[Arcanum-XIII]

Try to buy a new TV without « smart » features. It’s nearly impossible and all of them will come with some kind of ads on it. I fear it will become impossible to buy a fridge without screen and ad if we don’t find a way to stop this. It’s pure profit for manufacturers and the consumers are fucked since fridge are basic necessities.

[scythe]

My last two televisions both came from the "Sceptre" line at Walmart which seemed to be the last holdout of non-smart TVs. I don't know if they're still holding the line; the model I checked just now says it has "V-chip" but doesn't say anything about a "smart TV" operating system or any of that nonsense. It's not very well-advertised but it's still around. I don't know of any way to find a normal TV that isn't from Walmart or a thrift store, though.

[account42]

There are still a number of TVs marketed towards hotels who don't want their guests being able to mess with complex states that smart TVs provide. They tend to be a bit behind on the tech side tho.

[gentooflux]

That would be a waste of money on the manufacturers part. It will always be possible to disable the screen

[fzeroracer]

And what if the manufacturers decide to sue you for disabling the screen? Or decide to simply disable your fridge? This isn't a far out scenario either, the whole right-to-repair movement was based on a company not allowing you to do things with the tractor you bought.

[randerson]

I've long wondered what would happen if, say, NYT sued me for blocking their many ads (despite being a paying subscriber). My argument would be that I'd never click on the ads anyway out of principle, so the ad blocker is just me delegating the ignoring of ads that I would've done myself regardless. Also that if I couldn't turn off ads, I wouldn't have subscribed and they'd make even less revenue.

That said, I doubt these companies would sue because of the risk of setting a precedent in favor of the consumer. Scary legal letters (e.g. cease & desist letters) perhaps. But given enough customers, at least one will have the resources to hire a good lawyer and fight it all the way to court.

[gentooflux]

The lawsuit you described in the first question would be without merit. The class action lawsuit stemming from the second would be choc full of merit.

If the fridge is in my house and hammers aren't banned yet then that fridge will not be showing me ads.

[duskdozer]

It might also not be keeping your food cold, if they build it so that a screen failure bricks the thing

[gentooflux]

If a company intentionally spoiled my food out of spite I would sue them. If they did it to all of their customers that becomes class action. They cannot force their customers into a contract which would include allowing them to spoil your food out of spite, that contract would not be legally binding.

[account42]

Good luck suing for "my fridge stopped working after I intentionally hit it with a hammer".

[fzeroracer]

It would be with merit, because it would be part of the contract you signed when you bought the damn thing. We already live in a world where any attempt to bypass DRM on things you've bought is tantamount to a potential legal battle if they really wanted to be assholes about it. Where you don't really own the things you buy.

[gentooflux]

Drm is one thing, taping construction paper over a screen is another. That contract would be unenforceable. Shit is dystopian lately, but you're being hyperbolic.

[whynotmaybe]

And what about ads on gas pump?

In many places, you can't legally buy gas outside of a gas pump that have a strong tendency to show more and more ads.

[Levitz]

No for everybody it won't. Not to even mention the waste.

[gentooflux]

No one can force you to watch ads, they're your eyeballs. There will always be a solution to this problem; if it's in your domicile then no one can stop you from spending time coming up with solutions

[Levitz]

It's a fridge. We are not talking a server, a raspberry pi, a phone, we are talking about a fridge.

Do you want to talk to my 70 year old father about how he should come up with solutions to ads on his fridge? Yes he can grab a garbage bag and some tape, we can all probably agree that the day stuff like that is commonplace we have very, VERY evidently failed as a society when it comes to dealing with this specific issue.

[s0sa]

“Ma’am we’re not going to do anything about that flasher. No one can force you to look at him, they're your eyeballs.”

[gentooflux]

"Officer, take that ugly man away, we don't want to have to look at him"

[s0sa]

Don’t confuse things we can change with things we can’t.