This stuff isn’t gonna stop until we regulate it. I bought a miku baby monitor specifically because they were the only manufacturer that had the feature I want

This stuff isn’t gonna stop until we regulate it. I bought a miku baby monitor specifically because they were the only manufacturer that had the feature I wanted that promised to never charge monthly fees to use it. Well then they went bankrupt and a company bought them, forced an over the air update that disabled every feature that made the thing worth buying (for $399), and sent out a letter demanding monthly payment to reenable the “advanced” features. Market forces won’t fix this. Recurring revenue is just too tempting. It also doesn’t matter how well intentioned a company is, the moment they go out of business, someone will buy their assets and force monthly fees on their former customers.