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> a piece of technology you ultimately do not really own You can just buy a phone in cash, then you own it. Not owning your phone is a choice. Even if you're o
by donkeyd 11y ago
> a piece of technology you ultimately do not really own
You can just buy a phone in cash, then you own it. Not owning your phone is a choice. Even if you're on a contract (at least here in the Netherlands), the phone is often legally yours, you're just paying it off.
- pdkl95 11y agoIf Apple (or anybody else) controls root access to the phone or if they can force software updates onto the phone, then you don't actually own the phone.
- sean-duffy 11y agoI'm not sure that logic really holds, what part of the definition of ownership specifies this? If you drive your car without insurance it can be forcibly taken from you, does that mean nobody truly owns their car?
- pdkl95 11y agoToyota doesn't[1] get to modify your car without your permission. And yes, this means "nobody" owns the stuff they buy when someone else controls it. I take it you haven't seen Copy Doctorow's incredibly important talk[2] on this subject, which is the followup to his well-known talk about the War On General Purpose Computing. Never mind the car - if we don't stop this crap now, it won't be long before we see someone's prosthetic legs or cochlear implant "repossess itself". [1] Actually, cars are starting to have the same problems where they can be updated remotely, in addition to the copyright crap involving John Deere's explicit claim that you don't ever own their hardware. [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nypRYpVKc5Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nypRYpVKc5Y