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You don't really own anything that needs software to operate. And that's just the start. [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-01-09

I have been a Mac user for decades. Recently I’ve had the unpleasant experience of having several software programs I’ve been using for years suddenly become unusable. One is an ancient data base program called Bento; Apple dropped support for it years ago. I kept using it because I had a lot of records in it, and there was no easy way to migrate the data to any other application at the time. I was running it on legacy hardware, and I was okay with that since it worked just fine for my needs — until a few weeks ago.

I got a message that, since I had purchased it through the Apple Store, I needed to login with my ID and the password I used when I purchased it to keep using it. Never mind that I’ve changed my password multiple times over the years. Never mind that my hardware can’t run a browser recent enough to connect securely. I have a huge number of records I can’t get to because Apple demands I prove I own the software I’ve been using for years. The same thing just happened with another app.

I get it — it’s about blocking software piracy. But, it’s also about profits.

Apparently there’s some kind of time bomb lurking in stuff I’ve legitimately purchased, and I’m expected to keep track of every password I’ve ever used to buy something. Turns out there is another app that can read Bento archives, but I still have to buy it, download it, and find out if it can actually import Bento files — and how hard it will be to learn to use it since it’s a new program. Oh, and if I use my fingerprint for my login ID, I have to find out what password currently is tagged to it and record it somewhere.

To be fair, this isn’t unique to Apple. There’s a constant churn of software and hardware as companies move to new processors, upgrade operating systems, add (and drop) features, etc. Not to mention companies getting bought up and/or killed off. Open source software is supposed to be one answer, but I’m not exactly ready to invest the time and energy needed to operate in that environment. (Not to mention security concerns about trap doors and exploitable flaws. It’s a jungle out there.)

And the problem is now bigger than ever now that computers are everywhere and everything is digital.

What happens when computers are in everything?

More Perfect Union has put out a video entitled How John Deere Robs Farmers of $4 Billion A Year. Here’s the blurb from the video.

John Deere is costing American farmers $4.2 billion a year by restricting them from fixing their own tractors. Apple, Amazon and major automakers use the same strategies on everything you own. It's bad for consumers and local mechanics, but excellent for corporate profits. 00:00 Intro 01:50 John Deere's Repair Monopoly 05:27 Property Rights Explainer 08:59 Car Repair Monopolies 11:26 Other Anti-Repair Strategies 12:15 Anti-trust Enforcement & Copyright Reform 13:21 The Right To Repair Movement 15:35 Data Safety 18:25 Walter's Story

It starts by looking at a farmer — Walter — whose John Deere tractor kept randomly shutting down at a time when he needed to be using it. He couldn’t fix it because A) he could not access the error codes in the tractor’s systems to find out what was wrong, B) he couldn’t have a third-party repair shop look at it because they couldn’t get access either, and C) he could only get it worked on by an authorized John Deere repair shop — with a wait time of weeks until they could get around to him. An entire crop could be lost while his tractor was D.O.A. John Deere repair is not cheap either. The company is making billions from this.

John Deere is arguing that farmers aren’t buying a tractor — they’re only buying a license to operate it. At John Deere’s convenience.

Copyright law is being used to keep a lock on software, and it’s not exclusive to John Deere. It’s turning up everywhere. It’s being used by the auto industry to lock out third party repair shops. Another trick is to get patents on critical parts needed for repairs — and charge whatever the market will bear.

I have a number of books I’ve downloaded. I have thousands of digital music files. I have access to them only as long as the software/hardware I’m using is supported by the companies behind them, and only as long as those companies stay in business and recognize my access. I have a huge photo library — much of which is stored at any given time in the Cloud. If I want to archive it on my own storage devices, they don’t make it easy.

And it gets worse. The companies making use of these tactics are also harvesting all kinds of data about what you are using and how you are using it — and they use that data for their own advantage.

Right to Repair is working to get laws passed at the state level to address this. (Federal action is likely dead for the next 4 years if not longer.) The European Union is more progressive on this, but there’s still room for improvement.

Walter has bought an older tractor. He can fix it himself, and he can have third parties work on it as well. One of the things mentioned in the video is that farmers have a high rate of suicide. Corporate extortion like that practiced by John Deere is one reason.

Watch the video. This is not something that gets a lot of attention from the press, but it has a huge impact on everyone.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/1/9/2294573/-You-don-t-really-own-anything-that-needs-software-to-operate-And-that-s-just-the-start?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web

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