Consumer and digital rights activists are calling on the US Federal Trade Commission to crack down on device makers that use software to reduce product functionality, brick unloved kit or add surprise fees after purchase.

In an eight-page letter [PDF] to the commission (FTC), the activists mentioned the Google/Levis collaboration on a denim jacket that contained sensors that allowed it to control an Android device via a special app. When the app was shut down in 2023, the jacket lost that feature. The letter also mentions "Car Thing," an in-car infotainment device created by Spotify, which bricked the device less than two years after its launch and offered no refund.

Another example highlighted is the $1,695 Snoo connected pool, made by an outfit called Happiest Baby. Babies grow out of bassinets, but Happiest Baby this year notified customers that if they ever sold or gave away their bassinets, the unit's next owner would have to pay a new monthly fee of $19.99 to keep certain features. Activists argue that it reduces the resale value of the units.

Signatories to the letter include individuals from Consumer Reports, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, demolition artists iFixit, and the Software Freedom Conservancy. Environmental groups and computer workshops also signed the letter.