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<title>Proprietary Subscriptions
- GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title>
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<h2>Proprietary Subscriptions</h2>
<div class="infobox">
<hr class="full-width" />
<p>Nonfree (proprietary) software is very often malware (designed to
mistreat the user). Nonfree software is controlled by its developers,
which puts them in a position of power over the users; <a
href="/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html">that is the
basic injustice</a>. The developers and manufacturers often exercise
that power to the detriment of the users they ought to serve.</p>
<p>This typically takes the form of malicious functionalities.</p>
<hr class="full-width" />
</div>
<div class="article">
<p>It sounds simple to say that a certain program “requires a
subscription.” What that means concretely is that it contains a
time bomb, so that it will refuse to operate after that date. Or else
it is <a href="/proprietary/proprietary-tethers.html#about-page">tethered
to a server</a>, and that server checks the date. Either one is a
malicious functionality.</p>
<p>Examples of software subscriptions that harmed users directly are
given below.</p>
<div class="important">
<p>If you know of an example that ought to be in this page but isn't
here, please write
to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org"><webmasters@gnu.org></a>
to inform us. Please include the URL of a trustworthy reference or two
to serve as specific substantiation.</p>
</div>
<div class="column-limit" id="proprietary-subscriptions"></div>
<ul class="blurbs">
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M202501170">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2025-01</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>Canon is <a
href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/01/canon-charges-50-per-year-to-use-a-900-camera-as-a-functional-webcam/">
preventing customers from using one of its cameras as a webcam</a>
unless they create an account on the company's server, and pay an
additional subscription. This unjust practice could be eliminated if
the camera firmware were free (as in freedom).</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M202411030">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2024-11</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p><a
href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/nov/03/addicted-to-love-how-dating-apps-exploit-their-users">Dating
apps exploit their users</a>; fundamental features require an expensive
subscription, and they are designed to be addictive.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M202407200">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2024-07</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>The company making a “smart” bassinet called Snoo has <a
href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/20/24202166/snoo-premium-subscription-happiest-baby">
locked the most advanced functionalities of the Snoo behind a
paywall</a>. This unexpected change mainly affects users who received
the appliance as a gift, or bought it second-hand on the assumption
that all these functionalities would be available to them, as they
used to be. This is another example of the deceptive behavior of
proprietary software developers who take advantage of their power
over users to change rules at will.</p>
<p>Another malicious feature of the Snoo is the fact that users
need to create an account with the company, which thus has access
to personal data, location (SSID), appliance log, etc., as well as
manual notes about baby history.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M202309080">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2023-09</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>BMW has <a
href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alistaircharlton/2023/09/07/bmw-drops-controversial-heated-seats-subscription-to-refocus-on-software-services/">
retreated from making car owners pay for a subscription to the heated
seats feature</a>.</p>
<p>Customers rejected it. Bravo for them!</p>
<p>Instead BMW plans to require subscriptions for digital services
and disservices—things related to the Orwellian tracking done
by any “connected” car.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M202309050">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2023-09</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>Google Nest snooper/surveillance cameras are always
tethered to Google servers, record videos 24/7, and are
<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/09/google-nest-cameras-get-a-25-33-subscription-price-hike/">
subscription-based, which is an injustice to people who
use them</a>. The article discusses the rise in prices for
“plans” you can buy from Google, which include storing
videos in the “cloud”—another word for someone
else's computer.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M202304010">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2023-04</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>GM is switching to a new
audio/video system in its cars in order to <a
href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/01/business/gm-apple-play-evs/index.html">
collect complete information about what people in the car watch or
listen to, and also how they drive</a>.</p>
<p>The new system for navigation and “driving assistance”
will be tethered to various online dis-services, and GM will snoop on
everything the users do with them. But don't feel bad about that,
because some of these subscriptions will be gratis for the first
8 years.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M202302280">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2023-02</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>Volkswagen <a
href="https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/28/kinderwagen/">
tracks the location of every driver, and sells that data to
third-parties</a>. However, it refuses to use the data to implement a
feature for the benefit of its customers unless they pay extra money
for it.</p>
<p>This came to attention and brought controversy when Volkswagen
refused to locate a car-jacked vehicle with a toddler in it because
the owner of the car had not subscribed to the relevant service.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M202301230">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2023-01</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>A dispute between Blizzard and one of its partners caused <a
href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/23/world-of-warcraft-offline-china-millions-gamers-bereft">
World of Warcraft to go offline in China</a>. The shutdown may not be
permanent, but even if it is not, the fact that a business disagreement
can stop all users in China from playing the game illustrates the
injustice of requiring the use of a specific server.</p>
<p>We expect that users must pay to use that server, but whether that
is the case is a side issue. Even if use of that server is gratis,
the harm comes from the fact that the program doesn't allow people
to make and use other servers for that job.</p>
<p>Let's hope game fans in China learn the importance of <a
href="https://gnu.org/philosophy/nonfree-games.html">rejecting nonfree
games</a>.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M202207300">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2022-07</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>The nonfree software in a Tesla artificially <a
href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jul/30/will-connected-cars-persuade-drivers-to-pay-for-a-high-spec-ride">
limits the car's driving range</a>, demanding ransom to unlock the
battery's full charge.</p>
<p>This is one more reason why cars must not be “connected.”</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M202207140">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2022-07</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>BMW is now luring British customers into <a
href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/14/business/bmw-subscription/index.html">
paying for the built-in heated-seat feature of their new cars on a
subscription basis</a>. People also have the option to buy the feature
when they are paying for the car, but those who bought a used car have
to pay BMW extra money to remotely enable the heated seats. This is
probably done by BMW accessing a back door in the car software.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M202106220">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2021-06</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>Peloton company which produces treadmills recently <a
href="https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/technology/peloton-tread-owners-now-forced-into-monthly-subscription-after-recall/">locked
people out of basic features of people's treadmills by a software
update</a>. The company now asks people for a membership/subscription
for what people already paid for.</p>
<p>The software used in the treadmill is proprietary and probably
includes back doors to force software updates. It teaches the lesson
that if a product talks to external networks, you must expect it to
take in new malware.</p>
<p>Please note that the company behind this product said they
are working to reverse the changes so people will no longer need
subscription to use the locked feature.</p>
<p>Apparently public anger made the company back down. If we want that
to be our safety, we need to build up the anger against malicious
features (and the proprietary software that is their entry path)
to the point that even the most powerful companies don't dare.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M202008180">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2020-08</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>Apple can remotely <a
href="https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/aug/18/apple-sets-deadline-in-feud-with-fortnite-maker-epic-games">
cut off any developer's access to the tools for developing software</a>
for iOS or MacOS.</p>
<p>Epic (Apple's target in this example)
makes nonfree games which have their own <a
href="https://ekgaming.com/2019/03/17/is-the-epic-games-store-spying-on-your-computer/">
malicious features</a>, but that doesn't make it acceptable for Apple
to have this sort of power.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M202007020">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2020-07</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>BMW is trying to <a
href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/2/21311332/bmw-in-car-purchase-heated-seats-software-over-the-air-updates">lock
certain features of its cars, and force people to pay to use part of
the car they already bought</a>. This is done through forced update
of the car software via a radio-operated back door.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M202005070">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2020-05</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>Wink sells a “smart” home hub that is tethered
to a server. In May 2020, it ordered the purchasers to start <a
href="https://www.techhive.com/article/578539/wink-users-revolt-following-its-sudden-shift-to-a-subscription-model.html">
paying a monthly fee for the use of that server</a>. Because of the
tethering, the hub is useless without that.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M201910071">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2019-10</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>Adobe has <a
href="https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/software/adobe-to-ban-users-from-venezuela-due-to-us-executive-order/">
cancelled the software subscriptions of all users in
Venezuela</a>. This demonstrates how a requirement for subscription can be
turned into a tool for sabotage.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M201902080">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2019-02</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>The HP <a
href="https://boingboing.net/2019/02/08/inkjet-dystopias.html">
“ink subscription” cartridges have DRM that constantly
communicates with HP servers</a> to make sure the user is still
paying for the subscription, and hasn't printed more pages than were
paid for.</p>
<p>Even though the ink subscription program may be cheaper in some
specific cases, it spies on users, and involves totally unacceptable
restrictions in the use of ink cartridges that would otherwise be in
working order.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M201711010">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2017-11</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>Sony has brought back its robotic pet Aibo, this time <a
href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/bj778v/sony-wants-to-sell-you-a-subscription-to-a-robot-dog-aibo-90s-pet">
with a universal back door, and tethered to a server that requires
a subscription</a>.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M201710040.1">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2017-10</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>The Canary home surveillance
camera has been sabotaged by its manufacturer, <a
href="https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/10/4/16426394/canary-smart-home-camera-free-service-update-change">
turning off many features unless the user starts paying for a
subscription</a>.</p>
<p>With manufacturers like these, who needs security breakers?</p>
<p>The purchasers should learn the larger lesson and reject connected
appliances with embedded proprietary software. Every such product is
a temptation to commit sabotage.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M201710040">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2017-10</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>Every “home security” camera, if its
manufacturer can communicate with it, is a surveillance device. <a
href="https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/10/4/16426394/canary-smart-home-camera-free-service-update-change">
Canary camera is an example</a>.</p>
<p>The article describes wrongdoing by the manufacturer, based on
the fact that the device is tethered to a server.</p>
<p><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-tethers.html">More about
proprietary tethering</a>.</p>
<p>But it also demonstrates that the device gives the company
surveillance capability.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M201507150">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2015-07</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>Microsoft Office forces users <a
href="https://www.computerworld.com/article/2948755/office-for-windows-10-will-require-office-365-subscription-on-pcs-larger-tablets.html">to
subscribe to Office 365 to be able to create/edit documents</a>.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-subscriptions.html. -->
<li id="M201402200">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2014-02</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p><a
href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/adobe-software-subscription-model-means-you-cant-own-your-software/">
Adobe tools require a subscription</a>. Adobe also tried to <a
href="http://chocolateandvodka.com/2014/02/20/adobe-creative-cloud-subscription-warning/">
rip people off by making the subscriptions annual</a>, but that is
a secondary issue compared with the basic wrong of the time bomb.
When a program proprietary, and even malware, don't get distracted
by the secondary issues like price.</p>
<p><small>(Please don't repeat the marketing term “Creative
Cloud” except to express revulsion for it. The <a
href="/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#CloudComputing"> term
“cloud” is designed to cloud users' minds</a>.)</small></p>
</li>
</ul>
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