[RonanTheGrey]

We meet again zepto!

Nobody wants to take away their right to do so (ok well maybe some do; I'm not one of them). Just that there should be rules we all agree to when we do.

We accept this in other venues. Seatbelts. Stoplights. Nutrition labeling on packaging. etc..

No such rules exist for software, which is odd. It does seem to suggest the industry is ripe for regulation. It's always disappointing to me that we only accept limits when the law places them, as though ethics and morals are somehow not good things to pursue for their own reasons.

Which goes back to OP's point: just because a company CAN be as dystopian as they can imagine, doesn't mean they should be.

[zepto]

We already have general rules against fraud and other kinds of crime which apply to software just like any other product.

Only a very small set of products have special regulations, generally those which we deem unsafe for consumers unless regulated.

“Seatbelts. Stoplights. Nutrition labeling on packaging. etc.”

A good set of examples. Every one of them is about consumer health and safety. This is consistent with liberal democracy - people should be free to do what they want unless it hurts someone else. That is why all product related regulations are related to safety.

It seems reasonable to assume you are arguing for rules which prevent the installation of unsafe software on computers which are sold to consumers.

Apple would be the most compliant company with such rules, and would benefit greatly.