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Ask HN: Should it be legal to switch privacy policies after purchase?

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21–30 of 74 posts

Re: Ask HN: Should it be legal to switch privacy policies after purchase?

#21
post #11

I don't regret sticking to dumb appliances. I hate Smart TVs with a passion, but they are all you can get nowadays. But I can just throw the TV out the window if it stops working when I unplug it and continue living just fine. Not so much with my washer, dryer, stove, car and fridge/freezer. I do not look forward to the day you CAN'T buy a non-smart appliance like a fridge or water heater.

People here regularly recommend a brand of dumb tv that is very reasonable in terms of image quality.

Re: Ask HN: Should it be legal to switch privacy policies after purchase?

#22
post #4

I think we are at a point where legislation will be needed and there should be a clear list of what kind of data will be collected by the device throughout this lifespan akin to nutrition facts for food. That list should not be possible to alter at all (because otherwise they would lock the app lest you approve the new requirements). Something like: This device will share: - Age - Gender - Voice commands - Wifi name…

Technology moves faster than law. I agree that we need to do something about it. It's getting ridiculous.

Re: Ask HN: Should it be legal to switch privacy policies after purchase?

#23
post #16
post #3

Wow. I do not believe changes to terms after purchase should be allowed unless required by law. We need a lemon-like law for consumer electronics. Also, I believe it is important to not buy connected devices and appliances that are not entertainment purposes only. I’d rather pay $200 extra for a dumb tv that will last be 10 years and guaranteed to not start showing me ads in the menu screen someday.

I’m in the market for a TV currently, and have found (in the US) that it doesn’t matter how much extra I’d be willing to pay for a dumb TV, there just aren’t any beyond super low-end ones. Any pointers to some would be much appreciated!

It depends on how large you want your TV, but I know a couple of people who've purchased monitors instead of TVs and used them as TVs.

Re: Ask HN: Should it be legal to switch privacy policies after purchase?

#24
I don't think it should be legal, but Congress unfortunately doesn't give me a whole lot of say in what becomes law.

Your best bet is probably to just not use the app from now on. Go ahead and accept the new terms, then disenroll in however you need to. I have an LG dryer/washer pair, but never downloaded the app, didn't register the equipment, and it's not on my network but still works fine. You can't remotely trigger a wash, but you can set a delayed start from the onboard control panel, and as long as you're reasonably accurate in your prediction of when you'll be coming home, it'll have the same effect as what you're doing with a remote trigger.

Re: Ask HN: Should it be legal to switch privacy policies after purchase?

#25
post #16
post #3

Wow. I do not believe changes to terms after purchase should be allowed unless required by law. We need a lemon-like law for consumer electronics. Also, I believe it is important to not buy connected devices and appliances that are not entertainment purposes only. I’d rather pay $200 extra for a dumb tv that will last be 10 years and guaranteed to not start showing me ads in the menu screen someday.

I’m in the market for a TV currently, and have found (in the US) that it doesn’t matter how much extra I’d be willing to pay for a dumb TV, there just aren’t any beyond super low-end ones. Any pointers to some would be much appreciated!

There are dumb TVs; they're for digital signage. My impression from investigating these is that you get a $100 TV quality panel for $10,000, so not really an option.

I have a smart TV and it's simply never been connected to the Internet. That makes it pretty dumb.

Re: Ask HN: Should it be legal to switch privacy policies after purchase?

#26
post #4

I think we are at a point where legislation will be needed and there should be a clear list of what kind of data will be collected by the device throughout this lifespan akin to nutrition facts for food. That list should not be possible to alter at all (because otherwise they would lock the app lest you approve the new requirements). Something like: This device will share: - Age - Gender - Voice commands - Wifi name…

Technology moves faster than law. I agree that we need to do something about it. It's getting ridiculous.

I mean corporation are just optimizing to make money which (at least to me) is not an issue, but we must set rules to make sure that this gross overreach stops otherwise we'll have mics in every room and any shred of privacy that might've remained will be gone.

Re: Ask HN: Should it be legal to switch privacy policies after purchase?

#27
post #16
post #3

Wow. I do not believe changes to terms after purchase should be allowed unless required by law. We need a lemon-like law for consumer electronics. Also, I believe it is important to not buy connected devices and appliances that are not entertainment purposes only. I’d rather pay $200 extra for a dumb tv that will last be 10 years and guaranteed to not start showing me ads in the menu screen someday.

I’m in the market for a TV currently, and have found (in the US) that it doesn’t matter how much extra I’d be willing to pay for a dumb TV, there just aren’t any beyond super low-end ones. Any pointers to some would be much appreciated!

Just never give your TV any network access, use it like a monitor.

Re: Ask HN: Should it be legal to switch privacy policies after purchase?

#28
post #16
post #3

Wow. I do not believe changes to terms after purchase should be allowed unless required by law. We need a lemon-like law for consumer electronics. Also, I believe it is important to not buy connected devices and appliances that are not entertainment purposes only. I’d rather pay $200 extra for a dumb tv that will last be 10 years and guaranteed to not start showing me ads in the menu screen someday.

I’m in the market for a TV currently, and have found (in the US) that it doesn’t matter how much extra I’d be willing to pay for a dumb TV, there just aren’t any beyond super low-end ones. Any pointers to some would be much appreciated!

I have had this[0] LG monitor as my TV for about 3 years now. Still going strong, no issues at all. Has no WiFi, Bluetooth, etc. Just a monitor. Great picture quality, IMO.

[0] https://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-LED-lit-Monitor-43UD79...

Re: Ask HN: Should it be legal to switch privacy policies after purchase?

#29
post #16
post #3

Wow. I do not believe changes to terms after purchase should be allowed unless required by law. We need a lemon-like law for consumer electronics. Also, I believe it is important to not buy connected devices and appliances that are not entertainment purposes only. I’d rather pay $200 extra for a dumb tv that will last be 10 years and guaranteed to not start showing me ads in the menu screen someday.

I’m in the market for a TV currently, and have found (in the US) that it doesn’t matter how much extra I’d be willing to pay for a dumb TV, there just aren’t any beyond super low-end ones. Any pointers to some would be much appreciated!

Besides going with the common low-budget brands, like Sceptre, you might find some dumb commercial TVs.

However, commercial TVs leave a lot to be desired. They generally put the focus on other aspect, like higher brightness, instead of color accuracy because they are intended to be used as signage. Hotel TVs tend to have hidden and hard to navigate sub-menus so guests dont mess with the settings too much.

Realistically, its easier to get a smart TV and just not connect it to the internet.

Google TV is also coming with a Basic TV mode for their Sony and TCL models. Basic mode is supposed to reduce the menus to a few basic functions like input switching, etc. [0]

[0]https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/02/the-best-feature-of-...

Re: Ask HN: Should it be legal to switch privacy policies after purchase?

#30
There are just enough edge cases that they need that ability. Laws change, and they need to update to account for that. Sometimes the previous policy was wrong and they can't work at all without adding something that should have been there all along.

Of course most of the time changes are not needed at all to get the job done, just to violate your privacy.

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