699
submitted 8 months ago by ylai@lemmy.ml to c/technology@lemmy.world
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] TheRaven@lemmy.ca 182 points 8 months ago

The devices those users paid for? That should be illegal.

[-] SnotFlickerman 178 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I'm pretty sure this won't fly in court because this is a significant change to a product long after the product was purchased, which could potentially fly in the face of false advertising laws, since this "feature" was not advertised, and they're not being denied access to a product they purchased. It's clearly coercive.

However, this is the USA and stupider shit has happened. Judges here love to gargle corporate balls. See: Clearance Thomas.

[-] ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world 65 points 8 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)
[-] SnotFlickerman 26 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Oh, to be fair, I stole that from someone else. Similar story, don't know if it was on purpose or on accident (didn't ask). It's fucking gold. Anyway, it was a random reddit comment deep in a thread, sorry I can't credit them since I don't recall their name.

[-] Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg 12 points 8 months ago

Props for not claiming it anyways

[-] Turun@feddit.de 9 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

"Roger Rodger"
"we've got clearance Clarence"
"What's our vector victor?"

From the movie airplane.

[-] stoly@lemmy.world 5 points 8 months ago

The point is that few have the money to prove this.

[-] SnotFlickerman 100 points 8 months ago

When are we gonna finally nail companies for using underhanded and coercive tactics with consumers?

Oh, never? Okay then.

[-] LazaroFilm@lemmy.world 25 points 8 months ago

Europe is doing it. Look at Apple vs Spotify, as well as Apple forced to open their app stores to 3rd parties. Those are consumer oriented laws. In the USA, lobbying prevent those from happening.

[-] SnotFlickerman 20 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

And until the EU starts playing hardball, they'll continue to engage in malicious compliance (literally how they've responded to the DMA so far). Time will tell if the EU actually has the balls for this.

[-] FluffyPotato@lemm.ee 12 points 8 months ago

The DMA took effect since yesterday I think and the fine for it was like up to 20% of global revenue if I remember correctly. The EU has enforced GDPR very well so far so I don't doubt them enforcing this.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] slaacaa@lemmy.world 12 points 8 months ago

US: best we can do is a other corporate tax cut

[-] Cort@lemmy.world 11 points 8 months ago

Tbf Biden is currently campaigning on raising corporate taxes and the top tax bracket. To actually get anything done though, Democrats would have to take back the house.

[-] dakial@lemmy.world 74 points 8 months ago

There should be a law that any change of T&C after the purchase of a product gives the customer the option to refuse the terms and get a full refund of that product, no matter how old it is.

[-] Nommer@sh.itjust.works 12 points 8 months ago

I have a smart light switch I can't use anymore because they updated the app to force you to make an account to use it and I refused since it worked fine for the last 3 years without them needing to sell my data.

[-] gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 8 months ago

If the firmware on the switch hasn't been updated to not function with old versions of the app why not just snag an old APK and use the old app version?

At least as long as you own the thing, worth a shot

load more comments (5 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[-] Eezyville@sh.itjust.works 63 points 8 months ago

Shit happened to me yesterday. Pissed me off. Bought this TV years ago and suddenly I can't use it until I accept their new arbitration shit. I'm building a stream box and disabling the internet on this thing. I'm sick of ads anyway.

[-] MycelialMass@lemmy.world 17 points 8 months ago

Do it, its worth the effort

[-] Scrollone@feddit.it 5 points 8 months ago

Build a Plex/Jellyfin server while you're at it

[-] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 56 points 8 months ago

I have no idea how US contract law works. Even if you agree to something that says "we can alter the deal at any time", when a change happens to the deal, don't both sides have to benefit, rather than "agree to this change so that you can keep the same thing you had before"?

[-] wesley@yall.theatl.social 32 points 8 months ago

I honestly think a lot of these terms of service agreements are legally unenforceable, but they don't get contested in court very often.

Like if they say "you consented to the arbitration agreement" I could just argue I never physically signed anything and it was actually my 5 year old who agreed so he could watch TV.

[-] Cort@lemmy.world 25 points 8 months ago

But don't you see, the consumer surely benefits. After agreeing they get to continue using their tv under our new and wonderful terms of service. /s

[-] KumaLumaJuma@feddit.uk 9 points 8 months ago

Hadn’t actually thought about this but it’s a good point, they are varying the T&Cs with no consideration here.

[-] Grass@sh.itjust.works 55 points 8 months ago

When are the users taking them to court. These guys aren't Nintendo so I expect them to have to fuck themselves.

[-] SidewaysHighways@lemmy.world 8 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I expect them to have to fuck themselves

Damn I love that for some reason. Thanks for a giggle

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] dynamojoe@lemmy.world 52 points 8 months ago

My kid consented. I think. Can she make binding contracts that she doesn't tell me about because she's looking for Blues Clues, or am I responsible for every OK she checks when I'm not present?

[-] nxdefiant@startrek.website 23 points 8 months ago

I let my cat step on the remote. Fucker doesn't pull his weight, so if the lawyers come after him he's on his own.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[-] porksoda@lemmy.world 48 points 8 months ago

So legally speaking, what happens if it was my 8 year old son, who clicks buttons with no regard for human life, that agreed to this BS TOS? How is that legally binding?

[-] roofuskit@lemmy.world 18 points 8 months ago

Yeah, this is really dumb. There's no way they can prove the owner clicked on it and they can't hold anyone else to the terms.

[-] Cyclist@lemmy.world 16 points 8 months ago

It isn't, an 8 year old can't be held to a contract like this. IANAL.

[-] SidewaysHighways@lemmy.world 11 points 8 months ago

Yeah our special needs child didn't have much to say about the new terms. He probably didn't read the whole thing though

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] RIP_Cheems@lemmy.world 39 points 8 months ago

You know what. Pirate everything.

[-] aDuckk@lemmy.world 17 points 8 months ago
[-] RIP_Cheems@lemmy.world 8 points 8 months ago

With jod as my witness, I will download a tv.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] rizoid@lemmy.dbzer0.com 38 points 8 months ago

My in-laws have all Roku tvs. I had to go over and "fix" the TV's for them cause they didn't understand what the hell this was. I straight up just gave them my modded Nvidia shields and bought myself some more. Fuck that shit. We need a better open source tv like interface. I've used plasma big screen but it's not ready for normal people with not Linux but fixing experience.

load more comments (5 replies)
[-] GrayBackgroundMusic@lemm.ee 27 points 8 months ago

Enshittification continues. I used to evangelize roku bc I want a dumb TV. I guess that's no longer valid.

load more comments (4 replies)
[-] Teknikal@lemm.ee 14 points 8 months ago

Between this and Amazon's recent nonsense with Firetv I think next time I'll just buy a generic Android box or something, maybe even a mini PC.

[-] Riven@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 8 months ago

I spend the last couple weeks looking Into modded boxes and anti ad options and I came to the conclusion that a mini pc with wireless keyboard and mouse is the way to go. No special nonsense required. It's super easy to just find whatever I wanna watch online for free anyways and I don't need any special program or knowledge.

Now my next issue is between finding a dumb TV or a solid affordable projector. I mostly use the TV for movie nights anyways, I game on my pc and watch most stuff on my pc too.

load more comments (3 replies)
[-] PlatDrone@lemmy.world 10 points 8 months ago

Glad I never connected mine to the internet, I find the interface too laggy and clunky to use the built in streaming apps anyway. It shall remain offline until it dies which is hopefully a long way off.

[-] autotldr@lemmings.world 10 points 8 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Roku users around the country turned on their TVs this week to find an unpleasant surprise: The company required them to consent to new dispute resolution terms in order to access their device.

The terms, of course, include a forced arbitration agreement that prevents the user from suing or taking part in lawsuits against Roku.

This requires anyone with legal complaints to take them to Roku lawyers first, who will conduct a “Meet-and-Confer” call and then “make a fair, fact-based offer of resolution” that will no doubt be generous and thoughtful.

I try to opt out of these when I can, and after reading the terms (to which, of course, by “continuing to use” my TV, I had already agreed), I found that you could only do so by mailing a written notice to their lawyers — something I fully intended to do today.

Though in retrospect, I — and literally every single user of your company’s services — would have preferred a straightforward electronic opt-out instead of this dishonest ploy to increase friction and further coerce adoption of these terms.

Don’t delay; otherwise, when people sue them over how they held devices hostage in order to coerce them into consumer-hostile dispute resolution terms, you won’t be able to join in on the fun.


The original article contains 849 words, the summary contains 214 words. Saved 75%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[-] shadowspirit@lemmy.world 7 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Is there a FOSS option to turn something like a pi zero into streaming device? My assumption is a flavor of Android is required?

Edit: referring to streaming services such as Netflix. I'm aware of that home plex and jellyfin servers exist

[-] linearchaos@lemmy.world 6 points 8 months ago

I've been looking for a couple of days. It looks like Kodi is probably the way to go.

You can use any of a number of remote controls, or even a modern cell phone.

Unless your media server is up to the full task of transcoding it needs to have a little bit of horsepower to do transcoding on the client.

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] virtueisdead@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

i literally only use my roku tv to open hdmi1 which has a fire stick on it (which i only use for jellyfin)

[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 5 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Outrage over ticking a checkbox? Was anything in the updated TOS worth being pissed about or are people just that fucking lazy? The article not having the exact wording of the changes but talking about the dispute resolution arbitration--that's in every TOS for pretty much everything ever isn't mandatory and doesn't say you can't sue--is a bit suspicious.

Dude already had to update the article because he misunderstood one thing already. This reads like the knee jerk reaction of a random person which belongs on a blog, and not a news article that belongs on a news outlet site.

[-] reverendsteveii@lemm.ee 40 points 8 months ago

If you can't see that the issue is that the TOS could include anything the company wants and that disagreeing means the device I already paid for is intentionally bricked then I don't know what to tell you.

load more comments (6 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›
this post was submitted on 08 Mar 2024
699 points (100.0% liked)

Technology

59449 readers
2709 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS