3 ms·
I have noticed an increasing trend of companies FORCING users into accepting aggressive terms of service by denying them the usage or ownership they're already
by blackeyeblitzar 3y ago
I have noticed an increasing trend of companies FORCING users into accepting aggressive terms of service by denying them the usage or ownership they're already entitled to. Roku did this famously, but so did Activision Blizzard AKA Microsoft (you can't access your games via Battle.net unless you accept terms), and so did TP Link (you can't access the admin interface for your router unless you accept terms). It's also getting worse in terms of ownership - Ubisoft recently shut down servers for a game called The Crew and then silently started deleting the game from players' libraries (https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-crew-has-started-disappearing-from-game-libraries-after-its-closure-last-month https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-crew-has-started-disapp...). People think they did this deletion to prevent some kind of workaround to use the game files and play the game locally, but either way, it is a huge violation of the notion of ownership.
This will keep continuing until there are consequences for executives and companies - meaning fines, including retroactive ones, and jail time. For now, we need to keep spreading awareness and then pressure lawmakers to do something about it. But techies can just stop paying these companies any more money too.
- spxneo 3y agoside note: not your CDs, not your game.
- tooltower 3y agoEven the CDs these days will often refuse to play without an internet connection.
- kevin_thibedeau 3y agoI'd put that more on the player trying to connect to Gracenote for metadata, cover art, and invasive tracking. CDExtra is dead and no OS will autoplay them so there isn't a way for redbook audio discs to execute code.
- mikestew 3y agoUmm, the topic is game CDs, not music.
- TobTobXX 3y agoI also like this phrase: If buying isn't owning, pirating isn't stealing.
- blackeyeblitzar 3y agoI agree but there’s no choice really. All the major game studios do these anti consumer things. And many of them are being bought by larger companies like Microsoft or Netease or whoever