Baidu]], so we might want to create a category or tag for this type of thing

ADDENDUM: This page was reported to have been changing the information displayed in some archived screenshots, such as the author who published particular articles.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.heise.de/en/news/Archive-today-Operator-uses-users-for-DDoS-attack-11171455.html |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260212060655/https://www.heise.de/en/news/Archive-today-Operator-uses-users-for-DDoS-attack-11171455.html |archive-date=12 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=LMG Clips |title=Wikipedia Banned 690,000 Archive Links - LMG Clips |url=https://youtu.be/rrnFUvFGf5A?si=32JRogu2ID9xykHd |access-date=2026-03-03 |website=LMG Clips on YouTube - Wikipedia Banned 690,000 Archive Links}}</ref>
|-
|'''[[Arduino]]''' (/ɑːrˈdwiːnoʊ/) is an Italian open-source hardware and software company owned by Qualcomm
|Arduino’s new terms of service worries hobbyists ahead of Qualcomm acquisition.
User shall not:

*translate, decompile or reverse-engineer the Platform, or engage in any other activity designed to identify the algorithms and logic of the Platform’s operation, unless expressly allowed by Arduino or by applicable license agreements …
|
|-
|Atlassian
|Users forced from on-premise to cloud only subscriptions
Edit: Page has been started [[Atlassian on premise to subscription|here]], more work, citation, and verification needs to be done.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ascend to the cloud: The next chapter for Atlassian and our customers |url=https://www.atlassian.com/blog/announcements/atlassian-ascend |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251018171903/https://www.atlassian.com/blog/announcements/atlassian-ascend |archive-date=18 Oct 2025}}</ref>
|-
|[[Axon]]
|Tazers sold with lease agreement that makes purchase effectively a subscription.
|[https://norwoodrecord.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/4/8/114832579/norwood_record_pages_1_to_12__4sep2025.pdf <nowiki>[69]</nowiki>]
|-
|[[Bayer]]
|[[wikipedia:Bayer|Wikipedia]]. See [[Monsanto]]
|
|-
|[[Best Buy]]
|In late 2025, BestBuy added [https://www.bestbuy.com/site/help-topics/pricing-message/pcmcat748302046647.c?id=pcmcat748302046647#:~:text=Our%20%E2%80%9CComparable%20Value%E2%80%9D%20(Comp,retailers%20or%20e%2Dcommerce%20companies. "Comparable Value"] as means of comparing values of products that is of equivalent value to other products sold by manufacturers, 1st party, or 3rd party vendors. Changes to their pricing model has made it to where it is more difficult to determine overall value of a product compared to MSRP.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Support |first=Best Buy |date=2025-01-24 |title=Pricing: Promotions |url=https://www.bestbuy.com/site/help-topics/pricing-message/pcmcat748302046647.c?id=pcmcat748302046647#:~:text=Our%20%E2%80%9CComparable%20Value%E2%80%9D%20(Comp,retailers%20or%20e%2Dcommerce%20companies. |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-24 |website=Best Buy}}</ref>
|-
|[[Bluesky]]
|Introduced ID check for Direct Messaging to comply with laws in certain states and abroad, despite both the company and community being against it.
|
|-
|[[Bosch]] and Shimano
|Electric bike companies including Bosch and Shimano limit consumer's abilities to access their e-bike electrical system such as when installing a new light or a phone charger. Special software only accessible to qualified bike shops is required to activate ports or accept new devices. Additional connectivity barriers exist such as difficult to acquire Bosch specific cables.
|<ref>{{Cite web |first=RunBikeMike |date=2024-1-1 |title=Installing an EBike Light To Run Off Your Battery / MagicShine ME2000 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvG7Fpb1tzI&t=50s |access-date=2026-3-6 |website=Youtube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |date=15 Mar 2022 |title=Bosch takes the L on right to repair for ebikes |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7e9hO5yMtk |access-date=March 6 2026 |website=Youtube}}</ref>
|-
|[[Carvana]]
|Saying cars that have been in accidents have not; Lies about inspection and does not replace brake pads even when worn down. Non-refundable $1,500 shipping fee. See [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9yhOeTUEo4 Louis Rossmann's Video]
|
|-
|[[Cloud-first]]
|The antithesis of [https://www.inkandswitch.com/essay/local-first local-first]. See "[https://karl-voit.at/cloud You Can't Control Your Data in the Cloud]"
|
|-
|[[Cloudary Holdings Limited / Webnovel]]
|Terms of service with binding Arbitration.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Webnovel ToS |url=https://www.webnovel.com/terms_of_service |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260101204816/https://www.webnovel.com/terms_of_service |archive-date=1 Jan 2026}}</ref>
|-
|[[Devolo]]
|Devolo switches off servers and removes their app from stores for their "Home Control" system, thus severely reducing the functionality of their devices (apparently Z-Wave-based).
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=IT-News für Profis |url=https://www.golem.de/news/weiterbetrieb-verursacht-weitere-kosten-devolo-macht-smart-home-system-zum-grossteil-unbrauchbar-2508-199409.html |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251210052941/https://www.golem.de/news/weiterbetrieb-verursacht-weitere-kosten-devolo-macht-smart-home-system-zum-grossteil-unbrauchbar-2508-199409.html |archive-date=10 Dec 2025|website=Golem |language=de}}</ref>
|-
|[[Dell]] and [[HP]]
|HP and Dell have disabled HEVC (H.264/H.265) hardware encoding and decoding support built into their laptops’ CPUs using both Intel and AMD processors.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harding |first=Scharon |date=2025-11-21 |title=HP and Dell disable HEVC support built into their laptops’ CPUs |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/11/hp-and-dell-disable-hevc-support-built-into-their-laptops-cpus/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251121083438/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/11/hp-and-dell-disable-hevc-support-built-into-their-laptops-cpus/ |archive-date=2025-11-21 |access-date=2025-11-21 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref>
|-
|E621
|Terms of service that require agreement to forced arbitration to use the website.
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-02 |title=E621 |url=https://e621.net/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128164339/https://e621.net/ |archive-date=28 Jan 2026|website=E621}}</ref>
|-
|[[EcoVac]]
|Vacuum cleaner robots produced by company 'EcoVac' were found vulnerable to hacking over bluetooth allowing for remote control and access to camera feed. Security researcher Dennis Giese notified the company in December of 2023. In August of 2024, the issue was described by the company as "extremely rare in typical user environments and require specialized hacking tools and physical access to the device."
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fell |first=Julian |date=2024-10-04 |title=We hacked a robot vacuum — and could watch live through its camera - ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-04/robot-vacuum-hacked-photos-camera-audio/104414020 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251128025250/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-04/robot-vacuum-hacked-photos-camera-audio/104414020 |archive-date=28 Nov 2025|access-date=2025-09-10 |website=ABC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Franceschi-Bicchierai |first=Lorenzo |date=2024-08-09 |title=Ecovacs home robots can be hacked to spy on their owners, researchers say {{!}} TechCrunch |url=https://techcrunch.com/2024/08/09/ecovacs-home-robots-can-be-hacked-to-spy-on-their-owners-researchers-say/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260222212044/https://techcrunch.com/2024/08/09/ecovacs-home-robots-can-be-hacked-to-spy-on-their-owners-researchers-say/ |archive-date=10 Aug 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Franceschi-Bicchierai |first=Lorenzo |date=2024-08-15 |title=Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai on X: "Finally, Ecovacs responds to the researchers' findings, saying it won't fix the bugs. |url=https://x.com/lorenzofb/status/1823774980460388675 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241108194816/https://x.com/lorenzofb/status/1823774980460388675 |archive-date=8 Nov 2024}}</ref>
|-
|[[Elegoo Centauri Carbon|Elegoo]]
|The Elegoo Centauri Carbon 3d printer has been proven to use open source Klipper software which requires them to publish their changes to the code.
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-28 |title=PSA: Elegoo Centauri Carbon & GPL Compliance |url=https://freethecode.lol/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251206142736/https://freethecode.lol/ |archive-date=6 Dec 2025|access-date=2025-08-28 |website=PSA: Elegoo Centauri Carbon & GPL Compliance}}</ref>
|-
|Foxit Reader
|Updater uses dark pattern to trick unsuspecting users into installing a trial version of their paid product. The checkbox is enabled again by default with each update in the hope that the user misses it by accident at some point.
|
|-
|[[Gaggia]]
|Between 2015 to 2019, the redesigned Gaggia Classic removed the traditional three-way solenoid valve. The valve was restored in the 2019 Gaggia Classic Pro after criticism and backlash from the espresso enthusiast community.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Waddell |first=Kelsey |date=2023-03-23 |title=Gaggia Classic vs Pro: A Closer Look at the Differences |url=https://www.roastycoffee.com/gaggia-classic-vs-pro/ |website=Roasty Coffee}}</ref>
|-
|[[Google Chromecast]]
|Chromecast has transitioned from a standalone product to one that [[Forced_app_download|requires the Google Home app]] for setup and control. This change prevents customers who either don't own a smartphone or prefer not to use the app from accessing their Chromecast devices. As a result, certain televisions—such as the Caixon EC43S1UA, which relied on built-in Chromecast functionality—can no longer be used as intended. This effectively removes a key feature from a product that was already purchased, diminishing its value or rendering it unusable altogether.
|
|-
|Google TLS Changes
|Google's new requirements to certificate authorities require separate authority/signing chains to be used to issue Server Authentication and Client Authentication certificates. Therefore, starting 11 February 2026, Let's Encrypt will no longer include the Client Authentication EKU on default certificates
|
|-
|[[Google]]
|Google apparently plans to reduce the interval of publishing source code of security patches they consider non-critical. This is another blow to the custom ROM community.
Right now we don't have these incidents organised chronologically, maybe we should have a table with a timeline of measures Google takes to enshittify and close down Android (more APIs moved to Play Services, Developer verification, withholding AOSP device trees for Pixel devices to mess with Graphene OS, now delayed source code disclosure). What's worst, they always cite safety as a reason.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Exclusive: Google wants to make Android phones safer by switching to ‘risk-based’ security updates |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/android-risk-based-security-updates-3597466/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260107025310/https://www.androidauthority.com/android-risk-based-security-updates-3597466/ |archive-date=7 Jan 2026}}</ref>
|-
|Google Maps
|Google restricts data visible in Google Maps for users who are not signed in with an account. Reviews and photos are no longer visible without login. This also forces users to agree to Google's TOS and logs them into all other Google services, such as YouTube or Google Search so that now all their data in those other services is associated with their accounts. This also raises concerns that other services such as YouTube might follow.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/GoogleMaps/comments/1r4iauf/google_maps_now_forces_you_to_signin/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260223032117/https://old.reddit.com/r/GoogleMaps/comments/1r4iauf/google_maps_now_forces_you_to_signin/ |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/GoogleMaps/comments/1r74v0f/cant_view_images_without_logging_in/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260223032213/https://old.reddit.com/r/GoogleMaps/comments/1r74v0f/cant_view_images_without_logging_in/ |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|[[Google]], [[Mozilla]], [[Apple]], [[Microsoft]], but largely Google-led
|Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari are removing XSLT 1.0 support, which could break critical parts of government's websites worldwide<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dimant |first=Dimitrii "Mamut" |date=2025-08-10 |title=XSLT removal will break multiple government and regulatory sites across the world #11582 |url=https://github.com/whatwg/html/issues/11582 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260211221059/https://github.com/whatwg/html/issues/11582 |archive-date=11 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-10-25 |website=Github (specifically the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group's HTML standards repo, controlled by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft and Apple)}}</ref>. There are valid security reasons for them to want to stop supporting this 1999-era standard, however they have had 26+ years to update to a newer standard (such as the 2017-era 3.1 standard, which is backwards compatible and would allow these sites to continue to work<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-03-21 |title="XML Path Language (XPath) 3.1: W3C Recommendation 21 March 2017" |url=https://www.w3.org/TR/xpath-31/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260116015839/https://www.w3.org/TR/xpath-31/ |archive-date=16 Jan 2026|website=W3C}}</ref>). The single unpaid developer maintaining these libraries has more or less retired after getting flooded with impossible to satisfy security requests from these companies<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wellnhoffer |first=Nick |date=2025-05-08 |title=Triaging security issues reported by third parties |url=https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libxml2/-/issues/913 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260131231248/https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libxml2/-/issues/913 |archive-date=31 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-10-25 |website=gitlab.gnome.org}}</ref>. There is an existing project called XRUST to implement the 3.1 standard<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-09 |title=XRust: XPath, XQuery, and XSLT for Rust |url=https://gitlab.gnome.org/World/Rust/markup-rs/xrust |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260204085435/https://gitlab.gnome.org/World/Rust/markup-rs/xrust |archive-date=4 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-10-14 |website=gitlab.gnome.org}}</ref>, which is 2/3rds of the way through supporting all the features of 1.0 - the XSLT part fully supports all the 1.0 features at this point. XSLT is part of the W3C Consortium's open web standards for formatting and presenting XML, and is also how RSS works, so RSS feeds would stop working as well, disrupting the livelihoods of podcasters<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rijo |first=Luis |date=2025-08-20 |title=Google targets RSS feeds in new XSLT removal proposal |url=https://ppc.land/google-targets-rss-feeds-in-new-xslt-removal-proposal/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260222212228/https://ppc.land/google-targets-rss-feeds-in-new-xslt-removal-proposal/ |archive-date=22 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-10-14 |website=PPC-Land}}</ref>. This has led to questions of who owns the web - the public (including the government) who paid for and laid down the highways / web infrastructure - or a handful of large corporations? <ref>{{Cite web |last=Branscombe |first=Mary |date=2025-09-01 |title=XSLT Debate Leads to Bigger Questions of Web Governance |url=https://thenewstack.io/xslt-debate-leads-to-bigger-questions-of-web-governance/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260131231310/https://thenewstack.io/xslt-debate-leads-to-bigger-questions-of-web-governance/ |archive-date=31 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-10-14 |website=The New Stack}}</ref>
|
|-
|[[GoPro]] Hero 12
|GoPro Hero 12 requires the GoPro app to be installed before you can use the camera. Many currently used devices are not compatible with the app, therefore making use of the camera difficult to impossible for new owners or upon camera factory reset. There's also the question of what data the app collects and whether it requires login and or camera activation.
|
|-
|[[Hikvision]]
|Chinese surveillance camera manufacturer complicit in Uighur genocide which used to advertise recognition of praying and ramadan fasting among its selling points. Similarly to [[Flock license plate readers|Flock]], they are in use world wide and likely feed directly into the Chinese government's surveillance infrastructure and could conceivably be used to find dissidents world-wide. Recently, [https://netzpolitik.org/2025/hikvision-hersteller-der-hamburger-ki-ueberwachungskameras-ist-fuer-menschenrechtsverletzungen-bekannt/ the city of Hamburg has installed them] ([https://netzpolitik-org.translate.goog/2025/hikvision-hersteller-der-hamburger-ki-ueberwachungskameras-ist-fuer-menschenrechtsverletzungen-bekannt/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp Google Translate Version in English]).
|
|-
|[[Internet radios]]
|I'd like a page where I can share information about internet radios "openness." Few allow you to enter a radio station's URL (which I would consider the least intrusive option). Most depend on third-party websites or apps; [https://www.sangean.com/uk/blog/149 some of which have already bricked devices].
|
|-
|[[IPVideo Corporation]] (owned by [[Motorola]])
|Manufacturer of surveillance hardware. The notable example that brought them to my attention is the Halo 3C/3C-PC Smart Sensor, which is deployed in places such as school bathrooms and subsidized/social housing. This system has a variety of sensors on it, from air quality ones (for detecting smoking/vape usage) all the way to microphones (ostensibly for audio analysis to identify aggression and gunshots, without the capability to stream the audio elsewhere, but this not a limitation built into the hardware and could be changed by a firmware update).
|<ref>{{Cite_web |last=Reynaldo |last2=nyx |name-list-style=amp |date=2025-10-10 |title=DEF CON 33 - Unmasking the Snitch Puck: IoT surveillance tech in the school bathroom |url=https://youtu.be/WCnojaEpF2I |publisher=DEF CON |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=WCnojaEpF2I |archive-date=16 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite_web |access-date=2025-10-26 |url=https://www.pelco.com/sensors |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250922000017/https://www.pelco.com/sensors |archive-date=2025-09-22 |title=HALO Smart Sensor Suite |website=PELCO}}</ref>
|-
|[[iRacing]]
|iRacing is a racing game that's subscription-based, requiring payment just to play the actual game in either online or offline mode.
|
|-
|[[itch.io]], [[Night School Studios]], [[Netflix]]
|In September 2024, users who purchased the game Oxenfree on itch.io were warned that the game was going to be pulled from the platform on October 1st. Consumers would not be able to download the installers after this date, so they would lose access unless they had them backed up. Users speculated that Netflix, the parent company of the development studio, had ordered the move; however, no response from Netflix or the developers was ever published. This is particularly notable because it is against itch.io's terms of service: "Users shall retain a license to this content even after the content is removed from the Service."
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=itch corp |date=15 Apr 2023 |title=itch.io Terms of Service |url=https://itch.io/docs/legal/terms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907004719/https://itch.io/docs/legal/terms |archive-date=7 Sep 2024 |access-date=27 Jun 2025 |website=itch.io}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |last=ShawnS |date=31 Jan 2025 |title=OXENFREE |url=https://delistedgames.com/oxenfree/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250321070400/https://delistedgames.com/oxenfree/ |archive-date=21 Mar 2025 |access-date=27 Jun 2025 |website=Delisted Games}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |last=Colp |first=Tyler |date=9 Sep 2024 |title=Another reminder that your digital library isn't forever: Oxenfree will be completely removed from Itch.io next month |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/another-reminder-that-your-digital-library-isn-t-forever-oxenfree-will-be-completely-removed-from-itch-io-next-month/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250523111125/https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/another-reminder-that-your-digital-library-isn-t-forever-oxenfree-will-be-completely-removed-from-itch-io-next-month/ |archive-date=23 May 2025 |access-date=27 Jun 2025 |website=PC Gamer}}</ref>
|-
|[[The Japan Times|Japan Times, The]]
|The Japan Times uses the DMCA to take down an open source study resource for the Genki and Quartet workbooks.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clydesdale |first=Seth |date=2025-09-11 |title=Important Information Regarding Genki and Quartet Study Resources |url=https://ko-fi.com/post/Important-Information-Regarding-Genki-and-Quartet-D1D21L4B1S |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251116072121/https://ko-fi.com/post/Important-Information-Regarding-Genki-and-Quartet-D1D21L4B1S |archive-date=16 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Update Regarding Genki and Quartet Study Resources DMCA Situation |url=https://ko-fi.com/post/Update-Regarding-Genki-and-Quartet-Study-Resources-Y8Y21M1F5E |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251115073152/https://ko-fi.com/post/Update-Regarding-Genki-and-Quartet-Study-Resources-Y8Y21M1F5E |archive-date=15 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-03 |title=All Exercises for Genki/Quartet Study Resources Have Been Removed |url=https://ko-fi.com/post/All-Exercises-for-GenkiQuartet-Study-Resources-Wi-R6R81M8LLN |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251113045244/https://ko-fi.com/post/All-Exercises-for-GenkiQuartet-Study-Resources-Wi-R6R81M8LLN |archive-date=13 Nov 2025}}</ref>
|-
|[[JavaScript]]
|[[wikipedia:JavaScript|WP]]. [https://github.com/Rudxain/blog/blob/main/post/js-abuse.md Compilation of sources/refs]
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|-
|[[KOSA]]
|KOSA claims to make kids safer, but it’s really a dangerous censorship bill that would give the U.S. government unprecedented control over the internet. This would put youth in danger by preventing them from accessing potentially life-saving resources.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first=Fight for the Future |date=2026-01-24 |title=Reject online censorship. Tell lawmakers to oppose KOSA! |url=https://www.stopkosa.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2026-01-24 |website=Stop KOSA}}</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20250228145348/https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/education/article/Katy-ISD-blocks-LGBTQ-resources-suicide-16647274.php</ref>
|-
|[[LBRY]] Foundation, [[Odysee]]
|Community first decentralization & Odysee's plan to enable censorship by switching away from the opensource LBRY network.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=The LBRY Foundation |url=https://lbry.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260211161516/https://lbry.org/ |archive-date=11 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-08-08 |quote=The LBRY community invites everyone to join us in building a more free and open way to share content and information online.}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Watson |first=RT |date=6 Jun 2024 |title=Decentralized YouTube alternative Odysee acquired by Forward Research despite content concerns |url=https://www.theblock.co/post/298888/decentralized-youtube-alternative-odysee-acquired-by-forward-research-despite-content-concerns |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251127094918/https://www.theblock.co/post/298888/decentralized-youtube-alternative-odysee-acquired-by-forward-research-despite-content-concerns |archive-date=27 Nov 2025|access-date=16 Aug 2025 |work=The Block}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Li |first=Jun |last2=Grintsvayg |first2=Alex |last3=Kauffman |first3=Jeremy |last4=Fleming |first4=Charles |date=2020 |title=LBRY: A Blockchain-Based Decentralized Digital Content Marketplace |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9126007 |journal=2020 IEEE International Conference on Decentralized Applications and Infrastructures (DAPPS) |location=Oxford, UK |publisher=IEEE |doi=10.1109/DAPPS49028.2020.00005 |isbn=978-1-7281-6978-1 |via=IEEE Xplore |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250825221749/https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9126007/ |archive-date=25 Aug 2025}}</ref>
|-
|[[LG]]
|LG discontinued its LG Bluetooth Remote app (including plugins such as "btc4") making it non-public on the Play Store and making Bluetooth controllable devices (like for example the CM2630B) half as useful, without even publishing neither the protocol used to control such devices nor the source code of the app.
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|-
|[[Lowe's]]
|Lowe's uses flock cameras and other AI powered cameras to collect data and build a profile on "prospective, current, or former Lowe's customers". Their cameras point away from their stores.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Koebler |first=Jason |date=6 Aug 2025 |title=Home Depot and Lowe's Share Data From Hundreds of AI Cameras With Cops |url=https://www.404media.co/home-depot-and-lowes-share-data-from-hundreds-of-ai-cameras-with-cops/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260216173226/https://www.404media.co/home-depot-and-lowes-share-data-from-hundreds-of-ai-cameras-with-cops/ |archive-date=16 Feb 2026|access-date=15 Sep 2025 |website=404 Media}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=26 Aug 2025 |title=Lowe’s U.S. Privacy Statement |url=https://www.lowes.com/l/about/privacy-and-security-statement |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251228013530/https://www.lowes.com/l/about/privacy-and-security-statement |archive-date=28 Dec 2025|access-date=15 Sep 2025 |website=Lowe's}}</ref>
|-
|[[McDonald's]]/Taylor
|McDonald's US mandates which ice cream machine has to be used by franchise licensees. The company that makes these machines uses deliberately obfuscated error codes to force restaurant owners to use their expensive tech service to fix them and reset the machines. The company makes more money from these "repairs" support than with actual sales. Not strictly end consumer, but the pattern warrants documenting imo.
A similar problem exists with Doremi (Dolby) cinema projectors where their DRM leads to a ridiculous number of actions breaking the so-called "marriage" (projector-media block unity), requiring a costly technician to reset it. This one needs sources researched, though, as I don't have one on hand.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Why McDonald's Ice Cream Machines Are Always Broken and How To Fix Them |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uCpY3tFTIA |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=2uCpY3tFTIA |archive-date=22 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|[[Mitsubishi Motors]]
|Mitsubishi Motors has a rich history of consumer protection, compliance issues and privacy breaches. These include concealing safety defects, falsifying fuel economy data, and being fined for false advertising. Following the trend of subscription services for the automotive industry, Mitsubishi paywalls built-in features including remote start, SOS, collision detection, and car tracking through its app Mitsubishi Connect subscription service.
|[https://www.autoevolution.com/news/mitsubishi-fined-42-million-by-japans-consumer-affairs-agency-115026.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com] [https://leakd.com/leaks/mitsubishi-motors-vietnam-customer-data-breached/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Motors?utm_source=chatgpt.com] [https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/?order=pen_year&parent=mitsubishi-motors&sort=&utm_source=chatgpt.com][https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/newsroom/newsrelease/2017/20171129_3.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com]
|-
|Multiple
|Several legal cases involving forced arbitration in some manner; many of these relate to other anticonsumer practices, such as when Wells Fargo illegally opened up ~3.5M fake checking and credit accounts in customers' names. Highly advised to deeply scrub for supplementary sources.
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=Apr 16, 2019 |title=Fact Sheet: Cases Tossed Out of Court Because of Forced Arbitration Causes and Class Action Bans |url=https://www.centerjd.org/content/fact-sheet-cases-tossed-out-court-because-forced-arbitration-causes-and-class-action-bans#_ftn1 |access-date=Feb 12, 2026 |website=Center for Justice & Democracy at New York Law School |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251013145327/https://centerjd.org/content/fact-sheet-cases-tossed-out-court-because-forced-arbitration-causes-and-class-action-bans |archive-date=13 Oct 2025}}</ref>
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|MuseGroup (MuseSounds)
|Releasing more and more subscription sound packs while previously released one-time purchase sound packs are full of bugs/issues and have gone without updates for sometimes over a year. They have also increased the price of one-time purchase packs by about 500% while still providing no additional or improved functionality.
They also added unsolicited popups advertising their paid sound packs at startup of the open source MuseScore application, as well as buttons and commands for their cloud service to the home screen, which cannot be disabled. They previously ran into controversy when changing the privacy policy of Audacity and tried to add tracking. The closed-source MuseHub application (which is required to download the free sound packs) connects to tracking services with neither a real opt-in nor an opt-out option. Newer versions of MuseHub now seem to require an account to download free sound packs and sound effects, which previously was not the case. Muse Hub starts at every system launch by default and stays active in the background despite this not being required for its functionality. They also added proprietary parts to MuseScore (like the MuseSample), which is kept closed source. They also bought StaffPad and seem to have quietly ceased its development without publishing any statements.
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|[[Navdy]], [[Harman International]]
|Device discontinued and no updates, device can be used offline for 1 year until it stops working.
https://www.reddit.com/r/navdy/
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|[[Netgear]] (internet networking equipment)
|Almost every Netgear internet router requires the creation of a new account to function as a router, where the TOS includes an agreement to binding arbitration. Most if not all devices are locked into proprietary firmware with no option to change. Some automatic updates have reportedly cause loss of performance with option to revert to a previous version, "bricking" the device in some cases.
Engages in anti-consumer practices, requiring a subscription for basic WiFi-router features such as parental controls. According to a blogpost by a senior employee, grew from "45% in 2016 to over 60% in 2019" of the US consumer router market. In 2025, Netgear is "being sued by TP-Link for a 'Smear Campaign' to Advance US Router Ban [of it's competitor TP-Link].
|[https://www.netgear.com/about/terms-and-conditions/ <nowiki>[62]</nowiki>]
[https://kb.netgear.com/000062104/What-subscription-plans-are-available-for-NETGEAR-Smart-Parental-Controls <nowiki>[63]</nowiki>]
[https://www.netgear.com/hub/author/abhorkar/ <nowiki>[64]</nowiki>]
[https://www.pcmag.com/news/tp-link-accuses-netgear-of-smear-campaign-to-advance-us-router-ban?test_uuid=04IpBmWGZleS0I0J3epvMrC&test_variant=B <nowiki>[65]</nowiki>]
|-
|[[Nothing]]
|Nothing brings home-screen ads (can be disabled manually) and [[bloatware]] to its lower end models despite previously boasting about being bloatware free
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Floemer |first=Andreas |date=2025-10-27 |title=Phone 3a: NothingOS 4.0 brings optional ads to the lock screen |url=https://www.heise.de/en/news/Phone-3a-NothingOS-4-0-brings-optional-ads-to-the-lock-screen-10904033.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260222212507/https://www.heise.de/en/news/Phone-3a-NothingOS-4-0-brings-optional-ads-to-the-lock-screen-10904033.html |archive-date=22 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-10-27 |website=Heise Online}}</ref>
|-
|[[OICA]] (European automotive lobby organisation)
|The OICA recently pushed for the right to emit sounds from quiet electric cars to make them as loud as conventional cars with combustion engine and against stricter noise regulation in cities. The fake engine noises in question are specifically not for safety purposes, but for emotional effect for the driver. However, instead of playing the noises only inside for just the driver to hear, the noise is to be played on speakers on the exterior, thus affecting the general public. Noise pollution has long been known to have adverse health effects. ''[NOTE: Similar to environmental aspects, greenwashing etc., we will have to find a good angle for how this fits the wiki. I would say it does match the general theme of manufacturers deliberately making their products worse for minor financial gain and lobbies pushing against things that are in public interest.]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Krempl |first=Stefan |date=2026-01-07 |title=Sound Dictatorship vs. Quiet: The Battle for E-Car Roar |url=https://www.heise.de/en/news/Sound-Dictatorship-vs-Quiet-The-Battle-for-E-Car-Roar-11133630.html |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260108165124/https://www.heise.de/en/news/Sound-Dictatorship-vs-Quiet-The-Battle-for-E-Car-Roar-11133630.html |archive-date=8 Jan 2026|access-date=2026-01-08 |website=Heise Online}}</ref>
|-
|[[Persona]] (Age verification service)
|Used by Discord to do age verification using facial 3d scans, which are transmitted to Persona servers. It has been revealed that the company has ties to Palantir and Peter Thiel.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/oh-good-discords-age-verification-rollout-has-ties-to-palantir-co-founder-and-panopticon-architect-peter-thiel/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260221224755/https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/oh-good-discords-age-verification-rollout-has-ties-to-palantir-co-founder-and-panopticon-architect-peter-thiel/ |archive-date=21 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|[https://www.skystone.games/ Skystone Games]
|Boundary, a multiplayer online-only first-person shooter, got shut down just a year after its release by Skystone games, and its publishing rights relinquished, citing "ongoing delays and a lack of updates from the developer". Studio Surgical Scalpels (the developer) stated that the publisher decissions were "extremely sudden and unreasonable", and attempted to "regain the rights to boundary". The game has been offline for more than a year at the time of writing, and no refunds or communications to the userbase has been made by Skystone Games.
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-19 |title=Boundary - End of service notice |url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1364020/view/4209257868262605607?l=english |url-status=live |access-date=2025-07-07 |website=Steam |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251021143111/https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1364020/view/4209257868262605607?l=english |archive-date=21 Oct 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-30 |title=Boundary Shut Down: Who's to Blame? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr8IhV1fovE |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=Kr8IhV1fovE |archive-date=16 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|[[Sony]], Sony Online Entertainment/[[Daybreak Game Company]]
|Selling off SOE to the investment firm Columbus Nova, all games published by SOE were delisted without prior notice to consumers or developers, and licenses were revoked as well.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=S |first=Shawn |date=Jun 10, 2016 |title=Akimi Village |url=https://delistedgames.com/akimi-village/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251127030103/https://delistedgames.com/akimi-village/ |archive-date=27 Nov 2025|website=Delisted Games}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Weber |first=Rachel |date=Feb 2, 2015 |title=SOE acquired, becomes Daybreak Game Company |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/soe-acquired-becomes-daybreak-game-company |work=GamesIndustry.biz |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260204235742/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/soe-acquired-becomes-daybreak-game-company |archive-date=4 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|[[Superbox]]
|Android TV box manufacturer Superbox remotely locks consumers' devices if they were sold below the manufacturer's minimum specified prices and asks consumers to contact the retailer when they complain.
They are not the first to do something like this. [[Deye]] locked down inverters in the US that they suspected might be gray imports.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=You'll Own Nothing and Be Happy |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I5-rAyFQrk |website=YouTube |type=Video |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=5I5-rAyFQrk |archive-date=16 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|[[Twitch]]
|Twitch has recently partnered with Persona to verify the ages of new affiliates before first payouts.
|
|-
|[[UP3]] By [[Jawbone]]
|Approximately 2011, Pioneering startup company from San Francisco, had revolutionary fitness trackers. In 2017 with no notice to customers they stole personal data and shut down app which in turn, bricked devices. Highly likely went bankrupt and sold to sister company to manipulate customer services and rights. Now owned by Aliph brands.
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|[[Vive]]
|In 2022, Vive discontinued the original Vive Facial Tracker module a year after the original release, then released an updated model with proprietary firmware that blocked use on other 3rd party VR headset, while only allowing the new model to work with their new locked-down headset. The 2021 version of the face tracker's long term support was seemingly cut overnight without any software updates since 2021.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vive Team |date=2022-08-07 |title=VIVE Focus 3 gets Facial Tracker, and Eye Tracker |url=https://blog.vive.com/us/vive-focus-3-gets-facial-tracker-and-eye-tracker/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250619155201/https://blog.vive.com/us/vive-focus-3-gets-facial-tracker-and-eye-tracker/ |archive-date=2025-06-19 |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=Vive Blog}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=StateKi |date=2023-10-10 |title=Post by StatekTi on X |url=https://x.com/StatekTi/status/1733954156379963393 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/DiYbF |archive-date=9 Jan 2026 |access-date=2025-11-21 |website=X (Formerly Twitter)}}</ref>
|-
|[[Web cookie]]
|[[wikipedia:HTTP_cookie|Wikipedia]]
|
|-
|[[WHMCS]]
|Discontinuation of support and updates for WHMCS legacy “Owned” licenses, forcing users who want ongoing updates or technical support to switch to subscription licensing and pay recurring fees rather than continue with the original owned model. This change affects all holders of legacy owned licenses and alters the long-term terms under which those licenses were originally sold
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=WHMCS Knowledgebase |url=https://www.whmcs.com/members/index.php/knowledgebase/70/Support-and-Updates-Expiration.html |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251211021038/https://www.whmcs.com/members/index.php/knowledgebase/70/Support-and-Updates-Expiration.html |archive-date=11 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Important pricing changes to your WHMCS owned license Mailer |url=https://www.whmcs.com/members/mailings/?k=price21-emailo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260215233549/https://www.whmcs.com/members/mailings/?k=price21-emailo |archive-date=15 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|Wheatstone Corporation
|Wheatstone Corporation are a manufacturer of professional broadcast equipment, mainly audio consoles and interfaces that utilise their proprietary Wheatnet audio over IP protocol.
Wheatstone restricts access to firmware updates, software configuration tools and software. You must open a support ticked in order for them to send you a download link to these software tools, they make it very difficult to access software required to make their hardware audio interfaces work, even stating they want proof of purchase (not just a licence key) before they will even give you the download link. Managing licences is also non-existent and you will need to contact support, and as such a fee is imposed.
|
|-
|[[Wireless Power Consortium]]
|After monopolizing wireless charging market Qi turned from an open standard into a proprietary.
Version 1.3 introduced "secure authentication between the transmitter and the receiver", i.e. in order to operate every charger must include an expensive proprietary chip licensed only to certified members. This results in increased development and manufacturing costs directly passed onto consumer. Version 2.2, unlike previous versions, "is available for WPC Members only".
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Qi Certification Is Changing and We've Got You Covered |url=https://www.nxp.com/company/about-nxp/smarter-world-blog/BL-QI-CERTIFICATION-IS-CHANGING |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251104012700/https://www.nxp.com/company/about-nxp/smarter-world-blog/BL-QI-CERTIFICATION-IS-CHANGING |archive-date=4 Nov 2025|website=NXP Semiconductors}}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web |title=Download the Qi Specifications |url=https://www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com/knowledge-base/specifications/download-the-qi-specifications/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251104094044/https://www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com/knowledge-base/specifications/download-the-qi-specifications/ |archive-date=4 Nov 2025|website=Wireless Power Consortium}}</ref>
|-
|Wolfgang Puck Bread Makers
|Some of the bread makers have anti repair screws in them to prevent people from repairing them themselves. Needs more citations.
|
|-
|[[World Orb]]
|World Network (Sam Altman/Open AI) scheme to collect biometric data on all people. Tied to cryptocurrency, AI schemes. Supposedly way for people to show they are human (run by the people who are trying to make a profit from AI).
|
|-
|[[Xcode]] support dropped for older MacBooks
|Apple has discontinued support for up to date versions of Xcode iOS development on older MacBook devices (discovered on my MacBook Pro 2017, but I’m sure it applies to other old devices as well), resulting in not being able to use a perfectly capable machine for iOS app development without having to go through countless loopholes. 1) you cannot commit new updates without utilizing a third-party medium, 2) the warning and error compiler is out of date due to not being able to update to the latest version, which of course supports the latest iOS release, so you have to figure it out on your own like it’s the 80’s 3) you must commit and release a new TestFlight build (through [1] loophole) to do any testing instead of being able to simulate on your Mac or even a connected device 4) this all really stems from the fact that the new Xcode updates require the new MacOS version which is also discontinued for older MacBooks. This means 8 year old device is basically just useless for such applications.
|[[Category:Sources]]
|-
|[[Zhiyun]]
|Like competing products from [[DJI]], Zhiyun video gimbals require a Chinese smartphone app, internet access and an account to activate on first use.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CjNp6pWNoQ |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=_CjNp6pWNoQ |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|}

==List of themes not yet covered==
Consumer Rights Wiki is not an encyclopedia.

*Before proposing or making a theme article, see if you can find an article that covers the topic on wikipedia, or some other reference. If you can, just use a reference to that.
*Check the list of theme articles [[:Category:common terms]], to be sure there isn't already an article on the topic, or one closely related. Sometimes a theme may be covered by generalizing an existing article.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Theme
!Summary of Theme
!Refs
|-
|Anti-rollback or ARB for device firmware
|most recent example being [[Oneplus phone update introduces hardware anti-rollback]] but ain't exclusive to it. Also implemented by [[Oneplus phone update introduces hardware anti-rollback#Comparison with other manufacturers|Samsung]], [https://mavicpilots.com/threads/not-be-able-to-degrade-firmfare-of-dji-mini2-from-01-06-0200.134806/#post-1518967 DJI] (link found from [[DJI]]) and likely many more.
|
|}

==List of companies doing the right thing==
It would be helpful to include examples of companies doing the right thing, even if they aren't, strictly speaking, consumer products.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Company
!Good deed
!Refs
|-
|APSystems
|After requests from users, the company released a firmware update that adds a local API to their EZ-1M solar micro inverter, allowing it to remain fully usable if the company ends support for the device
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=APsystems EZHI Local API User Manual |url=https://global.apsystems.com/document/apsystems-ezhi-local-api-user-manual/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251107061040/https://global.apsystems.com/document/apsystems-ezhi-local-api-user-manual/ |archive-date=7 Nov 2025|website=global.apsystems.com}}</ref>
|-
|Concept2
|Readily provides parts and diagrams. Exists under a [https://www.concept2.com/about/perpetual-purpose-trust Perpetual Purpose Trust].
|
|-
|Core Devices (from creator of Pebble Smartwatches)
|Not strictly Core Devices, but when Pebble was sold to Fitbit, the servers remained online for some time, and the Pebble app was updated to allow the Rebble community project to take over some of the Pebble server-side functionality. All backers of the upcoming Pebble 2 series of watches were refunded in full, despite it being a crowd-funding campaign.
Following Google's acquisition of Fitbit and after many years, Google released much of the Pebble Smart Watch source code on github (excluding proprietary libraries). Core Devices and Rebble replaced the usage of the proprietary libraries with open source alternatives, and released new Android and iOS apps, not only supporting the new core devices, but bringing updated support to legacy Pebble devices.
|
|-
|Fairphone
|The new Fairphones (5th and 6th generation) are availible with stock android as well as e/os, which is a fork of lineage os and a european alternative cloud provider (murena) instead of google. This has many privacy features (app tracker blocker, tor network usage, and gps spoofing) availible in a few clicks. Also degoogle apps (microg, safetynet, ...) are preinstalled therefore it is w´possible to install everything also from playstore with an anonymous account. As e/os is a fork of lineage os and there is an official guide to flash the fairphone with e/os and is officially supported, flashing lineage os is very easy.
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-02-24 |title=How to manually install Android on your Fairphone |url=https://support.fairphone.com/hc/en-us/articles/18896094650513-How-to-manually-install-Android-on-your-Fairphone |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Fairphone (Gen. 6) with privacy first /e/OS |url=https://shop.fairphone.com/the-fairphone-gen-6-e-operating-system |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|Home Assistant
|Open-source smart home platform that provides local control, automation, and interoperability for a wide range of smart home devices. Provides support for many cloud devices after they're subject to [[discontinuation bricking]].
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home Assistant |url=https://www.home-assistant.io/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260129222300/https://www.home-assistant.io/ |archive-date=2026-01-29 |access-date=2026-02-05}}</ref>
|-
|Noctua
|Extremely long support for old products and availability of upgrade kits
|<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3g4-fb6u90 |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=D3g4-fb6u90 |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|Numatic International
|A UK based manufacture of commercial and consumer wet/dry floor cleaning products (vacuums, scrubbers, floor buffers) that provides a robust library of technical documents, parts breakdowns, data sheets and training for free on both new and existing products without the need to login, pay additional fees or be an approved repair facility.
|
|-
|Oral-B
|When installing the Android App, there is no login, and the user is asked for analytics tracking consent.
|
|-
|Philips
|Added files for replacement parts to Printables so you can 3D print parts for your Philips products
|
|-
|ratgdo
|A garage door opener controller developed by Paul Wieland, allowing you to locally control it (namely Chamberlain openers that would otherwise require the MyQ app for smart home features).
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wieland |first=Paul |title=About - ratgdo |url=https://ratcloud.llc/pages/about |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251213022055/https://ratcloud.llc/pages/about |archive-date=2025-12-13 |access-date=2026-02-05}}</ref>
|-
|Reticulum
|Reticulum is an open-source, decentralized networking stack designed to communicate between practically any wireless device, even without internet. Its purpose is to provide fully anonymous end-to-end encrypted communication by default, especially in the age of government surveillance. The Reticulum network, protocol, and hardware are not tied any company in particular but were initially created by Github user 'markqvist'. Honorable mention to NomadNet, which is a network of nodes that serve webpages, similar to the internet, that communicate via Reticulum.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=markqvist |title=Reticulum Network |url=https://reticulum.network/ |access-date=2026-02-15 |website=Reticulum |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260222180553/https://reticulum.network/ |archive-date=22 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|stevesgames.co.uk
|Will never put ads or in-app purchases in their computer games and will make gamees available for free after securing the companys future.
|
|-
|Tektronix
|Provided extensive product data on unsupported products to a museum, vintageTEK, and thus to tekwiki and the rest of the community.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lenihan |first=Thomas F. |date=2012-02-28 |title=Copyright Notice |url=https://vintagetek.org/copyright-notice/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250828004431/https://vintagetek.org/copyright-notice/ |archive-date=2025-08-28 |access-date=2025-10-18 |website=vintageTEK museum}}</ref>
|-
|Ulanzi
|The company offers a tutorial on how users can mix their own fog juice to use with Ulanzi mini fog machines from readily available low-cost ingredients, whereas competitors sell proprietary fog juice at extortionate prices, refuse to release the formula and refuse to honour the warranty if users use anything but the OEM brand with their machines.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tutorial {{!}} How to DIY Ulanzi FM01 Fog Machine Juice? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiq1B6-dcEM |type=Video}} ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=qiq1B6-dcEM Archived])</ref>
|}

==See Also==

*[[Louis Rossmann - Video Directory]]
*[[Other Channels - Video Directory|Other Channels - Video Directory]]

==Reference List==
<references />

Article suggestions

2026-03-06T14:31:07Z

Neige: /* List of incidents not yet covered */

This page is dedicated towards providing a communal list for users to submit potential articles to feature on the wiki, and to give editors inspiration on what pages they might want to add to the wiki. If you create an article based on an entry from this list, or see that someone else has done so, please make sure to delete the row from this page in order to prevent confusion.

Sources should be inserted within the 'refs' section of the table. If using the visual editor, take advantage of '<nowiki/>'''insert reference'''<nowiki/>' via ''''ctrl + shift + k'''<nowiki/>' so that the sources are quick to add to future articles. If you are using the source editor, feel free to copy and paste the formatting from other correctly formatted references on the page. The more sources you include with an article idea, the more likely it is that others will pick the article idea up and run with it, so please attempt to include a good variety of descriptive sources!

Please take note of the wiki's [[Consumer Rights Wiki:Inclusion guidelines|Inclusion criteria]] when submitting article suggestions. If you see article suggestions here which do not fit the Wiki, feel free to remove them, leaving your reasoning in an edit note.

If you are an editor looking for further inspiration to write an article, you can also check out the [[Louis Rossmann - Video Directory|Louis Rossmann video directory]] for a good collection of potential articles.

==Example==
Below is an example of what an entry should appear as:
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Company
!Summary of Incident
!Refs
|-
|[[Nintendo]]
|In 2025, the company Nintendo stripped Switch 2 consoles that used the MIG switch cartridge of all online functionality
|<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Scattered Brain |date=Jun 16, 2025 |title=Soo... Nintendo banned my Switch 2 (Don't try the MIG Switch!) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExgYTA18_vo&t=656s |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=ExgYTA18_vo |archive-date=22 Feb 2026|access-date=Jun 18, 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Orland |first=Kyle |date=Jun 17, 2025 |title=Switch 2 users report online console bans after running personal game “backups” |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/06/playing-personal-game-backups-could-get-your-switch-2-banned-by-nintendo/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251222013641/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/06/playing-personal-game-backups-could-get-your-switch-2-banned-by-nintendo/ |archive-date=22 Dec 2025|access-date=Jun 19, 2025 |work=Ars Technica}}</ref>
|}

==List of incidents not yet covered==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Company
!Summary of Incident
!Refs
|-
|[[ABC Financial Services]]
|Manages memberships and recurring service subscriptions for other companies. Prevents customers from being able to cancel a service by locking them into a never-ending cycle of auto renewals, and not allowing the customer to opt out of auto renewal.
|-
|Affinity / [[Canva]] page created needs editors to help
|Canva purchases [[Serif]]; the owner of perpetual license design software Affinity Publisher, Designer, and Photo on March 26th 2024. Provides a pledge to assure users that Canva will not "ruin" the suite. In October 2025, Affinity users are locked out of the community forum for a new "Creative Freedom" announcement on October 30th 2025. Complete radio silence for a whole month while they tease long term users on Twitter and Discord. Finally on October 30th 2025, the new Affinity software is announced as "free". Instead, all creative professionals that used the original software are forced to create a new Canva account to access the new Affinity and thus agree to Canva's ToS<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2025-10-30 |title=Canva Terms of Use |url=https://www.canva.com/policies/terms-of-use/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128105545/https://www.canva.com/policies/terms-of-use/ |archive-date=28 Jan 2026|website=Canva Legal Trust Center}}</ref>. Affinity redirects the pledge page to an announcement for the new software, effectively burying the original pledge<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2024-03-27 |title=The Affinity and Canva Pledge |url=https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/press/newsroom/affinity-and-canva-pledge |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251002083749/https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/press/newsroom/affinity-and-canva-pledge/ |archive-date=2025-10-02 |website=web.archive.org}}</ref>. Questions about Canva now being able to monetize the work of professionals to train their own AI models sold to Canva users are left unanswered. Free, but at what cost?
EDIT: Initial article has been written but needs more work, citation, and verification. [[Canva adds arbitration clause for future Affinity Studio users|See this article here]].
|<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" />
|-
|[[Alibaba]]
|[[wikipedia:Alibaba_Group|WP]]
|
|-
|[[Amazon]]
|Amazon renders Fire TV Blaster unusable, offers Amazon gift card to affected customers
|<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.heise.de/en/news/Amazon-makes-Fire-TV-Blaster-unusable-11145570.html |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260120070820/https://www.heise.de/en/news/Amazon-makes-Fire-TV-Blaster-unusable-11145570.html |archive-date=20 Jan 2026}}</ref>
|-
|[[Anker]]
|In Anker's Terms of Service for Solix solar generator product, under 19.3 Mandatory Updates:
In critical situations—such as addressing severe security vulnerabilities, complying with legal requirements, or ensuring compatibility with our service architecture—we reserve the right to issue mandatory Updates for both the firmware and the App. These essential updates may install automatically, or require immediate installation before further use, and you will not be permitted to opt out. If you fail to install such an update, certain device functionalities or access to the App may be limited or suspended to maintain the security and integrity of our service.
https://www.anker.com/ca/policies/terms-of-service
|
|-
|[[Apple]]
|Apple changes Logic Pro and the Apple office suite into a subscription when it was either a one time purchase or free with the mac.
|
|-
|[[Apple]]
|$17 000 Apple Watch 18 karat gold edition out of support only 8 years after its introduction (not end of sale!). This means no software support, and, crucially, no repair or replacement parts. If the battery dies, the watch is but a paperweight.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Apple will no longer fix the $17,000 gold Apple Watch |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/2/23900158/apple-watch-edition-gold-2015-obsolete-unsupported-beyonce |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260222211749/https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/2/23900158/apple-watch-edition-gold-2015-obsolete-unsupported-beyonce |archive-date=22 Feb 2026|website=The Verge}}</ref>
|-
|[[Apple]], [[Beats]]
|No support for Powerbeats (4th generation) despite the headphones being under 5 years from when Apple last distributed the product for sale. The product is not listed as discontinued or vintage, and by Apple's own guidelines, should be eligible for replacement parts and repair. OEM replacement eartips cannot be purchased for any Beats earphones.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Obtaining service for your Apple product after an expired warranty |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/102772 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260207094149/https://support.apple.com/en-us/102772 |archive-date=7 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-10-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Beats Repair and Service |url=https://support.apple.com/beats/repair |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260104000857/https://support.apple.com/beats/repair |archive-date=4 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-10-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Apple store search for eartips |url=https://www.apple.com/us/search/eartips?src=alp |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251028001314/https://www.apple.com/us/search/eartips?src=alp |archive-date=28 Oct 2025|access-date=2025-10-18}}</ref>
|-
|[[Apple]] iWork/Creator Studio
|The update that makes the iWork apps part of the new Apple Creator Studio subscription now adds tracking that is enabled by default and implemented as opt-out. The information about it is displayed in a first launch screen without any immediate way opt out, which qualifies as a dark pattern. Instead, the user has to go through a slightly convoluted path via the iPhone/iPad system settings app, and under the submenu "Apps" find each of the iWork apps and disable analytics there individually for each app. On Desktop, it is under a dedicated menu item under the "Pages"/"Numbers"/"Keynote" menu.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/ios/comments/1qq7q9m/new_versions_of_keynote_numbers_and_pages_collect/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260223032029/https://old.reddit.com/r/ios/comments/1qq7q9m/new_versions_of_keynote_numbers_and_pages_collect/ |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|[[archive.today]] / archive.ph (Web Archival Service)
|The website used [[JavaScript]] embedded into the website code to conduct a DDOS attack from users' devices against a blogger who has voiced criticism of the service in the past. This may make also cause legal issues for users.
NOTE: A similar technique has previously been used by Chinese search giant [[Baidu]], so we might want to create a category or tag for this type of thing

ADDENDUM: This page was reported to have been changing the information displayed in some archived screenshots, such as the author who published particular articles.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.heise.de/en/news/Archive-today-Operator-uses-users-for-DDoS-attack-11171455.html |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260212060655/https://www.heise.de/en/news/Archive-today-Operator-uses-users-for-DDoS-attack-11171455.html |archive-date=12 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=LMG Clips |title=Wikipedia Banned 690,000 Archive Links - LMG Clips |url=https://youtu.be/rrnFUvFGf5A?si=32JRogu2ID9xykHd |access-date=2026-03-03 |website=LMG Clips on YouTube - Wikipedia Banned 690,000 Archive Links}}</ref>
|-
|'''[[Arduino]]''' (/ɑːrˈdwiːnoʊ/) is an Italian open-source hardware and software company owned by Qualcomm
|Arduino’s new terms of service worries hobbyists ahead of Qualcomm acquisition.
User shall not:

*translate, decompile or reverse-engineer the Platform, or engage in any other activity designed to identify the algorithms and logic of the Platform’s operation, unless expressly allowed by Arduino or by applicable license agreements …
|
|-
|Atlassian
|Users forced from on-premise to cloud only subscriptions
Edit: Page has been started [[Atlassian on premise to subscription|here]], more work, citation, and verification needs to be done.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ascend to the cloud: The next chapter for Atlassian and our customers |url=https://www.atlassian.com/blog/announcements/atlassian-ascend |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251018171903/https://www.atlassian.com/blog/announcements/atlassian-ascend |archive-date=18 Oct 2025}}</ref>
|-
|[[Axon]]
|Tazers sold with lease agreement that makes purchase effectively a subscription.
|[https://norwoodrecord.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/4/8/114832579/norwood_record_pages_1_to_12__4sep2025.pdf <nowiki>[69]</nowiki>]
|-
|[[Bayer]]
|[[wikipedia:Bayer|Wikipedia]]. See [[Monsanto]]
|
|-
|[[Best Buy]]
|In late 2025, BestBuy added [https://www.bestbuy.com/site/help-topics/pricing-message/pcmcat748302046647.c?id=pcmcat748302046647#:~:text=Our%20%E2%80%9CComparable%20Value%E2%80%9D%20(Comp,retailers%20or%20e%2Dcommerce%20companies. "Comparable Value"] as means of comparing values of products that is of equivalent value to other products sold by manufacturers, 1st party, or 3rd party vendors. Changes to their pricing model has made it to where it is more difficult to determine overall value of a product compared to MSRP.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Support |first=Best Buy |date=2025-01-24 |title=Pricing: Promotions |url=https://www.bestbuy.com/site/help-topics/pricing-message/pcmcat748302046647.c?id=pcmcat748302046647#:~:text=Our%20%E2%80%9CComparable%20Value%E2%80%9D%20(Comp,retailers%20or%20e%2Dcommerce%20companies. |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-24 |website=Best Buy}}</ref>
|-
|[[Bluesky]]
|Introduced ID check for Direct Messaging to comply with laws in certain states and abroad, despite both the company and community being against it.
|
|-
|[[Bosch]] and Shimano
|Electric bike companies including Bosch and Shimano limit consumer's abilities to access their e-bike electrical system such as when installing a new light or a phone charger. Special software only accessible to qualified bike shops is required to activate ports or accept new devices. Additional connectivity barriers may exist such as difficult to acquire Bosch specific cables.
|<ref>{{Cite web |first=RunBikeMike |date=2024-1-1 |title=Installing an EBike Light To Run Off Your Battery / MagicShine ME2000 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvG7Fpb1tzI&t=50s |access-date=2026-3-6 |website=Youtube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |date=15 Mar 2022 |title=Bosch takes the L on right to repair for ebikes |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7e9hO5yMtk |access-date=March 6 2026 |website=Youtube}}</ref>
|-
|[[Carvana]]
|Saying cars that have been in accidents have not; Lies about inspection and does not replace brake pads even when worn down. Non-refundable $1,500 shipping fee. See [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9yhOeTUEo4 Louis Rossmann's Video]
|
|-
|[[Cloud-first]]
|The antithesis of [https://www.inkandswitch.com/essay/local-first local-first]. See "[https://karl-voit.at/cloud You Can't Control Your Data in the Cloud]"
|
|-
|[[Cloudary Holdings Limited / Webnovel]]
|Terms of service with binding Arbitration.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Webnovel ToS |url=https://www.webnovel.com/terms_of_service |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260101204816/https://www.webnovel.com/terms_of_service |archive-date=1 Jan 2026}}</ref>
|-
|[[Devolo]]
|Devolo switches off servers and removes their app from stores for their "Home Control" system, thus severely reducing the functionality of their devices (apparently Z-Wave-based).
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=IT-News für Profis |url=https://www.golem.de/news/weiterbetrieb-verursacht-weitere-kosten-devolo-macht-smart-home-system-zum-grossteil-unbrauchbar-2508-199409.html |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251210052941/https://www.golem.de/news/weiterbetrieb-verursacht-weitere-kosten-devolo-macht-smart-home-system-zum-grossteil-unbrauchbar-2508-199409.html |archive-date=10 Dec 2025|website=Golem |language=de}}</ref>
|-
|[[Dell]] and [[HP]]
|HP and Dell have disabled HEVC (H.264/H.265) hardware encoding and decoding support built into their laptops’ CPUs using both Intel and AMD processors.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harding |first=Scharon |date=2025-11-21 |title=HP and Dell disable HEVC support built into their laptops’ CPUs |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/11/hp-and-dell-disable-hevc-support-built-into-their-laptops-cpus/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251121083438/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/11/hp-and-dell-disable-hevc-support-built-into-their-laptops-cpus/ |archive-date=2025-11-21 |access-date=2025-11-21 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref>
|-
|E621
|Terms of service that require agreement to forced arbitration to use the website.
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-02 |title=E621 |url=https://e621.net/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128164339/https://e621.net/ |archive-date=28 Jan 2026|website=E621}}</ref>
|-
|[[EcoVac]]
|Vacuum cleaner robots produced by company 'EcoVac' were found vulnerable to hacking over bluetooth allowing for remote control and access to camera feed. Security researcher Dennis Giese notified the company in December of 2023. In August of 2024, the issue was described by the company as "extremely rare in typical user environments and require specialized hacking tools and physical access to the device."
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fell |first=Julian |date=2024-10-04 |title=We hacked a robot vacuum — and could watch live through its camera - ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-04/robot-vacuum-hacked-photos-camera-audio/104414020 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251128025250/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-04/robot-vacuum-hacked-photos-camera-audio/104414020 |archive-date=28 Nov 2025|access-date=2025-09-10 |website=ABC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Franceschi-Bicchierai |first=Lorenzo |date=2024-08-09 |title=Ecovacs home robots can be hacked to spy on their owners, researchers say {{!}} TechCrunch |url=https://techcrunch.com/2024/08/09/ecovacs-home-robots-can-be-hacked-to-spy-on-their-owners-researchers-say/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260222212044/https://techcrunch.com/2024/08/09/ecovacs-home-robots-can-be-hacked-to-spy-on-their-owners-researchers-say/ |archive-date=10 Aug 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Franceschi-Bicchierai |first=Lorenzo |date=2024-08-15 |title=Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai on X: "Finally, Ecovacs responds to the researchers' findings, saying it won't fix the bugs. |url=https://x.com/lorenzofb/status/1823774980460388675 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241108194816/https://x.com/lorenzofb/status/1823774980460388675 |archive-date=8 Nov 2024}}</ref>
|-
|[[Elegoo Centauri Carbon|Elegoo]]
|The Elegoo Centauri Carbon 3d printer has been proven to use open source Klipper software which requires them to publish their changes to the code.
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-28 |title=PSA: Elegoo Centauri Carbon & GPL Compliance |url=https://freethecode.lol/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251206142736/https://freethecode.lol/ |archive-date=6 Dec 2025|access-date=2025-08-28 |website=PSA: Elegoo Centauri Carbon & GPL Compliance}}</ref>
|-
|Foxit Reader
|Updater uses dark pattern to trick unsuspecting users into installing a trial version of their paid product. The checkbox is enabled again by default with each update in the hope that the user misses it by accident at some point.
|
|-
|[[Gaggia]]
|Between 2015 to 2019, the redesigned Gaggia Classic removed the traditional three-way solenoid valve. The valve was restored in the 2019 Gaggia Classic Pro after criticism and backlash from the espresso enthusiast community.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Waddell |first=Kelsey |date=2023-03-23 |title=Gaggia Classic vs Pro: A Closer Look at the Differences |url=https://www.roastycoffee.com/gaggia-classic-vs-pro/ |website=Roasty Coffee}}</ref>
|-
|[[Google Chromecast]]
|Chromecast has transitioned from a standalone product to one that [[Forced_app_download|requires the Google Home app]] for setup and control. This change prevents customers who either don't own a smartphone or prefer not to use the app from accessing their Chromecast devices. As a result, certain televisions—such as the Caixon EC43S1UA, which relied on built-in Chromecast functionality—can no longer be used as intended. This effectively removes a key feature from a product that was already purchased, diminishing its value or rendering it unusable altogether.
|
|-
|Google TLS Changes
|Google's new requirements to certificate authorities require separate authority/signing chains to be used to issue Server Authentication and Client Authentication certificates. Therefore, starting 11 February 2026, Let's Encrypt will no longer include the Client Authentication EKU on default certificates
|
|-
|[[Google]]
|Google apparently plans to reduce the interval of publishing source code of security patches they consider non-critical. This is another blow to the custom ROM community.
Right now we don't have these incidents organised chronologically, maybe we should have a table with a timeline of measures Google takes to enshittify and close down Android (more APIs moved to Play Services, Developer verification, withholding AOSP device trees for Pixel devices to mess with Graphene OS, now delayed source code disclosure). What's worst, they always cite safety as a reason.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Exclusive: Google wants to make Android phones safer by switching to ‘risk-based’ security updates |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/android-risk-based-security-updates-3597466/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260107025310/https://www.androidauthority.com/android-risk-based-security-updates-3597466/ |archive-date=7 Jan 2026}}</ref>
|-
|Google Maps
|Google restricts data visible in Google Maps for users who are not signed in with an account. Reviews and photos are no longer visible without login. This also forces users to agree to Google's TOS and logs them into all other Google services, such as YouTube or Google Search so that now all their data in those other services is associated with their accounts. This also raises concerns that other services such as YouTube might follow.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/GoogleMaps/comments/1r4iauf/google_maps_now_forces_you_to_signin/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260223032117/https://old.reddit.com/r/GoogleMaps/comments/1r4iauf/google_maps_now_forces_you_to_signin/ |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/GoogleMaps/comments/1r74v0f/cant_view_images_without_logging_in/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260223032213/https://old.reddit.com/r/GoogleMaps/comments/1r74v0f/cant_view_images_without_logging_in/ |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|[[Google]], [[Mozilla]], [[Apple]], [[Microsoft]], but largely Google-led
|Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari are removing XSLT 1.0 support, which could break critical parts of government's websites worldwide<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dimant |first=Dimitrii "Mamut" |date=2025-08-10 |title=XSLT removal will break multiple government and regulatory sites across the world #11582 |url=https://github.com/whatwg/html/issues/11582 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260211221059/https://github.com/whatwg/html/issues/11582 |archive-date=11 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-10-25 |website=Github (specifically the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group's HTML standards repo, controlled by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft and Apple)}}</ref>. There are valid security reasons for them to want to stop supporting this 1999-era standard, however they have had 26+ years to update to a newer standard (such as the 2017-era 3.1 standard, which is backwards compatible and would allow these sites to continue to work<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-03-21 |title="XML Path Language (XPath) 3.1: W3C Recommendation 21 March 2017" |url=https://www.w3.org/TR/xpath-31/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260116015839/https://www.w3.org/TR/xpath-31/ |archive-date=16 Jan 2026|website=W3C}}</ref>). The single unpaid developer maintaining these libraries has more or less retired after getting flooded with impossible to satisfy security requests from these companies<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wellnhoffer |first=Nick |date=2025-05-08 |title=Triaging security issues reported by third parties |url=https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libxml2/-/issues/913 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260131231248/https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libxml2/-/issues/913 |archive-date=31 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-10-25 |website=gitlab.gnome.org}}</ref>. There is an existing project called XRUST to implement the 3.1 standard<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-09 |title=XRust: XPath, XQuery, and XSLT for Rust |url=https://gitlab.gnome.org/World/Rust/markup-rs/xrust |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260204085435/https://gitlab.gnome.org/World/Rust/markup-rs/xrust |archive-date=4 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-10-14 |website=gitlab.gnome.org}}</ref>, which is 2/3rds of the way through supporting all the features of 1.0 - the XSLT part fully supports all the 1.0 features at this point. XSLT is part of the W3C Consortium's open web standards for formatting and presenting XML, and is also how RSS works, so RSS feeds would stop working as well, disrupting the livelihoods of podcasters<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rijo |first=Luis |date=2025-08-20 |title=Google targets RSS feeds in new XSLT removal proposal |url=https://ppc.land/google-targets-rss-feeds-in-new-xslt-removal-proposal/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260222212228/https://ppc.land/google-targets-rss-feeds-in-new-xslt-removal-proposal/ |archive-date=22 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-10-14 |website=PPC-Land}}</ref>. This has led to questions of who owns the web - the public (including the government) who paid for and laid down the highways / web infrastructure - or a handful of large corporations? <ref>{{Cite web |last=Branscombe |first=Mary |date=2025-09-01 |title=XSLT Debate Leads to Bigger Questions of Web Governance |url=https://thenewstack.io/xslt-debate-leads-to-bigger-questions-of-web-governance/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260131231310/https://thenewstack.io/xslt-debate-leads-to-bigger-questions-of-web-governance/ |archive-date=31 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-10-14 |website=The New Stack}}</ref>
|
|-
|[[GoPro]] Hero 12
|GoPro Hero 12 requires the GoPro app to be installed before you can use the camera. Many currently used devices are not compatible with the app, therefore making use of the camera difficult to impossible for new owners or upon camera factory reset. There's also the question of what data the app collects and whether it requires login and or camera activation.
|
|-
|[[Hikvision]]
|Chinese surveillance camera manufacturer complicit in Uighur genocide which used to advertise recognition of praying and ramadan fasting among its selling points. Similarly to [[Flock license plate readers|Flock]], they are in use world wide and likely feed directly into the Chinese government's surveillance infrastructure and could conceivably be used to find dissidents world-wide. Recently, [https://netzpolitik.org/2025/hikvision-hersteller-der-hamburger-ki-ueberwachungskameras-ist-fuer-menschenrechtsverletzungen-bekannt/ the city of Hamburg has installed them] ([https://netzpolitik-org.translate.goog/2025/hikvision-hersteller-der-hamburger-ki-ueberwachungskameras-ist-fuer-menschenrechtsverletzungen-bekannt/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp Google Translate Version in English]).
|
|-
|[[Internet radios]]
|I'd like a page where I can share information about internet radios "openness." Few allow you to enter a radio station's URL (which I would consider the least intrusive option). Most depend on third-party websites or apps; [https://www.sangean.com/uk/blog/149 some of which have already bricked devices].
|
|-
|[[IPVideo Corporation]] (owned by [[Motorola]])
|Manufacturer of surveillance hardware. The notable example that brought them to my attention is the Halo 3C/3C-PC Smart Sensor, which is deployed in places such as school bathrooms and subsidized/social housing. This system has a variety of sensors on it, from air quality ones (for detecting smoking/vape usage) all the way to microphones (ostensibly for audio analysis to identify aggression and gunshots, without the capability to stream the audio elsewhere, but this not a limitation built into the hardware and could be changed by a firmware update).
|<ref>{{Cite_web |last=Reynaldo |last2=nyx |name-list-style=amp |date=2025-10-10 |title=DEF CON 33 - Unmasking the Snitch Puck: IoT surveillance tech in the school bathroom |url=https://youtu.be/WCnojaEpF2I |publisher=DEF CON |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=WCnojaEpF2I |archive-date=16 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite_web |access-date=2025-10-26 |url=https://www.pelco.com/sensors |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250922000017/https://www.pelco.com/sensors |archive-date=2025-09-22 |title=HALO Smart Sensor Suite |website=PELCO}}</ref>
|-
|[[iRacing]]
|iRacing is a racing game that's subscription-based, requiring payment just to play the actual game in either online or offline mode.
|
|-
|[[itch.io]], [[Night School Studios]], [[Netflix]]
|In September 2024, users who purchased the game Oxenfree on itch.io were warned that the game was going to be pulled from the platform on October 1st. Consumers would not be able to download the installers after this date, so they would lose access unless they had them backed up. Users speculated that Netflix, the parent company of the development studio, had ordered the move; however, no response from Netflix or the developers was ever published. This is particularly notable because it is against itch.io's terms of service: "Users shall retain a license to this content even after the content is removed from the Service."
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=itch corp |date=15 Apr 2023 |title=itch.io Terms of Service |url=https://itch.io/docs/legal/terms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907004719/https://itch.io/docs/legal/terms |archive-date=7 Sep 2024 |access-date=27 Jun 2025 |website=itch.io}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |last=ShawnS |date=31 Jan 2025 |title=OXENFREE |url=https://delistedgames.com/oxenfree/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250321070400/https://delistedgames.com/oxenfree/ |archive-date=21 Mar 2025 |access-date=27 Jun 2025 |website=Delisted Games}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |last=Colp |first=Tyler |date=9 Sep 2024 |title=Another reminder that your digital library isn't forever: Oxenfree will be completely removed from Itch.io next month |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/another-reminder-that-your-digital-library-isn-t-forever-oxenfree-will-be-completely-removed-from-itch-io-next-month/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250523111125/https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/another-reminder-that-your-digital-library-isn-t-forever-oxenfree-will-be-completely-removed-from-itch-io-next-month/ |archive-date=23 May 2025 |access-date=27 Jun 2025 |website=PC Gamer}}</ref>
|-
|[[The Japan Times|Japan Times, The]]
|The Japan Times uses the DMCA to take down an open source study resource for the Genki and Quartet workbooks.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clydesdale |first=Seth |date=2025-09-11 |title=Important Information Regarding Genki and Quartet Study Resources |url=https://ko-fi.com/post/Important-Information-Regarding-Genki-and-Quartet-D1D21L4B1S |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251116072121/https://ko-fi.com/post/Important-Information-Regarding-Genki-and-Quartet-D1D21L4B1S |archive-date=16 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Update Regarding Genki and Quartet Study Resources DMCA Situation |url=https://ko-fi.com/post/Update-Regarding-Genki-and-Quartet-Study-Resources-Y8Y21M1F5E |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251115073152/https://ko-fi.com/post/Update-Regarding-Genki-and-Quartet-Study-Resources-Y8Y21M1F5E |archive-date=15 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-03 |title=All Exercises for Genki/Quartet Study Resources Have Been Removed |url=https://ko-fi.com/post/All-Exercises-for-GenkiQuartet-Study-Resources-Wi-R6R81M8LLN |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251113045244/https://ko-fi.com/post/All-Exercises-for-GenkiQuartet-Study-Resources-Wi-R6R81M8LLN |archive-date=13 Nov 2025}}</ref>
|-
|[[JavaScript]]
|[[wikipedia:JavaScript|WP]]. [https://github.com/Rudxain/blog/blob/main/post/js-abuse.md Compilation of sources/refs]
|
|-
|[[KOSA]]
|KOSA claims to make kids safer, but it’s really a dangerous censorship bill that would give the U.S. government unprecedented control over the internet. This would put youth in danger by preventing them from accessing potentially life-saving resources.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first=Fight for the Future |date=2026-01-24 |title=Reject online censorship. Tell lawmakers to oppose KOSA! |url=https://www.stopkosa.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2026-01-24 |website=Stop KOSA}}</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20250228145348/https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/education/article/Katy-ISD-blocks-LGBTQ-resources-suicide-16647274.php</ref>
|-
|[[LBRY]] Foundation, [[Odysee]]
|Community first decentralization & Odysee's plan to enable censorship by switching away from the opensource LBRY network.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=The LBRY Foundation |url=https://lbry.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260211161516/https://lbry.org/ |archive-date=11 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-08-08 |quote=The LBRY community invites everyone to join us in building a more free and open way to share content and information online.}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Watson |first=RT |date=6 Jun 2024 |title=Decentralized YouTube alternative Odysee acquired by Forward Research despite content concerns |url=https://www.theblock.co/post/298888/decentralized-youtube-alternative-odysee-acquired-by-forward-research-despite-content-concerns |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251127094918/https://www.theblock.co/post/298888/decentralized-youtube-alternative-odysee-acquired-by-forward-research-despite-content-concerns |archive-date=27 Nov 2025|access-date=16 Aug 2025 |work=The Block}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Li |first=Jun |last2=Grintsvayg |first2=Alex |last3=Kauffman |first3=Jeremy |last4=Fleming |first4=Charles |date=2020 |title=LBRY: A Blockchain-Based Decentralized Digital Content Marketplace |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9126007 |journal=2020 IEEE International Conference on Decentralized Applications and Infrastructures (DAPPS) |location=Oxford, UK |publisher=IEEE |doi=10.1109/DAPPS49028.2020.00005 |isbn=978-1-7281-6978-1 |via=IEEE Xplore |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250825221749/https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9126007/ |archive-date=25 Aug 2025}}</ref>
|-
|[[LG]]
|LG discontinued its LG Bluetooth Remote app (including plugins such as "btc4") making it non-public on the Play Store and making Bluetooth controllable devices (like for example the CM2630B) half as useful, without even publishing neither the protocol used to control such devices nor the source code of the app.
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|-
|[[Lowe's]]
|Lowe's uses flock cameras and other AI powered cameras to collect data and build a profile on "prospective, current, or former Lowe's customers". Their cameras point away from their stores.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Koebler |first=Jason |date=6 Aug 2025 |title=Home Depot and Lowe's Share Data From Hundreds of AI Cameras With Cops |url=https://www.404media.co/home-depot-and-lowes-share-data-from-hundreds-of-ai-cameras-with-cops/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260216173226/https://www.404media.co/home-depot-and-lowes-share-data-from-hundreds-of-ai-cameras-with-cops/ |archive-date=16 Feb 2026|access-date=15 Sep 2025 |website=404 Media}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=26 Aug 2025 |title=Lowe’s U.S. Privacy Statement |url=https://www.lowes.com/l/about/privacy-and-security-statement |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251228013530/https://www.lowes.com/l/about/privacy-and-security-statement |archive-date=28 Dec 2025|access-date=15 Sep 2025 |website=Lowe's}}</ref>
|-
|[[McDonald's]]/Taylor
|McDonald's US mandates which ice cream machine has to be used by franchise licensees. The company that makes these machines uses deliberately obfuscated error codes to force restaurant owners to use their expensive tech service to fix them and reset the machines. The company makes more money from these "repairs" support than with actual sales. Not strictly end consumer, but the pattern warrants documenting imo.
A similar problem exists with Doremi (Dolby) cinema projectors where their DRM leads to a ridiculous number of actions breaking the so-called "marriage" (projector-media block unity), requiring a costly technician to reset it. This one needs sources researched, though, as I don't have one on hand.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Why McDonald's Ice Cream Machines Are Always Broken and How To Fix Them |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uCpY3tFTIA |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=2uCpY3tFTIA |archive-date=22 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|[[Mitsubishi Motors]]
|Mitsubishi Motors has a rich history of consumer protection, compliance issues and privacy breaches. These include concealing safety defects, falsifying fuel economy data, and being fined for false advertising. Following the trend of subscription services for the automotive industry, Mitsubishi paywalls built-in features including remote start, SOS, collision detection, and car tracking through its app Mitsubishi Connect subscription service.
|[https://www.autoevolution.com/news/mitsubishi-fined-42-million-by-japans-consumer-affairs-agency-115026.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com] [https://leakd.com/leaks/mitsubishi-motors-vietnam-customer-data-breached/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Motors?utm_source=chatgpt.com] [https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/?order=pen_year&parent=mitsubishi-motors&sort=&utm_source=chatgpt.com][https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/newsroom/newsrelease/2017/20171129_3.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com]
|-
|Multiple
|Several legal cases involving forced arbitration in some manner; many of these relate to other anticonsumer practices, such as when Wells Fargo illegally opened up ~3.5M fake checking and credit accounts in customers' names. Highly advised to deeply scrub for supplementary sources.
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=Apr 16, 2019 |title=Fact Sheet: Cases Tossed Out of Court Because of Forced Arbitration Causes and Class Action Bans |url=https://www.centerjd.org/content/fact-sheet-cases-tossed-out-court-because-forced-arbitration-causes-and-class-action-bans#_ftn1 |access-date=Feb 12, 2026 |website=Center for Justice & Democracy at New York Law School |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251013145327/https://centerjd.org/content/fact-sheet-cases-tossed-out-court-because-forced-arbitration-causes-and-class-action-bans |archive-date=13 Oct 2025}}</ref>
|-
|MuseGroup (MuseSounds)
|Releasing more and more subscription sound packs while previously released one-time purchase sound packs are full of bugs/issues and have gone without updates for sometimes over a year. They have also increased the price of one-time purchase packs by about 500% while still providing no additional or improved functionality.
They also added unsolicited popups advertising their paid sound packs at startup of the open source MuseScore application, as well as buttons and commands for their cloud service to the home screen, which cannot be disabled. They previously ran into controversy when changing the privacy policy of Audacity and tried to add tracking. The closed-source MuseHub application (which is required to download the free sound packs) connects to tracking services with neither a real opt-in nor an opt-out option. Newer versions of MuseHub now seem to require an account to download free sound packs and sound effects, which previously was not the case. Muse Hub starts at every system launch by default and stays active in the background despite this not being required for its functionality. They also added proprietary parts to MuseScore (like the MuseSample), which is kept closed source. They also bought StaffPad and seem to have quietly ceased its development without publishing any statements.
|
|-
|[[Navdy]], [[Harman International]]
|Device discontinued and no updates, device can be used offline for 1 year until it stops working.
https://www.reddit.com/r/navdy/
|
|-
|[[Netgear]] (internet networking equipment)
|Almost every Netgear internet router requires the creation of a new account to function as a router, where the TOS includes an agreement to binding arbitration. Most if not all devices are locked into proprietary firmware with no option to change. Some automatic updates have reportedly cause loss of performance with option to revert to a previous version, "bricking" the device in some cases.
Engages in anti-consumer practices, requiring a subscription for basic WiFi-router features such as parental controls. According to a blogpost by a senior employee, grew from "45% in 2016 to over 60% in 2019" of the US consumer router market. In 2025, Netgear is "being sued by TP-Link for a 'Smear Campaign' to Advance US Router Ban [of it's competitor TP-Link].
|[https://www.netgear.com/about/terms-and-conditions/ <nowiki>[62]</nowiki>]
[https://kb.netgear.com/000062104/What-subscription-plans-are-available-for-NETGEAR-Smart-Parental-Controls <nowiki>[63]</nowiki>]
[https://www.netgear.com/hub/author/abhorkar/ <nowiki>[64]</nowiki>]
[https://www.pcmag.com/news/tp-link-accuses-netgear-of-smear-campaign-to-advance-us-router-ban?test_uuid=04IpBmWGZleS0I0J3epvMrC&test_variant=B <nowiki>[65]</nowiki>]
|-
|[[Nothing]]
|Nothing brings home-screen ads (can be disabled manually) and [[bloatware]] to its lower end models despite previously boasting about being bloatware free
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Floemer |first=Andreas |date=2025-10-27 |title=Phone 3a: NothingOS 4.0 brings optional ads to the lock screen |url=https://www.heise.de/en/news/Phone-3a-NothingOS-4-0-brings-optional-ads-to-the-lock-screen-10904033.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260222212507/https://www.heise.de/en/news/Phone-3a-NothingOS-4-0-brings-optional-ads-to-the-lock-screen-10904033.html |archive-date=22 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-10-27 |website=Heise Online}}</ref>
|-
|[[OICA]] (European automotive lobby organisation)
|The OICA recently pushed for the right to emit sounds from quiet electric cars to make them as loud as conventional cars with combustion engine and against stricter noise regulation in cities. The fake engine noises in question are specifically not for safety purposes, but for emotional effect for the driver. However, instead of playing the noises only inside for just the driver to hear, the noise is to be played on speakers on the exterior, thus affecting the general public. Noise pollution has long been known to have adverse health effects. ''[NOTE: Similar to environmental aspects, greenwashing etc., we will have to find a good angle for how this fits the wiki. I would say it does match the general theme of manufacturers deliberately making their products worse for minor financial gain and lobbies pushing against things that are in public interest.]''
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Krempl |first=Stefan |date=2026-01-07 |title=Sound Dictatorship vs. Quiet: The Battle for E-Car Roar |url=https://www.heise.de/en/news/Sound-Dictatorship-vs-Quiet-The-Battle-for-E-Car-Roar-11133630.html |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260108165124/https://www.heise.de/en/news/Sound-Dictatorship-vs-Quiet-The-Battle-for-E-Car-Roar-11133630.html |archive-date=8 Jan 2026|access-date=2026-01-08 |website=Heise Online}}</ref>
|-
|[[Persona]] (Age verification service)
|Used by Discord to do age verification using facial 3d scans, which are transmitted to Persona servers. It has been revealed that the company has ties to Palantir and Peter Thiel.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/oh-good-discords-age-verification-rollout-has-ties-to-palantir-co-founder-and-panopticon-architect-peter-thiel/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260221224755/https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/oh-good-discords-age-verification-rollout-has-ties-to-palantir-co-founder-and-panopticon-architect-peter-thiel/ |archive-date=21 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|[https://www.skystone.games/ Skystone Games]
|Boundary, a multiplayer online-only first-person shooter, got shut down just a year after its release by Skystone games, and its publishing rights relinquished, citing "ongoing delays and a lack of updates from the developer". Studio Surgical Scalpels (the developer) stated that the publisher decissions were "extremely sudden and unreasonable", and attempted to "regain the rights to boundary". The game has been offline for more than a year at the time of writing, and no refunds or communications to the userbase has been made by Skystone Games.
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-19 |title=Boundary - End of service notice |url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1364020/view/4209257868262605607?l=english |url-status=live |access-date=2025-07-07 |website=Steam |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251021143111/https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1364020/view/4209257868262605607?l=english |archive-date=21 Oct 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-30 |title=Boundary Shut Down: Who's to Blame? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr8IhV1fovE |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=Kr8IhV1fovE |archive-date=16 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|[[Sony]], Sony Online Entertainment/[[Daybreak Game Company]]
|Selling off SOE to the investment firm Columbus Nova, all games published by SOE were delisted without prior notice to consumers or developers, and licenses were revoked as well.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=S |first=Shawn |date=Jun 10, 2016 |title=Akimi Village |url=https://delistedgames.com/akimi-village/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251127030103/https://delistedgames.com/akimi-village/ |archive-date=27 Nov 2025|website=Delisted Games}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Weber |first=Rachel |date=Feb 2, 2015 |title=SOE acquired, becomes Daybreak Game Company |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/soe-acquired-becomes-daybreak-game-company |work=GamesIndustry.biz |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260204235742/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/soe-acquired-becomes-daybreak-game-company |archive-date=4 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|[[Superbox]]
|Android TV box manufacturer Superbox remotely locks consumers' devices if they were sold below the manufacturer's minimum specified prices and asks consumers to contact the retailer when they complain.
They are not the first to do something like this. [[Deye]] locked down inverters in the US that they suspected might be gray imports.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=You'll Own Nothing and Be Happy |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I5-rAyFQrk |website=YouTube |type=Video |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=5I5-rAyFQrk |archive-date=16 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|[[Twitch]]
|Twitch has recently partnered with Persona to verify the ages of new affiliates before first payouts.
|
|-
|[[UP3]] By [[Jawbone]]
|Approximately 2011, Pioneering startup company from San Francisco, had revolutionary fitness trackers. In 2017 with no notice to customers they stole personal data and shut down app which in turn, bricked devices. Highly likely went bankrupt and sold to sister company to manipulate customer services and rights. Now owned by Aliph brands.
|
|-
|[[Vive]]
|In 2022, Vive discontinued the original Vive Facial Tracker module a year after the original release, then released an updated model with proprietary firmware that blocked use on other 3rd party VR headset, while only allowing the new model to work with their new locked-down headset. The 2021 version of the face tracker's long term support was seemingly cut overnight without any software updates since 2021.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vive Team |date=2022-08-07 |title=VIVE Focus 3 gets Facial Tracker, and Eye Tracker |url=https://blog.vive.com/us/vive-focus-3-gets-facial-tracker-and-eye-tracker/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250619155201/https://blog.vive.com/us/vive-focus-3-gets-facial-tracker-and-eye-tracker/ |archive-date=2025-06-19 |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=Vive Blog}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=StateKi |date=2023-10-10 |title=Post by StatekTi on X |url=https://x.com/StatekTi/status/1733954156379963393 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/DiYbF |archive-date=9 Jan 2026 |access-date=2025-11-21 |website=X (Formerly Twitter)}}</ref>
|-
|[[Web cookie]]
|[[wikipedia:HTTP_cookie|Wikipedia]]
|
|-
|[[WHMCS]]
|Discontinuation of support and updates for WHMCS legacy “Owned” licenses, forcing users who want ongoing updates or technical support to switch to subscription licensing and pay recurring fees rather than continue with the original owned model. This change affects all holders of legacy owned licenses and alters the long-term terms under which those licenses were originally sold
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=WHMCS Knowledgebase |url=https://www.whmcs.com/members/index.php/knowledgebase/70/Support-and-Updates-Expiration.html |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251211021038/https://www.whmcs.com/members/index.php/knowledgebase/70/Support-and-Updates-Expiration.html |archive-date=11 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Important pricing changes to your WHMCS owned license Mailer |url=https://www.whmcs.com/members/mailings/?k=price21-emailo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260215233549/https://www.whmcs.com/members/mailings/?k=price21-emailo |archive-date=15 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|Wheatstone Corporation
|Wheatstone Corporation are a manufacturer of professional broadcast equipment, mainly audio consoles and interfaces that utilise their proprietary Wheatnet audio over IP protocol.
Wheatstone restricts access to firmware updates, software configuration tools and software. You must open a support ticked in order for them to send you a download link to these software tools, they make it very difficult to access software required to make their hardware audio interfaces work, even stating they want proof of purchase (not just a licence key) before they will even give you the download link. Managing licences is also non-existent and you will need to contact support, and as such a fee is imposed.
|
|-
|[[Wireless Power Consortium]]
|After monopolizing wireless charging market Qi turned from an open standard into a proprietary.
Version 1.3 introduced "secure authentication between the transmitter and the receiver", i.e. in order to operate every charger must include an expensive proprietary chip licensed only to certified members. This results in increased development and manufacturing costs directly passed onto consumer. Version 2.2, unlike previous versions, "is available for WPC Members only".
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Qi Certification Is Changing and We've Got You Covered |url=https://www.nxp.com/company/about-nxp/smarter-world-blog/BL-QI-CERTIFICATION-IS-CHANGING |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251104012700/https://www.nxp.com/company/about-nxp/smarter-world-blog/BL-QI-CERTIFICATION-IS-CHANGING |archive-date=4 Nov 2025|website=NXP Semiconductors}}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web |title=Download the Qi Specifications |url=https://www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com/knowledge-base/specifications/download-the-qi-specifications/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251104094044/https://www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com/knowledge-base/specifications/download-the-qi-specifications/ |archive-date=4 Nov 2025|website=Wireless Power Consortium}}</ref>
|-
|Wolfgang Puck Bread Makers
|Some of the bread makers have anti repair screws in them to prevent people from repairing them themselves. Needs more citations.
|
|-
|[[World Orb]]
|World Network (Sam Altman/Open AI) scheme to collect biometric data on all people. Tied to cryptocurrency, AI schemes. Supposedly way for people to show they are human (run by the people who are trying to make a profit from AI).
|
|-
|[[Xcode]] support dropped for older MacBooks
|Apple has discontinued support for up to date versions of Xcode iOS development on older MacBook devices (discovered on my MacBook Pro 2017, but I’m sure it applies to other old devices as well), resulting in not being able to use a perfectly capable machine for iOS app development without having to go through countless loopholes. 1) you cannot commit new updates without utilizing a third-party medium, 2) the warning and error compiler is out of date due to not being able to update to the latest version, which of course supports the latest iOS release, so you have to figure it out on your own like it’s the 80’s 3) you must commit and release a new TestFlight build (through [1] loophole) to do any testing instead of being able to simulate on your Mac or even a connected device 4) this all really stems from the fact that the new Xcode updates require the new MacOS version which is also discontinued for older MacBooks. This means 8 year old device is basically just useless for such applications.
|[[Category:Sources]]
|-
|[[Zhiyun]]
|Like competing products from [[DJI]], Zhiyun video gimbals require a Chinese smartphone app, internet access and an account to activate on first use.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CjNp6pWNoQ |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=_CjNp6pWNoQ |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|}

==List of themes not yet covered==
Consumer Rights Wiki is not an encyclopedia.

*Before proposing or making a theme article, see if you can find an article that covers the topic on wikipedia, or some other reference. If you can, just use a reference to that.
*Check the list of theme articles [[:Category:common terms]], to be sure there isn't already an article on the topic, or one closely related. Sometimes a theme may be covered by generalizing an existing article.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Theme
!Summary of Theme
!Refs
|-
|Anti-rollback or ARB for device firmware
|most recent example being [[Oneplus phone update introduces hardware anti-rollback]] but ain't exclusive to it. Also implemented by [[Oneplus phone update introduces hardware anti-rollback#Comparison with other manufacturers|Samsung]], [https://mavicpilots.com/threads/not-be-able-to-degrade-firmfare-of-dji-mini2-from-01-06-0200.134806/#post-1518967 DJI] (link found from [[DJI]]) and likely many more.
|
|}

==List of companies doing the right thing==
It would be helpful to include examples of companies doing the right thing, even if they aren't, strictly speaking, consumer products.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Company
!Good deed
!Refs
|-
|APSystems
|After requests from users, the company released a firmware update that adds a local API to their EZ-1M solar micro inverter, allowing it to remain fully usable if the company ends support for the device
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=APsystems EZHI Local API User Manual |url=https://global.apsystems.com/document/apsystems-ezhi-local-api-user-manual/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251107061040/https://global.apsystems.com/document/apsystems-ezhi-local-api-user-manual/ |archive-date=7 Nov 2025|website=global.apsystems.com}}</ref>
|-
|Concept2
|Readily provides parts and diagrams. Exists under a [https://www.concept2.com/about/perpetual-purpose-trust Perpetual Purpose Trust].
|
|-
|Core Devices (from creator of Pebble Smartwatches)
|Not strictly Core Devices, but when Pebble was sold to Fitbit, the servers remained online for some time, and the Pebble app was updated to allow the Rebble community project to take over some of the Pebble server-side functionality. All backers of the upcoming Pebble 2 series of watches were refunded in full, despite it being a crowd-funding campaign.
Following Google's acquisition of Fitbit and after many years, Google released much of the Pebble Smart Watch source code on github (excluding proprietary libraries). Core Devices and Rebble replaced the usage of the proprietary libraries with open source alternatives, and released new Android and iOS apps, not only supporting the new core devices, but bringing updated support to legacy Pebble devices.
|
|-
|Fairphone
|The new Fairphones (5th and 6th generation) are availible with stock android as well as e/os, which is a fork of lineage os and a european alternative cloud provider (murena) instead of google. This has many privacy features (app tracker blocker, tor network usage, and gps spoofing) availible in a few clicks. Also degoogle apps (microg, safetynet, ...) are preinstalled therefore it is w´possible to install everything also from playstore with an anonymous account. As e/os is a fork of lineage os and there is an official guide to flash the fairphone with e/os and is officially supported, flashing lineage os is very easy.
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-02-24 |title=How to manually install Android on your Fairphone |url=https://support.fairphone.com/hc/en-us/articles/18896094650513-How-to-manually-install-Android-on-your-Fairphone |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Fairphone (Gen. 6) with privacy first /e/OS |url=https://shop.fairphone.com/the-fairphone-gen-6-e-operating-system |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|Home Assistant
|Open-source smart home platform that provides local control, automation, and interoperability for a wide range of smart home devices. Provides support for many cloud devices after they're subject to [[discontinuation bricking]].
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home Assistant |url=https://www.home-assistant.io/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260129222300/https://www.home-assistant.io/ |archive-date=2026-01-29 |access-date=2026-02-05}}</ref>
|-
|Noctua
|Extremely long support for old products and availability of upgrade kits
|<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3g4-fb6u90 |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=D3g4-fb6u90 |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|Numatic International
|A UK based manufacture of commercial and consumer wet/dry floor cleaning products (vacuums, scrubbers, floor buffers) that provides a robust library of technical documents, parts breakdowns, data sheets and training for free on both new and existing products without the need to login, pay additional fees or be an approved repair facility.
|
|-
|Oral-B
|When installing the Android App, there is no login, and the user is asked for analytics tracking consent.
|
|-
|Philips
|Added files for replacement parts to Printables so you can 3D print parts for your Philips products
|
|-
|ratgdo
|A garage door opener controller developed by Paul Wieland, allowing you to locally control it (namely Chamberlain openers that would otherwise require the MyQ app for smart home features).
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wieland |first=Paul |title=About - ratgdo |url=https://ratcloud.llc/pages/about |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251213022055/https://ratcloud.llc/pages/about |archive-date=2025-12-13 |access-date=2026-02-05}}</ref>
|-
|Reticulum
|Reticulum is an open-source, decentralized networking stack designed to communicate between practically any wireless device, even without internet. Its purpose is to provide fully anonymous end-to-end encrypted communication by default, especially in the age of government surveillance. The Reticulum network, protocol, and hardware are not tied any company in particular but were initially created by Github user 'markqvist'. Honorable mention to NomadNet, which is a network of nodes that serve webpages, similar to the internet, that communicate via Reticulum.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=markqvist |title=Reticulum Network |url=https://reticulum.network/ |access-date=2026-02-15 |website=Reticulum |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260222180553/https://reticulum.network/ |archive-date=22 Feb 2026}}</ref>
|-
|stevesgames.co.uk
|Will never put ads or in-app purchases in their computer games and will make gamees available for free after securing the companys future.
|
|-
|Tektronix
|Provided extensive product data on unsupported products to a museum, vintageTEK, and thus to tekwiki and the rest of the community.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lenihan |first=Thomas F. |date=2012-02-28 |title=Copyright Notice |url=https://vintagetek.org/copyright-notice/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250828004431/https://vintagetek.org/copyright-notice/ |archive-date=2025-08-28 |access-date=2025-10-18 |website=vintageTEK museum}}</ref>
|-
|Ulanzi
|The company offers a tutorial on how users can mix their own fog juice to use with Ulanzi mini fog machines from readily available low-cost ingredients, whereas competitors sell proprietary fog juice at extortionate prices, refuse to release the formula and refuse to honour the warranty if users use anything but the OEM brand with their machines.
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tutorial {{!}} How to DIY Ulanzi FM01 Fog Machine Juice? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiq1B6-dcEM |type=Video}} ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=qiq1B6-dcEM Archived])</ref>
|}

==See Also==

*[[Louis Rossmann - Video Directory]]
*[[Other Channels - Video Directory|Other Channels - Video Directory]]

==Reference List==
<references />