Hacker News with Generative AI: Consumer Rights

Wyden Asks for Rules About Whether You Own Your Digital Purchases (theverge.com)
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) has sent a letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chair Andrew Ferguson urging the FTC to require that companies admit when you’re not really buying an ebook or video game.
Digital Ownership, Consumer Rights, Government Regulation, Technology, Law
10 points by m463 36 days ago | 1 comments
Right to Repair laws have now been proposed in all U.S. states (ifixit.com)
With the introduction of a bill in Wisconsin, Right to Repair legislation has now been introduced in every single US state.
Legislation, Consumer Rights, Technology, United States
502 points by LorenDB 37 days ago | 160 comments
Disney+ Ad Policy Change (rossmanngroup.com)
In January 2025, Disney+ updated its Subscriber Agreement to include provisions allowing advertisements in content across all subscription tiers, including those marketed as "no ads" or "ad free."
Streaming Services, Advertising, Disney, Consumer Rights
27 points by instagib 53 days ago | 3 comments
Show HN: FreeDemandLetter – A Weapon for Anyone Who's Sick of Getting Shafted (freedemandletter.com)
Let's be honest: few things are more satisfying than getting what you're owed. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, over $230 million in back wages were recovered in 2021 alone.¹ Yet countless more go unclaimed because people don't demand what's rightfully theirs. We're here to fix that.
Legal, Consumer Rights, Technology, Web Apps
54 points by arashvakil 53 days ago | 57 comments
Automakers Sue to Kill Maine's Popular 'Right to Repair' Law (techdirt.com)
A little over a year ago, Maine residents voted overwhelmingly (83 percent) to pass a new state right to repair law designed to make auto repairs easier and more affordable.
Auto Industry, Law, Consumer Rights, Maine, Technology
36 points by hn_acker 54 days ago | 0 comments
Why Banks May Be Hoping You're Not Paying Attention (nytimes.com)
They have no fiduciary duty in many cases and can profit from customers’ confusion. But where’s the line between unsavory and illegal?
Finance, Banking, Ethics, Consumer Rights
5 points by JumpCrisscross 56 days ago | 0 comments
FTC Sues John Deere over Its Repair Monopoly (404media.co)
The Biden administration and the states of Illinois and Minnesota sued tractor and agricultural manufacturer John Deere Wednesday, arguing that the company’s anti consumer repair practices have driven up prices for farmers and have made it difficult for them to get repairs during critical planting and harvesting seasons.
Antitrust, Agriculture, Lawsuits, Consumer Rights, Business
67 points by jbiason 77 days ago | 11 comments
Right to root access (medhir.com)
I believe consumers, as a right, should be able to install software of their choosing to any computing device that is owned outright.
Consumer Rights, Software, Operating Systems
487 points by medhir 80 days ago | 417 comments
YouTube laywer LegalEagle is suing Honey and wants to take the company down (dexerto.com)
The Legal Eagle, a YouTuber with over three million subscribers who doubles as an actual attorney at law, has filed a class-action lawsuit against Honey, with the goal of getting creators back the money they allegedly stole through affiliate link fishing.
YouTube, Lawsuits, Affiliate Marketing, Consumer Rights
19 points by f1shy 90 days ago | 7 comments
2024 was the year gamers started pushing back on the erosion of game ownership (pcgamer.com)
Gaming, Consumer Rights, Industry Trends
30 points by pseudolus 99 days ago | 4 comments
Senators slam automakers for selling data and blocking the right to repair (theverge.com)
A bipartisan group of senators is calling out the auto industry for its “hypocritical, profit-driven” opposition to national right-to-repair legislation, while also selling customer data to insurance companies and other third-party interests.
Politics, Consumer Rights, Automotive Industry
13 points by speckx 103 days ago | 2 comments
Canada's new Right-to-Repair laws "good news for farmers" (farms.com)
Two federal bills received Royal Assent in November that will make it easier for consumers to fix and service the products they use on a daily basis. That includes phones and fridges and even tractors.
Canada, Legislation, Agriculture, Consumer Rights, Repair
15 points by kspacewalk2 110 days ago | 0 comments
Feds help health insurers hide their dirty secret: denials on the rise (nypost.com)
The health insurance industry’s dirty secret is that it’s no longer selling insurance: It’s selling a crapshoot.
Health Insurance, Government, Business, Consumer Rights
150 points by mancerayder 110 days ago | 279 comments
Amazon accused of cheating low-income Prime users out of two-day deliveries (theregister.com)
Amazon has trouble in the US capital, where the city's attorney general alleged in a lawsuit filed today that the company excluded two postal zip codes from its fastest Prime delivery service without informing customers.
Amazon, Lawsuit, Prime Delivery, Consumer Rights, Low-Income
11 points by rntn 119 days ago | 0 comments
DC accuses Amazon of excluding some residents from Prime benefits (wusa9.com)
Amazon, Consumer Rights, Legal Disputes, Washington D.C.
11 points by ivewonyoung 119 days ago | 1 comments
Judge rules SiriusXM's annoying cancellation process is illegal (theverge.com)
A New York judge has determined that SiriusXM’s “long and burdensome” cancellation process is illegal.
Legal Issues, Consumer Rights, SiriusXM
17 points by mfiguiere 131 days ago | 0 comments
Which? launches £3B action against Apple over competition law breaches (which.co.uk)
Which? is today launching a landmark £3 billion legal claim against Apple, claiming the tech giant breached competition law, effectively locking millions of consumers into its iCloud service at rip-off prices
Competition Law, Apple, Legal Action, Consumer Rights, Technology
5 points by OptionOfT 138 days ago | 0 comments
Apple accused of trapping and ripping off 40M iCloud customers (bbc.com)
Apple is facing a legal claim accusing it of effectively locking 40 million British customers into its iCloud service and charging them "rip off prices."
Apple, Lawsuits, Consumer Rights, Technology, Business
17 points by vinni2 140 days ago | 1 comments
Ticketmaster’s attempt to game arbitration services fails (ericgoldman.org)
In an effort to curb mass arbitration, Ticketmaster sought to switch arbitration service providers to New Era ADR, including for past ticket purchases. New Era incorporated some defense-favorable provisions to its mass arbitration provision. The Ninth Circuit holds those provisions go too far and are procedurally and substantively unconscionable.
Legal, Arbitration, Business, Consumer Rights
308 points by hn_acker 149 days ago | 146 comments
Ask HN: Impossible to get a refund from Pieter Levels? (ycombinator.com)
I am a resident of Germany. Which means according to the EU’s Consumer Rights Directive (Directive 2011/83/EU) I have the right to a refund within 14 days of the purchase of digital goods and services.
Legal Issues, Consumer Rights, Germany
20 points by Holzlappen 151 days ago | 12 comments
T-Mobile, AT&T oppose unlocking rule, claim locked phones are good for users (arstechnica.com)
Carriers fight plan to require unlocking of phones 60 days after activation.
Telecommunications, Mobile Phones, Consumer Rights, Legislation, Regulation
204 points by LorenDB 163 days ago | 209 comments
Ask HN: Should it be illegal for ISP's to crackdown on third-party routers? (ycombinator.com)
where I live, my ISP does not allow using any third party routers for broadband use. Additionally, other devices like STB and other IOT devices sold by the ISP now refuse to work entirely if it detects any other routers being used. Somehow this feels wrong to me. I wonder how bad the situation is elsewhere?
Networking, ISPs, Consumer Rights, Routers
10 points by dj0k3r 164 days ago | 5 comments
The feds are coming for John Deere over the right to repair (gizmodo.com)
The Federal Trade Commission is investigating tractor manufacturer John Deere over long standing allegations that Deere makes its farm equipment hard to repair.
Agriculture, Law, Business, Consumer Rights
576 points by rntn 166 days ago | 244 comments
FCC launches a formal inquiry into why broadband data caps are terrible (engadget.com)
The Federal Communications Commission announced that it will open a renewed investigation into broadband data caps and how they impact both consumer experience and company competition.
Broadband, FCC, Regulation, Consumer Rights, Internet
10 points by jayantbhawal 169 days ago | 0 comments
Mazda Annoys Owners by Making Remote Start a Subscription (techdirt.com)
One foundational belief of the “right to repair” movement is that consumers should actually own the technology they pay for. Unfortunately that’s increasingly not the case when it comes to carmakers, who are utterly insistent on not only charging people a flat retail price for a vehicle — but are also increasingly charging you additional fees or subscriptions for tech you already paid for that already exists in the vehicle.
Consumer Rights, Automotive Industry, Subscriptions
15 points by speckx 174 days ago | 0 comments
Cox slows Internet speeds in entire neighborhoods to punish any heavy users (2020) (arstechnica.com)
Cox Communications is lowering Internet upload speeds in entire neighborhoods to stop what it considers "excessive usage," in a decision that punishes both heavy Internet users and their neighbors.
Consumer Rights, Network Management, Internet Speed
245 points by RadixDLT 181 days ago | 191 comments
Uber beats crash victims' attempt to try case in court instead of arbitration (arstechnica.com)
A married couple can't sue Uber over severe injuries they suffered in a 2022 car accident because of a mandatory arbitration provision in the ride-sharing company's terms of use, according to a ruling issued by the New Jersey Superior Court appellate division.
Lawsuits, Arbitration, Uber, Transportation, Consumer Rights
5 points by greyface- 184 days ago | 0 comments
Steam doesn't want to pay arbitration fees, tells gamers to sue instead (arstechnica.com)
Valve Corporation, tired of paying arbitration fees, has removed a mandatory arbitration clause from Steam's subscriber agreement.
Gaming, Lawsuits, Business, Consumer Rights, Valve
5 points by OptionOfT 187 days ago | 1 comments
CA law means stores can't say you're buying a game if you're merely licensing it (polygon.com)
A new California bill (AB 2426), signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, is an attempt to bring transparency to the buying and selling of digital goods like movies, e-books, and, yes, video games.
Video Games, California Law, Digital Goods, Consumer Rights
263 points by sxp 187 days ago | 125 comments
New California law requires one-click subscription cancellations (thedesk.net)
A new law in California will make it easier for consumers to cancel their streaming subscriptions and similar products when they enroll in automatic renewal of those services.
Consumer Rights, Legislation, California, Streaming Services
145 points by thunderbong 190 days ago | 72 comments