Mazda's $10 subscription for remote start sparks backlash after killing open source workaround via DMCA takedown
Mazda's $10 subscription for remote start sparks backlash after killing open source workaround via DMCA takedown
Right-to-repair advocates believe that car owners should have full ownership of the technology embedded in their vehicles
- Step 1: Kill a free open-source app with a bogus DMCA takedown
- Step 2: Sell the same feature as a $10/mo. subscription.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/20749171
Welp, there goes any chances of buying a mazda. They think I'm going to go verify if a given model has this, or expect them not to slip it in eventually.
Fuck these car companies
Sometimes i think to start a blacklist of car brands, for whenever i end up buying my next car, but i fear it would simply amount to "all of them" in the end.
But that's the thing we need to work to determine which brands don't do this and give them business not just resign that they all do it
My bet is that there will be a point where only russian cars (looking at UAZ) and cars made for busieness (delivery VANs and buses) would be only ones left.
“Felony contempt of business model”
Bunch of cucking funts.
Okay, so then who or how are you supposed to pay for the infrastructure for the remote start command to reach the car? The “free” option was using a Mazda developed API, on Mazda owned servers, with a cellular connection (again 3rd party has to pay for the infrastructure) to reach your car.
Yes it was an asshole move to remove the remote start from the key fob, but charging for the remote app is not an incredulous action since you have to pay for that infrastructure.
You can choose not to pay it, not use the anpp features and your car still perfectly functions as a car. If you think all that infrastructure should be included free, all that will cause is an across the board price hike for everyone’s car as they bake that maintenance cost into the price of the car, even if you don’t use the app.
The key fob remote start would be fine and for free. Or you could use local wifi instead of the open internet which is a security risk. This is anti consumer bullshit made to get a subscription where one is not required.
I have two issues with Mazda here:
using a Mazda developed API
You cannot copyright an API. They took down a foss project by using false copyright pretenses.
If you think all that infrastructure should be included free
That one I actually agree with, almost. Demanding infrastructure for free is unreasonable. It's just that the feature is artificially locked to said infrastructure. It didn't need it in the past.
Also that infrastructure is already being used to steal all you data anyway. Not paying the subscription doesn't disconnect it.
Easy, do it all locally using local WiFi. It doesn't need cellular to work, unless they wanted to charge for this. Major companies often get cellular for pennies anyways for mass deployments, and seeing their profits they could handle that.
How in the world would you use “local WiFi” outside of your house? What about all those people in apartments where their car isn’t near their house. Or at work in a parking garage? Would you expect it to get to connect to a randomly open access point?
That’s why I said removing it from the fob was the asshole move, but any app based version is going to most likely require a cellular connection for the car, which costs money to maintain
You bought the car for how ever many tens of thousands, which should be priced in with this sort of thing in mind if they want to offer it as a feature in the first place.
The cost to run the api service is minuscule compared to the size of their overall business.
Maybe I could see it as a valid upsell at time of purchase as a one off upfront fee, so it’s at least up to the buyer from the start. Although I personally do not like that approach, at least you can decide if you like that companies ethics before committing to them with that approach.
Perhaps resale of the vehicle complicates this a little, & might warrant a small transfer fee, but I also dislike that idea.
There’s plenty of options for more local communication technologies that could support this feature without the need of a remote server & ongoing service. But then there’s no lock in & ongoing revenue which nearly all car companies seem to be going for these days, as if they haven’t already been super profitable for many decades before…
Yeah I don't get this at all. It's like asking "who's going to pay for all the shipping costs for the materials", you. It's baked into the price. A super light API call is fractions of a cent. They are getting bonuses in the millions, they can swing it.
Yes it was an asshole move to remove the remote start from the key fob…
You could have just stopped there. With remote start on the key fob, the infrastructure investment isn’t needed at all, and you go back to remote start being bundled into an option package like it always has been.
These fucking corporations with their nickel and dime subscription bullshit has to end, and the only way that happens is if more people say “fuck you, I’m not buying that car because you’re trying to subscribe people for technology already built into the car”.
As someone who never had a car with remote start, why would I want that? Sounds like useless fluff in practice.
If you live somewhere with cold winters you'd remote start to get the heat going.
Or hot summers so you don't sear yourself getting into your car.
I remember Peugeot 405 had this shit as an aftermarket addon (Magikar)
And now Mazda asks for 10 bucks a month for it lmfao