on 11-Apr-2016 05:00
You purchased a Tesla Model S and live the %1 eco-warrior dream. Now imagine if GM purchased Tesla and sent an over-the-air update to disable all Tesla cars because they’re working on their own electric substitute? Literally even if you were on the freeway to pick up your fajita skillet from Chili's To Go. You’d be pretty sassed, right? Google is doing just that and setting a new precedence of poor choices. Arlo Gilbert recently reported his discovery of Nest’s decision to permanently disable the Revolv home automation tool that parent company Google acquired 17 months ago.
To clarify, if you bought the Revolv device, not only will it no longer be supported for future updates but Google is going to disable existing models already purchased and in use. The app will stop to function and the hub will cease operating. There’s no logical business reasoning stated on Revolv’s FAQ, but Google's very visible middle finger is another recent example of exercising the terms and conditions of the rarely read or understood EULA. The End User License Agreement or EULA is a masterful contract, washing away ethical and legal responsibilities of the issuing body. In this example, it allows Google to disable a service you purchased even before Google acquired the company.
Yea, I can run Bastille Linux and wear a trilby in my dark cave of knowledge but I’ll miss out on some pretty neat advances in technology, and life in general. So what do we do? Read the fine print and make educated and logical choices based off our desired needs for the product or service’s intended use. Yea right.... I need my Instagram filters more than my privacy. Ok, maybe making sure people don’t use iTunes to produce biological weapons is a good idea, but “how” would be something interesting to see. That person should receive a grant or something.