FTC urged to make smart devices say how long they will be supported

Enlarge / Spotify released the Car Thing to the general public in February 2022. It's bricking them in December. (credit: Spotify)

For some of us, few things are more infuriating than when a gadget stops working due to a software change. As we've frequently covered here at Ars, startups and big tech companies are guilty of rendering hardware obsolete and/or stripping it of core functions. A pile of activists are urging the Federal Trade Commission to get involved.

In a letter sent today to Samuel Levine...