FTC urged to make smart devices say how long they will be supported

Enlarge / Spotify released the Car Thing to the general public in February 2022. It’s bricking them in December. (credit: Spotify)

For some of us, few things are more infuriating than when a gadget stops working due to a software change. As we’ve frequently covered here at Ars, startups and big tech companies are guilty of rendering hardware obsolete and/or stripping it of core functions. A pile of activists are urging the Federal Trade Commission to get involved.

In a letter sent today to Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, and Serena Viswanathan, associate director of the FTC’s Division of Advertising Practices, representatives from 17 groups, including Consumer Reports, the US PIRG, and iFixit, urged the FTC for “clear guidance” around software tethering. Software tethering, per the letter, is “making functions of a device reliant on embedded software that ties the device back to a manufacturer’s servers.” As it stands, the practice is hurting customers with “unfair and deceptive practices,” such as suddenly locking features behind a subscription—like the Snoo smart bassinet recently did—or bricking already-purchased devices, which Spotify did with its Car Thing.

The letter to the FTC argues that such practices hinder owners’ ability to own their hardware.