Advertising..helps customers discover new content and products they may be interested in.

Someone needs to coin a word to describe this type of infuriating corporate statement. They make astonishingly piss-weak arguments in a patronising tone, as if to insist that reality must be whatever they say it is because they’re a successful company.

It’s the kind of statement that’s not technically a lie, but still seems dishonest for them to present as though it were a sane response, almost like an attempt at gaslighting.

I think the person who wrote that response should be forced to wear it around their neck so that everyone can see what sort of person they are.

My pet pony keeps shitting on the floor.

I am very frustrated and did not expect it.

I should sell it off and buy a horse instead.

This is a real “the scorpion stung the frog” situation.

There was never any other way for this to go. Is in the scorpions nature to cram ads and tracking into your devices. That was always the strategy even with their Fire lines of devices.

Ring will be next. It’s already giving them your address, neighbourhood, routine, device types, etc. That data gates correlate to census income data, network traffic, etc. to build a profile of who you are as a consumer.

Fucking ads, even on Netflix and at gas stations now. So offensive

Installing spyware and wire taps in my home was never appealing to me.

Any ads is a no-go for me.

This is a simple problem. Destroy it and end your Amazon prime subscription. Now, your Samsung fridge that shows ads is a different problem.

I get that we should expect shit like this from Amazon but at the same time, they bought something and the maker completely changed how the device worked after they bought it.

I’d be pissed too. We have to hold these companies accountable.

... and all the actual tech nerds who told everyone they should avoid smart devices like the plague laugh and laugh...

This week Amazon starting pushing ads to customers paying extra for ad-free Prime Video.

Corporations are now so powerful they don't have to abide by reasonable norms, contracts, or laws any longer. Any fines are just a cost of doing business and are a small fraction of the profits they generate.

What are customers going to do anyway? Go to other businesses that are doing the exact same things on different days?

I'm about to just toss the whole thing and move back to google.

... Ah yes. Here we see that, while frustrated, the consumer remains largely undeterred from fitting into the boxes outlined by our fearless corpo overlords.

People seem to never learn. Same behavior for decades now from these companies but people are shocked. :)

FWIW, I have had some Google (now Nest) Home Hubs for years and I don't think I've ever seen or heard ads on them.

I'm gradually de-googling my life though, so maybe I'll just replace them with some DIY thing

"Advertising is a small part of the experience".

Well great Amazon. Nobody is asking for this 'experience'.

I'm now reading Helen Philips' Hum and it feels so disturbing that the dystopian world depicted in the book is so real. Like all of those things actually exist already, we just don't think about them too often.

I regret ever getting mixed up with Amazon in the first place. I canceled Prime, stopped ordering from Amazon’s website, found a Kindle alternative, pulled the plug on my IoT crap, and unplugged my Echoes. No regrets. YMMV.

Never saw this coming (said no one ever).