[ad_1]
Having more or less all the devices in your home permanently connected to global interconnected networks can make for some remarkable tools. And not just tools for the consumer: Device makers find themselves able to exercise more and more control over the things they sell once the sale is made. The final example is a batch of Samsung TVs, which the company says will turn off remotely after they are stolen from a warehouse.
“Samsung supports retailers affected by looting,” read the header of Samsung’s official press release in Johannesburg, South Africa, earlier this month. It describes televisions “obtained by users through illegal means”, with specific mention of televisions stolen from the Cato Ridge distribution center since July. The company added that the serial numbers of the stolen televisions had been recorded. If any of them connect to the internet and Samsung’s servers, it will be disabled remotely, with all electronic functions completely blocked.
The Samsung report states that this remote bricking tool is “preloaded on all Samsung TV products” and that this system was implemented in South Africa and “beyond its borders”. In the event that a legitimate customer is accidentally blocked, they can submit proof of purchase to a Samsung email address to have their purchase (from a few hundred to several thousand dollars) reinstated.
The implication here is worrisome for customer rights activists. What if Samsung decides your TV is stolen and you can’t convince them otherwise? What if this decision is made, say, after someone has sold their completely legitimate TV to you in an aftermarket, or if you received it as a gift and the donor did not particularly good record keeping skills? While deterring thieves is a good thing, it’s easy to see how much more real customers shut down by overzealous security would be upset than a burglar who suddenly has a useless piece of glass and plastic than a burglar. they didn’t pay anyway.
That being said, this kind of hyper-connected anti-theft measure is quickly becoming the norm rather than the exception. Carriers lock down stolen phones, making them almost useless (which is why it is very difficult to sell a smartphone to a pawnshop). Teslas and other connected cars can be deactivated remotely, and even located, if they are marked stolen. With tools like Find My Device on Android and Find My iPhone on iOS, users can even remotely lock their own devices.
But it’s easy to see why having that control so explicitly in the hands of the manufacturer, and indeed, said manufacturer celebrating their ability to brick devices in a press release, could be disturbing. Many online commenters have already said that it will discourage them from buying a Samsung TV in the future. If you bought a Samsung TV (at a store, not in the back of a truck) and don’t like Samsung having a remote circuit breaker, you can avoid this spell by using it as a “mute” screen, and never connect it to the Internet to take advantage of its smart features.
[ad_2]
Source link