Enshittification as an art form
Sometimes the irony is set so high that Dr Mumbo catches himself wanting to weep.
That goes for a painfully convincing piece of work from, erm, the Norwegian Consumer Council. The Norwegians take a somewhat lighter touch than their counterparts at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, but their jabs land home.
Is it true that the global platforms make something good, then deliberately make it worse unless consumers pay for the premium features? Probably.
“Is there anything the consumer watchdogs can do about it? Probably not”
In a just world the ACCC would have legal powers akin to Judge Dredd
“BMW admits heated seat subscriptions were a mistake”
The German giant will double down on subscriptions with a monthly fee to use the 360-degree camera, if you didn’t order it to begin with – but heated seat charges won’t return.