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Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices may “cease to function”

zdnet.com

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Re: Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices may “cease to function”

#91

Post by ethnic_throw »

dvdhnt wrote: post #60
justinjlynn wrote: post #2

It seems like nobody actually owns anything any more - that we're all just digital serfs living on someone else's land. I really don't know why anyone would willingly make such a deal.

Individuals haven't owned much in a very long time; we've been physical serfs living on someone else's land for even longer. You only "own" something so long as you pay taxes (aka rents) for the right to do so, otherwise someone, usually the government, will take it from you. Even if you don't want to play along, you can only be somewhere public for so long until you're loitering and subject to fines (more rents), co…

Taxes ≠ rents.

Re: Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices may “cease to function”

#92

Post by X86BSD »

Silhouette wrote: post #42
crummy wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't Sonos just saying, if you don't accept the new privacy policy you won't get updates? I highly doubt they're going to deliberately (somehow) break devices for users that refuse to update.

The reporting here implies that devices for customers who don't accept the new terms may "cease to function". Does the mechanism for how that happens matter? The bottom line is that either the product continues to provide whatever functionality it was purchased for, or it's now broken. Typically under consumer protection laws in places like Europe, a product that ceases to work properly unreasonably quickly after it…

I think Sonos just lost me to Apple on yet another device. HomePod here I come. Seriously this is just another insane digital slavery drive.

Re: Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices may “cease to function”

#93

Post by justincormack »

Silhouette wrote: post #82
squeaky-clean wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mostly this part: > Sonos may modify or update this Statement when necessary to reflect customer feedback and changes in our Products and Service; so, please review it periodically. When we update this Statement, we will revise the “Last Updated” date at the top of the Statement. If there are material changes to the Statement or in how Sonos uses your personal data, we will notify you either by posting a notice of su…

I'm starting to think that any sort of B2C legal agreements, but particularly standard form contracts and similar documents like terms of service, EULAs and privacy policies, should be explicitly banned from including terms that essentially say the deal can be revised unilaterally and the customer is responsible for keeping an eye out for this. It's simply not a reasonable or practical arrangement for any normal pers…

I don't think they are valid in most jurisdictions, explicit consent is required.

Re: Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices may “cease to function”

#94

Post by snthd »

thecopy wrote: post #4
voidz wrote: post #3

The actual solution is simple: stop using these devices.

Could you recommend some alternatives?

https://github.com/badaix/snapcast/blob/master/README.md

Not a solution, but snapcast is a useful part of the puzzle for the actual streaming and multiroom sync.

Re: Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices may “cease to function”

#95

Post by syshum »

justinjlynn wrote: post #2

It seems like nobody actually owns anything any more - that we're all just digital serfs living on someone else's land. I really don't know why anyone would willingly make such a deal.

Open Source, Open Hardware, Open Protocols

That is the only way

Re: Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices may “cease to function”

#96

Post by Gys »

zippergz wrote: post #59
mikerice wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's so good but still so buggy. Very much a love-hate relationship.

Really? Are there certain services you find to be buggy? I feel like Sonos is one of the least buggy pieces of tech in my house. That's what I love about it. It just works, I don't have to explain to non-technical family members how to work around issues, etc. But we almost exclusively use it for Apple Music and Spotify, so maybe there are some rough edges we haven't encountered.

Adjusting volume from my phone does not work most of the time.

Selecting sonos as output device from spotify must be done a few times before it sustains (although that might be a spotify problem).

Re: Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices may “cease to function”

#97

Post by crispyambulance »

mhb wrote: post #87
crispyambulance wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can play stuff you physically own from a Roku too. Are you saying that Sonos could arbitrarily upload your media files to their servers? Doubtful. At worst, they could do a sound-print analysis locally on the device to identify it and send the metadata to Sonos. I am trying to think of concrete examples of scenarios where actual harm would REALISTICALLY be done to individual consumers because of Sonos privacy pol…

1. Government 'dissident' listens to 'subversive' podcasts via Sonos. 2. Government compels Sonos to provide data on customers' listening histories. 3. Chilling effect, political implications, oppression.

If an out-of-control oppressive government is the real concern here, is a flimsy EULA _really_ going to provide any protection whatsoever? Can you really even have 100% trust that the EULA will be obeyed by the company if they can get away with violating it?

Re: Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices may “cease to function”

#98

Post by nvr219 »

Gys wrote: post #96
zippergz wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? Are there certain services you find to be buggy? I feel like Sonos is one of the least buggy pieces of tech in my house. That's what I love about it. It just works, I don't have to explain to non-technical family members how to work around issues, etc. But we almost exclusively use it for Apple Music and Spotify, so maybe there are some rough edges we haven't encountered.

Adjusting volume from my phone does not work most of the time. Selecting sonos as output device from spotify must be done a few times before it sustains (although that might be a spotify problem).

are you on android? works perfectly on my iphone.

Re: Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices may “cease to function”

#99

Post by nvr219 »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #68
jalk wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes I will tell my friend who has sonos players for around 2000 USD, I'm sure he will listen.

Good god, how many does he have that they set him back $2000?

I think around 6

Re: Sonos: users must accept new privacy policy or devices may “cease to function”

#100

Post by ball_of_lint »

crummy wrote: post #74
pavel_lishin wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I read that and I think they're totally free to . And they might. Which would be more frustrating to a user - their Sonos turning into regular speakers, or arbitrarily and randomly not functioning as expected? Imagine the difference between your phone suddenly bricking itself, or random refusing to dial certain numbers.

Free to in what sense?

Free to in that if they did so, you would have no recourse according to this document.
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