2021 incidents

In January 2021, WhatsApp announced an update to its privacy policy, set to take effect on February 8, 2021 (later delayed). Key changes to the policy included: Clarifying how WhatsApp processes…

Bitly's QR-Code-Generator.com advertises free QR code creation, but the codes it generates are dynamic codes routed through Bitly's servers. After a 14-day trial, Bitly deactivates these codes…

Ford BlueCruise is a hands-free highway driving system that Ford sells as a subscription service on vehicles where the required hardware is already installed at the factory. Owners who don't pay…

During the global semiconductor shortage, Canon shipped toner cartridges for its business multifunction printers without DRM authentication chips and published support pages instructing customers to…

Canon printers disable scanning when ink is low documents Canon's practice of forcing all-in-one PIXMA printers into a hard error state when ink cartridges are low or empty, blocking the scanner &…

The GameStop short squeeze of early 2021 was one of the most dramatic financial events in recent history, pitting retail investors against Wall Street hedge funds and exposing deep tensions in market…

In 2018, John Deere entered a voluntary agreement to provide manuals, training, and diagnostic software for tractors available to purchase by January 1, 2021. However, the company does not appear to…

In 2021, a number of security flaws in the software John Deere provided could have allowed hackers to find and download the personal data of all owners of the company’s farming vehicles and…

After leaving the smartphone market in 2021, LG removed the ability for users to unlock bootloader on their existing devices. This decision effectively prevents users from installing custom firmware…

In 2019, Mazda introduced Mazda Connected Services, a feature enabling remote start and other functionalities through the MyMazda smartphone app. In 2021, Mazda quietly removed remote start…

McDonald's fell victim to a data breach that exposed customer data for South Korean and Taiwanese users. It was detected when unauthorized activity was noticed on the company's network.

In Germany, Mercedes-Benz EQS vehicles are equipped with rear wheels that can steer up to 10 degrees. However, customers who do not sign up for a subscription will only have a 4.5 degree range of…

Peloton, a wellness technology company, faced widespread criticism after removing the "Just Run" feature from its Tread and Tread+ treadmills, making it accessible only through a paid subscription…

Polestar charges $1,195 to unlock 34 extra horsepower from the existing hardware of the Polestar 2 Long range Dual Motor.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3's cameras were being artificially disabled from software after the unlocking the phone's bootloader.

Vizio was sued by the SFC in October 2021 over the alleged unfairly appropriated software in their SmartCast system. The SFC argues that Vizio’s alleged failure to adhere to copyleft-licensing…