The #assetization of #automobility through #paywalling can affect the ecology of automobility in ways that entrench powerful + moneyed interests while undermining #ConsumerWelfare + the #PublicGood
đź‘€Bricolageyumyum.bsky.social & mcforelle.bsky.social: https://doi.org/pcgp
@Andromxda @pixelcode How can you claim something you can't evidence?
It makes you look like one of those folks shilling #VPN|s that ain't logless after all...
At least they should be honest about things and not claim bs, cuz demanding a #PhoneNumber is just #KYC with extra steps like demanding any #SSN or other #PII. Makes them look like chinese MMORPGs that demand ID card numbers for account signups, thus #paywalling the ability to use their service anonymously...
#Wired is dropping #paywalls for #FOIA-based reporting. Others should follow
They're called #publicrecords for a reason. Starting today, WIRED will *stop #paywalling* articles that are primarily based on public records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, becoming the first publication to partner with https://freedom.press to offer this for our new coverage.
https://freedom.press/issues/wired-is-dropping-paywalls-for-foia-based-reporting-others-should-follow/
@drifthood @YannikAcht @fae2535 @sixtus @parismarx Fakt ist, #Paywalling ist aus Prinzip shice...
@YannikAcht @fae2535 @sixtus och nicht!
#Paywalling ist shice, besonders wenns als #Abo ausgefĂĽhrt wird!
@Gords @nixCraft personally I think #PayOrOkay and other #DarkPattern bs should be outlawed and only explicit #OptIn without #paywalling allowed!
@kubikpixel IMHO gehört #Paywalling verboten!
Title: Paywalling and Other Shady Marketing Techniques
Today, companies find excuses to grab more money from consumers, and this money-grab scams are getting more outrageous by the day.
Paywalling is a predominant technique used by companies to force people to upgrade their subscription and/or pay them more money to get access to basic stuff. It’s really possible for them to offer said products/features for no additional charge, but they entice customers into paying more anyway.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.comPaywalling features that require computing power or human resources is one thing. But locking features behind paywalls solely to squeeze more money out of customers is a different story.
Here are a few examples tech companies misuse this technique:
1. Google Pixel’s Paywalling
Take Google’s Pixel Photo Boost as an example. This feature, which operates entirely on the cloud and requires no additional hardware, is exclusive to the Pixel 8 Pro and higher models. It’s not available on older Pixel devices, even though they’re fully capable of supporting it. This decision seems less about technical limitations and more about pushing users to buy higher-end devices.
2. Spotify’s Comic “Freemium” Service
Spotify’s free plan is ad-supported, and it’s reasonable for it to have some limitations. But Spotify takes it further with restrictions that feel more like coercion than a fair trade-off.
For instance, free users can’t freely navigate between songs. The back (previous) button is disabled, and users can’t manage their playlists or queues. (they’ve enabled the back button recently) You can’t add songs to the queue, and viewing the queue is also off-limits. These restrictions seem less about maintaining a “free” experience and more about forcing users to subscribe to the premium plan. It’s a textbook example of a company prioritizing profits over user experience.
3. Proton’s Dark Web Monitoring Gimmick
Proton is often lauded by the privacy and open-source community for its ethical practices. But Proton’s approach to “Dark Web Monitoring” in its password manager, Proton Pass, raises eyebrows.
This feature scans for breaches involving your user IDs and passwords, then alerts you if your credentials have been leaked. However, while they notify you of a breach and reveal the source domain, the actual details of the breach are blurred. To see the full details, you’re required to pay for the premium plan.
Proton’s decision to show partial breach details — and lock the rest behind a paywall — feels like a classic “dark pattern” tactic, especially disappointing from a company that’s built its reputation on transparency and privacy.
4. Not Just Tech
BMW, one fine day, saw it fit to jump in on the Subscription bandwagon. It introduced “Heated Seats” for an \$18 a month subscription!
This pricks more as you’ve already paid for the hardware, but the software to provide the service is locked behind a paywall, and a very pricey one at that. What’s more- they already had a a slew of features ready in the paywall pipeline ready to be implemented.
People Vs BMW. Score People. After immediate backlash, BMW rescinded this tragedy! (Source: https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/7/23863258/bmw-cancel-heated-seat-subscription-microtransaction)
These examples highlight a growing trend of companies using manipulative tactics to push users into paying more. Software-based features, essential usability functions, and privacy safeguards are being locked behind paywalls not for technical reasons, but for sheer greed Customers deserve better.
#Android #BigTech #BMW #Capitalism #Consumerism #CorporateGreed #Google #Greed #music #news #Paywalling #ProtonMail #SmartPhones #Spotify #Technology #writing
@WAHa_06x36 @TheBreadmonkey sadly no, as @noybeu informs and a lot of shitty websites do actually push for: #paywalling #privacy behind a #subscription...
@TheBreadmonkey The fact that #GDPR & #BDSG don't mandate a simple & equally accessible "No Thanks!" and instead allows #paywalling of #Privacy (#PayOrOkay) is absolutely wrong!
I hope @noybeu et. al. can change that...
@silvergriffin21 nodds in agreement
Same as any #paywalling of #accessibility being inhumane and cruel and should be outlawed...
@hart #AxelSpringer halt - #Clickbait & #Abgoebbeln wie immer...
@libreleah thanks.
Personally, I think maintainers should choose their license wisely beforehand:
There are reasons why I chose to put some projects under #CCBYNCSA, some #GPLv3 and some #0BSD.
In some cases I did fork stuff under #MIT which I'd not change the license of - even if it would be compatible - because I literally changed nothing in terms of code and also didn't see any advantage in doing so to begin with.
Espechally in the case of #DuckStation this is bad because we ain't talking about the whole #GPLv2-only vs. GPLv3+ drama or #grsecurity #paywalling (which is an asshole move but legal )...
Lets just hope a friendly (!!!) reminder makes them realize, apologize and undo the change...
@getimiskon @catsalad @alexadeswift @brouhaha yeah, #SubgraphOS got killed by #grsecurity being assholes and #paywalling access to their suite!
@ThatOneGuyT_T +9001%
IMHO "No, tanks!" should be the mandatory default for all #trackers, #cookies, #ads and bs.
@marcan @fuchsiii kinda gives me #grsecurity & #RHEL - flashbacks:
cuz #paywalling #SourcecodeAccess to paying #subscribers and penalizing them aka. firing them as clients for exercising their right to share/modify/redistribute the #SourceCode is inherently an asshole move but apparently legal.
Not shure if a #license that governs things beyond the useage rights of a #Software is even legally enforceable in Germany amd many other juristictions...
@the_moep Again: I've not tested / used / installed it yet so I can't formulate an educated opinion beyond: "Will keep it in mind as an option" ...
Sadly the #paywalling of #grsec / #grsecurity also killed more #downstream projects like tor-ramdisk which was a minimalist #busybox / #linux #distro designed to host #OnionServices. It was pretty nifty and the #SourceCode is still online and hosted by @torproject on their #gitlab, abeit seemingly abandoned since 2018...
@spinni81 @SheDrivesMobility nicht zustimmend
Es gibt kaum was kompaktes, bezahlbares und brauchbares in der Fahrzeugklasse M1 aka. "Auto" und alles was produziert wird ist überteuerte #Crossover- und #SUV-Shice mit mehr #Überwachung|s-Bloat alla #eCall und remote-installierbare #Malware (#OTA-Updatepflicht!) dass ich diese nicht fahren will selbst wenn ich mir diese leisten könnte weil's zu einfach ist dies als Waffe gegen Insassen zu missbrauchen (so wie bei Michael Hastings)...
Das erstärkte #Paywalling von #Mobilität ist ein extremes Problem!
