Consumer Rights Wiki - User contributions [en]

Monopoly

2025-09-25T11:03:04Z

DzLamme: /* Contemporary tech monopolies */

{{ToneWarning}}

A [[wikipedia:Monopoly|monopoly]] represents a market structure where a single seller or entity dominates the entire market for a particular good or service. This economic arrangement is characterized by a lack of viable substitute goods and the absence of economic competition. This allows the monopolist to potentially charge prices significantly above marginal cost while maintaining substantial monopoly profit.

In legal contexts, the concept of monopoly extends beyond pure single-firm markets to include various situations where market power is concentrated among very few actors, including duopolies, and oligopolies.<ref name=':0'>{{Cite web |date=July 1, 2023 |title=monopoly |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/monopoly |archive-url=https://archive.ph/hOJXp |archive-date=June 8, 2024 |website=www.law.cornell.edu }}</ref>

== Characteristics of monopolies ==
Monopolistic market structures exhibit several defining features that distinguish them from other market forms. These characteristics create the conditions that allow monopolists to exercise market power and operate with limited competitive constraints:

{| class="wikitable" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 2px; text-align: center" cellpadding="4px"
|+Key characteristics of monopolies
|-
! scope="col" style="text-align: left" |Characteristic
!Description
!scope="col" style="text-align: right" |Implication
|-
! scope="col" style="text-align: left" |Single seller
|Sole provider of a product/service
|scope="col" style="text-align: right" |No competition
|-
! scope="col" style="text-align: left" |Price setting
|Ability to set prices above competitive levels
|scope="col" style="text-align: right" |Higher prices
|-
! scope="col" style="text-align: left" |Barriers to entry
|Obstacles like patents, high startup costs, or resource control
|scope="col" style="text-align: right" |Market dominance
|-
! scope="col" style="text-align: left" |No close substitutes
|Unique product offering
|scope="col" style="text-align: right" |Consumer dependency
|-
|}

=== Single seller and numerous buyers ===
A monopoly market consists of one single supplier facing many buyers. This eliminates the distinction between the firm and the industry, the monopolistic firm is the industry in which it operates. This single-seller status means that the monopolist's demand curve is identical to the market demand curve, which typically slopes downward, indicating that the monopolist must lower prices to increase sales volume.

=== Absence of close substitutes ===
The product or service offered by a monopolist has no close alternatives available to consumers. The cross-elasticity of demand between the monopolist's product and other products is very low, meaning consumers cannot easily switch to alternatives if prices increase . This lack of substitution possibilities strengthens the monopolist's market power.

=== Barriers to entry ===

* Economic: high startup costs and economies of scale.

* Legal: Patents, copyrights, or government licenses.

* Deliberate: Predatory pricing, control of essential resources.

These entry restrictions protect the monopolist from competitive pressures that would otherwise erode its market position.

: Monopolies arise and persist due to various factors that create barriers to entry circumstances that prevent or significantly impede potential competitors from entering a market and challenging the dominant firm's position. These barriers can be categorized into several types:

==== Economic barriers ====
These represent structural market conditions that limit competition. The most significant barrier is economies of scale, which occurs when a firm's average production costs decrease as output increases.

In industries with substantial fixed costs (such as utilities manufacturing), large established firms enjoy cost advantages that new entrants cannot match initially.

Other economic barriers include high capital requirements, technological superiority, and control over essential resources.

==== Legal barriers ====
Government created restrictions that limit market entry. These include intellectual property protections such as patents, copyrights, and trademarks, granting exclusive rights to produce, use, or sell inventions and creations for specified periods.<ref name=':0' /> While these protections aim to incentivize innovation, they simultaneously create temporary monopolies.

Other legal barriers include licensing requirements, mandatory government permission to operate in certain industries, permits, and regulations that disproportionately burden new market entrants compared to established firms. Governments may grant exclusive franchises to companies to provide specific services within certain geographical areas, creating legal monopolies.

==== Deliberate barriers ====
These result from strategic actions by established firms designed to maintain their monopoly position. These practices include predatory pricing, exclusive contracting, and vertical integration. Established firms may also engage in strategic patenting or lobbying for regulations that disadvantage potential entrants.

Some monopolists may create vendor lock-in situations by designing products that are incompatible with competitors' offerings, making it costly for consumers to switch to alternatives.

==== Network effects ====
These occur when a product or service becomes more valuable as more people use it. This creates a self-reinforcing advantage for established firms that have already accumulated a large user base.

Payment networks like Visa possess monopoly power partly because merchants and consumers prefer payment systems that are widely accepted.

Network effects can create natural monopolies in technology and platform-based markets where interoperability and standardization provide user benefits.

=== Types of monopolies ===
Monopolies can be categorized based on their formation processes, underlying economic conditions, and relationship to governmental authority.

* '''Natural'''
: Natural monopolies often develop in industries requiring extensive infrastructure networks, such as utilities and transportation systems. The infrastructure to deliver electricity, gas, and water involves substantial initial investment costs that make duplication impractical. In such cases, having multiple competitors would result in inefficient duplication of resources and potentially higher prices for consumers rather than lower ones.[6]

* '''Legal'''
: Legal monopolies or government-granted monopolies, are created through official government sanction via patents, copyrights, trademarks, and public franchises.<ref name=':0' /> These exclusive rights are granted to encourage innovation and investment in risky ventures by ensuring that inventors and creators can reap financial rewards from their efforts. Pharmaceutical companies receive patent protection that gives them temporary monopoly power over newly developed drugs, theoretically incentivizing substantial research and development investments. The U.S. Postal Service's exclusive right to deliver first-class mail represents another example of a legal monopoly.<ref name=':0' /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kobayashi |first=Bruce H. |date= |title=The Law and Economics of Intellectual Property |url= |journal=George Mason Law & Economics Research Paper |volume= |pages= |via=}}</ref>

* '''Technological'''
: A technological monopoly arises when a company controls a proprietary technology or production process that competitors cannot easily replicate. This type of monopoly is often protected by patent laws but can also stem from significant expertise advantages or trade secrets. Historical examples include Microsoft's dominance in personal computer operating systems during the 1990s, which was partly attributed to its control of the Windows platform. Contemporary technology firms like Google in search engines and Amazon in e-commerce have also been described as having technological monopolies due to their market-dominating positions.

* '''Government'''
: In a government monopoly, the state itself owns and operates the production and distribution of certain goods and services. This arrangement is common in sectors considered natural monopolies or essential public services, such as water provision, electricity distribution, and public transportation systems. Government monopolies may also extend to industries considered strategically important or sensitive, such as arms manufacturing or nuclear energy in some countries. The justification for government monopolies typically centers on ensuring universal access, maintaining quality standards, and preventing private exploitation of essential services.

=== Economic implication ===
The economic effects of monopolies present a complex mix of potential drawbacks and benefits that economists have debated for decades. Understanding these implications requires examining both static efficiency considerations and dynamic innovation factors:[2]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Emerson |first=Patrick |date= |title=Intermediate Microeconomics |url=https://open.oregonstate.education/intermediatemicroeconomics/chapter/module-15/ |website=oregonstate.education}}</ref>

*'''Higher prices and reduced output'''
*:Competitive firms must accept market prices, monopolists can restrict output and charge higher prices than would prevail in competitive markets. By producing where marginal revenue equals marginal cost (rather than where price equals marginal cost as in perfect competition), monopolists generate less output while maintaining higher price points, resulting in reduced consumer surplus. This behavior leads to allocative inefficiency, where resources are not distributed in a manner that maximizes social welfare.

*'''Reduced consumer choice'''
*:Monopoly markets typically offer fewer product varieties and choices compared to competitive markets. With no competitive pressure to innovate or differentiate, monopolists may have little incentive to provide diverse options that cater to varied consumer preferences. This limitation of choice represents a reduction in consumer welfare that extends beyond price considerations alone.

*'''Potential for quality degradation'''
*: The absence of competitive pressure may reduce monopolists' incentives to maintain and improve product quality. Without rivals threatening to capture market share by offering superior products, monopolists might allow quality to deteriorate as a cost-saving measure, particularly if consumers have no alternative sources for the product or service.

*'''Rent-seeking behavior'''
*: Monopolists may engage in rent-seeking activities. Investing resources to maintain their monopoly position rather than to improve products or efficiency. This behavior represents a social waste because these resources could have been productively employed elsewhere in the economy. Rent-seeking often takes the form of lobbying for protective regulations or pursuing litigation against potential competitors.

*'''Income distribution effects'''
*: Monopoly profits often represent a transfer of wealth from consumers to shareholders who tend to be wealthier on average, potentially exacerbating income inequality. This redistribution occurs through the monopoly premium embedded in prices that exceeds what would be charged in competitive markets.

==== Potential benefits ====
*'''Economies of scale and lower costs'''
*: In industries with high fixed costs, monopolists may achieve lower average production costs through scale economies that could theoretically be passed on to consumers. Natural monopolies in particular might offer lower prices than competitive markets could sustain because competition would require duplication of expensive infrastructure. This argument is frequently advanced regarding utilities and network industries where infrastructure costs represent a substantial portion of total costs.

*'''Innovation and research development'''
*: The prospect of achieving monopoly profits can provide powerful incentives for innovation and research development. The patent system explicitly recognizes this dynamic by granting temporary monopolies to inventors. Some economists argue that without the possibility of monopoly rewards, firms would underinvest in research and development due to difficulties appropriating the full benefits of their innovations. This perspective suggests that certain monopoly profits represent a legitimate return on innovation risk.

*'''Standardization and stability'''
*: Monopolies can sometimes provide market stability and standardization benefits that competitive markets might not achieve as efficiently. For instance, a single dominant technology platform might create compatibility benefits that fragmented markets cannot match. Microsoft argued during its antitrust case that its integrated approach provided consumer benefits through standardization.

*'''Cross-subsidization possibilities'''
*: Monopolists with multiple product lines or customer segments may engage in cross-subsidization'', using profits from one area to support services that might not be economically viable in competitive markets. This practice can sometimes serve social objectives, such as maintaining service to unprofitable rural customers while providing urban services.

== Notable monopolies ==
Historical and modern examples of monopolies provide valuable insights into the formation, behavior, and regulation of dominant firms across different industries and time periods.

=== Standard Oil ===
Founded by John D. Rockefeller in 1870, one of the most famous historical monopolies. Standard Oil achieved control over approximately 90% of oil refining in the United States by the early 1880s. It's dominance led to the passage of the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890, and ultimately to its breakup into 34 separate companies in 1911 following a Supreme Court ruling. The Standard Oil case established important precedents for antitrust enforcement and demonstrated how monopolies could emerge through both efficiency advantages and anti-competitive practices.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Founding of U.S. Steel and the Power of Public Opinion |url=https://www.library.hbs.edu/us-steel/exhibition/the-founding-of-u.s.-steel-and-the-power-of-public-opinion |archive-date=September 16, 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.ph/QcmPI |website=www.library.hbs.edu }}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title= |url=https://archivesfoundation.org/newsletter/broken-trust/ |website= }}</ref>

=== AT&T ===
AT&T (American Telephone and Telegraph Company) maintained a monopoly on telephone service in the United States for much of the 20th century. Originally based on Bell's patent for the telephone, AT&T's monopoly persisted through control of critical infrastructure and regulatory capture. The company was considered a natural monopoly due to the extensive infrastructure requirements of telephone networks. By the 1970s, AT&T faced antitrust litigation that culminated in its 1984 breakup into seven regional "Baby Bell" companies. The AT&T case illustrates how technological change can eventually undermine natural monopoly arguments, as emerging technologies made telecommunications competition feasible.

=== Microsoft corporation ===

[[Microsoft]] faced significant antitrust scrutiny in the late 1990s over its dominance of personal computer operating systems and web browsers. The U.S. Department of Justice alleged that Microsoft maintained monopoly power in PC operating systems and used this power to unlawfully tie its Internet Explorer web browser to Windows, disadvantaging competitors like Netscape Navigator.

A 2000 court decision ordered Microsoft to be split into two separate companies, one for operating systems and one for software applications, though this penalty was ultimately overturned on appeal. They instead reached a settlement with the DOJ that imposed behavioral restrictions but preserved the company's structural integrity. This case highlighted how technology companies could achieve monopoly power through network effects and platform control rather than traditional barriers to entry.

=== Contemporary tech monopolies ===
Major technology companies including Google, Amazon, Facebook (Meta), and Apple have faced accusations of monopolistic behavior. Google has been subject to multiple antitrust lawsuits alleging it illegally maintained monopolies in search engines and digital advertising through exclusionary practices. Amazon faces scrutiny over its dual role as marketplace operator and competitor to third-party sellers on its platform. Facebook's acquisition strategy (including purchases of Instagram and WhatsApp) has drawn regulatory challenges aimed at preventing the entrenchment of monopoly power. These cases represent ongoing debates about how to apply traditional antitrust frameworks to digital platforms whose business models differ substantially from industrial-era monopolies.

== Government regulation of monopolies ==
Governments employ various regulatory approaches to address monopoly power, balancing concerns about economic efficiency with other public policy objectives. These regulatory frameworks have evolved over time to address changing market conditions and economic understandings:

=== Antitrust laws ===
The United States has developed a comprehensive framework of antitrust legislation designed to prevent anti-competitive practices and protect consumer welfare. The cornerstone of U.S. antitrust law is the Sherman Act of 1890, which prohibits contracts, combinations, and conspiracies that unreasonably restrain trade and bans monopolization attempts.

The Clayton Act of 1914 supplements the Sherman Act by addressing specific practices such as price discrimination, exclusive dealing arrangements, and mergers that substantially lessen competition.

These laws are enforced primarily by the DOJ and the FTC, which investigate potential violations and can pursue legal action against offending companies.

=== Regulatory approaches ===
*'''Price regulation'''
*:For natural monopolies (particularly utilities), regulators often implement price controls to prevent monopolistic pricing while allowing firms to earn a fair return on investment.<ref name=':0' /> Common approaches include rate-of-return regulation (limiting profits to a specified percentage of capital investment) and price cap regulation (capping annual price increases according to formulas that consider inflation and expected productivity gains).

*'''Merger review'''
*:Regulatory agencies evaluate proposed mergers and acquisitions to prevent excessive market concentration. The FTC and DOJ require companies to notify them of large transactions before completion and can challenge deals that would substantially reduce competition. For example, in 2024, judges blocked the proposed merger between Kroger and Albertson's grocery chains due to concerns about reduced competition in local markets.

*'''Structural remedies'''
*:Regulators may impose structural remedies such as requiring monopolists to divest certain assets or business units to restore competition. The breakup of Standard Oil in 1911 and AT&T in 1984 represent historical examples of structural approaches to monopoly power.

*'''Behavioral remedies'''
*:Regulators may impose behavioral restrictions on how firms conduct business. The settlement in the Microsoft case required the company to share application programming interfaces with third-party developers and refrain from retaliating against computer manufacturers that used competing software.

==== International perspectives ====
Antitrust approaches vary across countries, though convergence has increased with globalization. The European Union has generally taken a more aggressive stance toward technology monopolies than the United States, imposing substantial fines on companies like Google for anti-competitive practices. Many countries have established sector-specific regulators for industries like telecommunications, energy, and transportation where monopoly concerns are particularly pronounced. International coordination on antitrust enforcement has grown as markets become increasingly global, though significant differences in legal frameworks and enforcement priorities remain across jurisdictions.

=== Digital platform monopolies ===
The rise of digital platforms has challenged traditional antitrust frameworks, as companies like Google, Amazon, and Facebook achieve dominance through network effects, data control, and platform ecosystems rather than conventional market concentration. These firms often provide "free" services to consumers while monetizing attention and data, complicating traditional market definition and power assessment in antitrust analysis. Some economists argue that digital markets tend toward natural monopoly characteristics due to strong network effects and low marginal costs, potentially requiring new regulatory approaches.

=== The innovation trade-off ===
A persistent debate concerns whether monopoly power inhibits or promotes innovation. The traditional view holds that competition spurs innovation while monopoly stagnates it. Some economists argue that the prospect of achieving temporary monopoly profits provides crucial incentives for innovation that competitive markets cannot match. This perspective suggests that certain forms of monopoly power might be desirable when they result from and reward innovative activity, particularly in industries with high research and development costs like pharmaceuticals.

=== Consumer welfare standard ===
Antitrust enforcement in recent decades has predominantly focused on the consumer welfare standard, which prioritizes price effects above other considerations.

Some critics argue this approach has been too permissive of increasing market concentration, advocating for broader considerations including worker welfare, small business impacts, and political democracy.

----

Monopoly

2025-09-17T09:36:34Z

DzLamme: /* Microsoft corporation */

{{ToneWarning}}

A [[wikipedia:Monopoly|monopoly]] represents a market structure where a single seller or entity dominates the entire market for a particular good or service. This economic arrangement is characterized by a lack of viable substitute goods and the absence of economic competition. This allows the monopolist to potentially charge prices significantly above marginal cost while maintaining substantial monopoly profit.

In legal contexts, the concept of monopoly extends beyond pure single-firm markets to include various situations where market power is concentrated among very few actors, including duopolies, and oligopolies.<ref name=':0'>{{Cite web |date=July 1, 2023 |title=monopoly |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/monopoly |archive-url=https://archive.ph/hOJXp |archive-date=June 8, 2024 |website=www.law.cornell.edu }}</ref>

== Characteristics of monopolies ==
Monopolistic market structures exhibit several defining features that distinguish them from other market forms. These characteristics create the conditions that allow monopolists to exercise market power and operate with limited competitive constraints:

{| class="wikitable" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 2px; text-align: center" cellpadding="4px"
|+Key characteristics of monopolies
|-
! scope="col" style="text-align: left" |Characteristic
!Description
!scope="col" style="text-align: right" |Implication
|-
! scope="col" style="text-align: left" |Single seller
|Sole provider of a product/service
|scope="col" style="text-align: right" |No competition
|-
! scope="col" style="text-align: left" |Price setting
|Ability to set prices above competitive levels
|scope="col" style="text-align: right" |Higher prices
|-
! scope="col" style="text-align: left" |Barriers to entry
|Obstacles like patents, high startup costs, or resource control
|scope="col" style="text-align: right" |Market dominance
|-
! scope="col" style="text-align: left" |No close substitutes
|Unique product offering
|scope="col" style="text-align: right" |Consumer dependency
|-
|}

=== Single seller and numerous buyers ===
A monopoly market consists of one single supplier facing many buyers. This eliminates the distinction between the firm and the industry, the monopolistic firm is the industry in which it operates. This single-seller status means that the monopolist's demand curve is identical to the market demand curve, which typically slopes downward, indicating that the monopolist must lower prices to increase sales volume.

=== Absence of close substitutes ===
The product or service offered by a monopolist has no close alternatives available to consumers. The cross-elasticity of demand between the monopolist's product and other products is very low, meaning consumers cannot easily switch to alternatives if prices increase . This lack of substitution possibilities strengthens the monopolist's market power.

=== Barriers to entry ===

* Economic: high startup costs and economies of scale.

* Legal: Patents, copyrights, or government licenses.

* Deliberate: Predatory pricing, control of essential resources.

These entry restrictions protect the monopolist from competitive pressures that would otherwise erode its market position.

: Monopolies arise and persist due to various factors that create barriers to entry circumstances that prevent or significantly impede potential competitors from entering a market and challenging the dominant firm's position. These barriers can be categorized into several types:

==== Economic barriers ====
These represent structural market conditions that limit competition. The most significant barrier is economies of scale, which occurs when a firm's average production costs decrease as output increases.

In industries with substantial fixed costs (such as utilities manufacturing), large established firms enjoy cost advantages that new entrants cannot match initially.

Other economic barriers include high capital requirements, technological superiority, and control over essential resources.

==== Legal barriers ====
Government created restrictions that limit market entry. These include intellectual property protections such as patents, copyrights, and trademarks, granting exclusive rights to produce, use, or sell inventions and creations for specified periods.<ref name=':0' /> While these protections aim to incentivize innovation, they simultaneously create temporary monopolies.

Other legal barriers include licensing requirements, mandatory government permission to operate in certain industries, permits, and regulations that disproportionately burden new market entrants compared to established firms. Governments may grant exclusive franchises to companies to provide specific services within certain geographical areas, creating legal monopolies.

==== Deliberate barriers ====
These result from strategic actions by established firms designed to maintain their monopoly position. These practices include predatory pricing, exclusive contracting, and vertical integration. Established firms may also engage in strategic patenting or lobbying for regulations that disadvantage potential entrants.

Some monopolists may create vendor lock-in situations by designing products that are incompatible with competitors' offerings, making it costly for consumers to switch to alternatives.

==== Network effects ====
These occur when a product or service becomes more valuable as more people use it. This creates a self-reinforcing advantage for established firms that have already accumulated a large user base.

Payment networks like Visa possess monopoly power partly because merchants and consumers prefer payment systems that are widely accepted.

Network effects can create natural monopolies in technology and platform-based markets where interoperability and standardization provide user benefits.

=== Types of monopolies ===
Monopolies can be categorized based on their formation processes, underlying economic conditions, and relationship to governmental authority.

* '''Natural'''
: Natural monopolies often develop in industries requiring extensive infrastructure networks, such as utilities and transportation systems. The infrastructure to deliver electricity, gas, and water involves substantial initial investment costs that make duplication impractical. In such cases, having multiple competitors would result in inefficient duplication of resources and potentially higher prices for consumers rather than lower ones.[6]

* '''Legal'''
: Legal monopolies or government-granted monopolies, are created through official government sanction via patents, copyrights, trademarks, and public franchises.<ref name=':0' /> These exclusive rights are granted to encourage innovation and investment in risky ventures by ensuring that inventors and creators can reap financial rewards from their efforts. Pharmaceutical companies receive patent protection that gives them temporary monopoly power over newly developed drugs, theoretically incentivizing substantial research and development investments. The U.S. Postal Service's exclusive right to deliver first-class mail represents another example of a legal monopoly.<ref name=':0' /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kobayashi |first=Bruce H. |date= |title=The Law and Economics of Intellectual Property |url= |journal=George Mason Law & Economics Research Paper |volume= |pages= |via=}}</ref>

* '''Technological'''
: A technological monopoly arises when a company controls a proprietary technology or production process that competitors cannot easily replicate. This type of monopoly is often protected by patent laws but can also stem from significant expertise advantages or trade secrets. Historical examples include Microsoft's dominance in personal computer operating systems during the 1990s, which was partly attributed to its control of the Windows platform. Contemporary technology firms like Google in search engines and Amazon in e-commerce have also been described as having technological monopolies due to their market-dominating positions.

* '''Government'''
: In a government monopoly, the state itself owns and operates the production and distribution of certain goods and services. This arrangement is common in sectors considered natural monopolies or essential public services, such as water provision, electricity distribution, and public transportation systems. Government monopolies may also extend to industries considered strategically important or sensitive, such as arms manufacturing or nuclear energy in some countries. The justification for government monopolies typically centers on ensuring universal access, maintaining quality standards, and preventing private exploitation of essential services.

=== Economic implication ===
The economic effects of monopolies present a complex mix of potential drawbacks and benefits that economists have debated for decades. Understanding these implications requires examining both static efficiency considerations and dynamic innovation factors:[2]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Emerson |first=Patrick |date= |title=Intermediate Microeconomics |url=https://open.oregonstate.education/intermediatemicroeconomics/chapter/module-15/ |website=oregonstate.education}}</ref>

*'''Higher prices and reduced output'''
*:Competitive firms must accept market prices, monopolists can restrict output and charge higher prices than would prevail in competitive markets. By producing where marginal revenue equals marginal cost (rather than where price equals marginal cost as in perfect competition), monopolists generate less output while maintaining higher price points, resulting in reduced consumer surplus. This behavior leads to allocative inefficiency, where resources are not distributed in a manner that maximizes social welfare.

*'''Reduced consumer choice'''
*:Monopoly markets typically offer fewer product varieties and choices compared to competitive markets. With no competitive pressure to innovate or differentiate, monopolists may have little incentive to provide diverse options that cater to varied consumer preferences. This limitation of choice represents a reduction in consumer welfare that extends beyond price considerations alone.

*'''Potential for quality degradation'''
*: The absence of competitive pressure may reduce monopolists' incentives to maintain and improve product quality. Without rivals threatening to capture market share by offering superior products, monopolists might allow quality to deteriorate as a cost-saving measure, particularly if consumers have no alternative sources for the product or service.

*'''Rent-seeking behavior'''
*: Monopolists may engage in rent-seeking activities. Investing resources to maintain their monopoly position rather than to improve products or efficiency. This behavior represents a social waste because these resources could have been productively employed elsewhere in the economy. Rent-seeking often takes the form of lobbying for protective regulations or pursuing litigation against potential competitors.

*'''Income distribution effects'''
*: Monopoly profits often represent a transfer of wealth from consumers to shareholders who tend to be wealthier on average, potentially exacerbating income inequality. This redistribution occurs through the monopoly premium embedded in prices that exceeds what would be charged in competitive markets.

==== Potential benefits ====
*'''Economies of scale and lower costs'''
*: In industries with high fixed costs, monopolists may achieve lower average production costs through scale economies that could theoretically be passed on to consumers. Natural monopolies in particular might offer lower prices than competitive markets could sustain because competition would require duplication of expensive infrastructure. This argument is frequently advanced regarding utilities and network industries where infrastructure costs represent a substantial portion of total costs.

*'''Innovation and research development'''
*: The prospect of achieving monopoly profits can provide powerful incentives for innovation and research development. The patent system explicitly recognizes this dynamic by granting temporary monopolies to inventors. Some economists argue that without the possibility of monopoly rewards, firms would underinvest in research and development due to difficulties appropriating the full benefits of their innovations. This perspective suggests that certain monopoly profits represent a legitimate return on innovation risk.

*'''Standardization and stability'''
*: Monopolies can sometimes provide market stability and standardization benefits that competitive markets might not achieve as efficiently. For instance, a single dominant technology platform might create compatibility benefits that fragmented markets cannot match. Microsoft argued during its antitrust case that its integrated approach provided consumer benefits through standardization.

*'''Cross-subsidization possibilities'''
*: Monopolists with multiple product lines or customer segments may engage in cross-subsidization'', using profits from one area to support services that might not be economically viable in competitive markets. This practice can sometimes serve social objectives, such as maintaining service to unprofitable rural customers while providing urban services.

== Notable monopolies ==
Historical and modern examples of monopolies provide valuable insights into the formation, behavior, and regulation of dominant firms across different industries and time periods.

=== Standard Oil ===
Founded by John D. Rockefeller in 1870, one of the most famous historical monopolies. Standard Oil achieved control over approximately 90% of oil refining in the United States by the early 1880s. It's dominance led to the passage of the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890, and ultimately to its breakup into 34 separate companies in 1911 following a Supreme Court ruling. The Standard Oil case established important precedents for antitrust enforcement and demonstrated how monopolies could emerge through both efficiency advantages and anti-competitive practices.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Founding of U.S. Steel and the Power of Public Opinion |url=https://www.library.hbs.edu/us-steel/exhibition/the-founding-of-u.s.-steel-and-the-power-of-public-opinion |archive-date=September 16, 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.ph/QcmPI |website=www.library.hbs.edu }}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title= |url=https://archivesfoundation.org/newsletter/broken-trust/ |website= }}</ref>

=== AT&T ===
AT&T (American Telephone and Telegraph Company) maintained a monopoly on telephone service in the United States for much of the 20th century. Originally based on Bell's patent for the telephone, AT&T's monopoly persisted through control of critical infrastructure and regulatory capture. The company was considered a natural monopoly due to the extensive infrastructure requirements of telephone networks. By the 1970s, AT&T faced antitrust litigation that culminated in its 1984 breakup into seven regional "Baby Bell" companies. The AT&T case illustrates how technological change can eventually undermine natural monopoly arguments, as emerging technologies made telecommunications competition feasible.

=== Microsoft corporation ===

[[Microsoft]] faced significant antitrust scrutiny in the late 1990s over its dominance of personal computer operating systems and web browsers. The U.S. Department of Justice alleged that Microsoft maintained monopoly power in PC operating systems and used this power to unlawfully tie its Internet Explorer web browser to Windows, disadvantaging competitors like Netscape Navigator.

A 2000 court decision ordered Microsoft to be split into two separate companies, one for operating systems and one for software applications, though this penalty was ultimately overturned on appeal. They instead reached a settlement with the DOJ that imposed behavioral restrictions but preserved the company's structural integrity. This case highlighted how technology companies could achieve monopoly power through network effects and platform control rather than traditional barriers to entry.

=== Contemporary tech monopolies ===
In recent years, major technology companies including Google, Amazon, Facebook (Meta), and Apple have faced accusations of monopolistic behavior. Google has been subject to multiple antitrust lawsuits alleging it illegally maintained monopolies in search engines and digital advertising through exclusionary practices. Amazon faces scrutiny over its dual role as marketplace operator and competitor to third-party sellers on its platform. Facebook's acquisition strategy (including purchases of Instagram and WhatsApp) has drawn regulatory challenges aimed at preventing the entrenchment of monopoly power. These cases represent ongoing debates about how to apply traditional antitrust frameworks to digital platforms whose business models differ substantially from industrial-era monopolies.

== Government regulation of monopolies ==
Governments employ various regulatory approaches to address monopoly power, balancing concerns about economic efficiency with other public policy objectives. These regulatory frameworks have evolved over time to address changing market conditions and economic understandings:

=== Antitrust laws ===
The United States has developed a comprehensive framework of antitrust legislation designed to prevent anti-competitive practices and protect consumer welfare. The cornerstone of U.S. antitrust law is the Sherman Act of 1890, which prohibits contracts, combinations, and conspiracies that unreasonably restrain trade and bans monopolization attempts.

The Clayton Act of 1914 supplements the Sherman Act by addressing specific practices such as price discrimination, exclusive dealing arrangements, and mergers that substantially lessen competition.

These laws are enforced primarily by the DOJ and the FTC, which investigate potential violations and can pursue legal action against offending companies.

=== Regulatory approaches ===
*'''Price regulation'''
*:For natural monopolies (particularly utilities), regulators often implement price controls to prevent monopolistic pricing while allowing firms to earn a fair return on investment.<ref name=':0' /> Common approaches include rate-of-return regulation (limiting profits to a specified percentage of capital investment) and price cap regulation (capping annual price increases according to formulas that consider inflation and expected productivity gains).

*'''Merger review'''
*:Regulatory agencies evaluate proposed mergers and acquisitions to prevent excessive market concentration. The FTC and DOJ require companies to notify them of large transactions before completion and can challenge deals that would substantially reduce competition. For example, in 2024, judges blocked the proposed merger between Kroger and Albertson's grocery chains due to concerns about reduced competition in local markets.

*'''Structural remedies'''
*:Regulators may impose structural remedies such as requiring monopolists to divest certain assets or business units to restore competition. The breakup of Standard Oil in 1911 and AT&T in 1984 represent historical examples of structural approaches to monopoly power.

*'''Behavioral remedies'''
*:Regulators may impose behavioral restrictions on how firms conduct business. The settlement in the Microsoft case required the company to share application programming interfaces with third-party developers and refrain from retaliating against computer manufacturers that used competing software.

==== International perspectives ====
Antitrust approaches vary across countries, though convergence has increased with globalization. The European Union has generally taken a more aggressive stance toward technology monopolies than the United States, imposing substantial fines on companies like Google for anti-competitive practices. Many countries have established sector-specific regulators for industries like telecommunications, energy, and transportation where monopoly concerns are particularly pronounced. International coordination on antitrust enforcement has grown as markets become increasingly global, though significant differences in legal frameworks and enforcement priorities remain across jurisdictions.

=== Digital platform monopolies ===
The rise of digital platforms has challenged traditional antitrust frameworks, as companies like Google, Amazon, and Facebook achieve dominance through network effects, data control, and platform ecosystems rather than conventional market concentration. These firms often provide "free" services to consumers while monetizing attention and data, complicating traditional market definition and power assessment in antitrust analysis. Some economists argue that digital markets tend toward natural monopoly characteristics due to strong network effects and low marginal costs, potentially requiring new regulatory approaches.

=== The innovation trade-off ===
A persistent debate concerns whether monopoly power inhibits or promotes innovation. The traditional view holds that competition spurs innovation while monopoly stagnates it. Some economists argue that the prospect of achieving temporary monopoly profits provides crucial incentives for innovation that competitive markets cannot match. This perspective suggests that certain forms of monopoly power might be desirable when they result from and reward innovative activity, particularly in industries with high research and development costs like pharmaceuticals.

=== Consumer welfare standard ===
Antitrust enforcement in recent decades has predominantly focused on the consumer welfare standard, which prioritizes price effects above other considerations.

Some critics argue this approach has been too permissive of increasing market concentration, advocating for broader considerations including worker welfare, small business impacts, and political democracy.

----

Consumer Rights Wiki talk:Moderators' noticeboard

2025-09-16T18:19:44Z

DzLamme: /* Tone notice removal */ new section

<div style="margin: {{#ifeq:{{{navbox|<noinclude>yes</noinclude>}}}|yes|2px}} 0 0.5em; padding: 0.5em; {{{style|border: 1px solid #A0A5AD;}}} {{{backgroundstyle|background-color: var(--background-color-progressive-subtle, #eaf3ff); color: inherit;}}}">
<div style="padding: 0.25em 0; text-align: center; font-size: 120%; border-radius: 3px; font-weight: bold; {{{titlestyle|background-color: var(--background-color-content-added, #aad1ff); color: inherit;}}}">Welcome — post issues of interest to Moderators</div>
*Post '''appeals''' to article notice templates (e.g. Incomplete, Stub, etc.)
*Post requests for '''moderator action''' here (e.g. blocks)
*Just need a mod? Post here or ping a mod with a question.
*Post any information or news relevant to the moderation team here.
*To request an article to be created, do not post here, try [[Article suggestions]] instead.
*Do not report technical issues here, please use the [[Consumer_Rights_Wiki_talk:Bugs|Bugs noticeboard]] instead.

<div style="padding: 0.25em 0; text-align: center; font-size: 150%; border-radius: 3px; font-weight: bold">[[Special:NewSection/Consumer Rights Wiki talk:Moderators' noticeboard|Start a new section]]</div>
</div>
<br />
{{Archives}} 
==Open tasks==

*[[:Category:Articles with deletion requests]]
*[[:Category:Articles with merge requests]]
*[[:Category:Articles marked as irrelevant]]
*[[Special:NewPages]]

==Should CRW be indexed by search engines?==

Hello, I am writing here as I found a setting in the visual editor if you click those three lines and then ‘advanced settings’, which asks if you want a page to be indexed by search engines. I am sure that this setting is set to default, which means no on all articles (unless this was covered before and i do not know about it). I think this setting could be useful sometimes, but not always, to make the wiki easier to find and not just “I watch Louis Rossman so I know about the CRW!” and also make others learn about this in general. You can probably make a discussion about this if this wasn’t talked about before. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|AnotherConsumerRightsPerson]] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 19:27, 23 August 2025 (UTC)

:@[[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|AnotherConsumerRightsPerson]], I did a search (on Google) for "Microsoft consumer rights wiki" and this wiki did come up in the 3rd-4th result. So I am pretty sure this wiki is indexed by search engines. I'll forward this to developers just in case. '''''[[User:JackFromWisconsin|📎 JackFromWisconsin]]''''' ([[User_talk:JackFromWisconsin|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/JackFromWisconsin|contribs]]) 02:17, 24 August 2025 (UTC)
::@[[User:JackFromWisconsin|JackFromWisconsin]] I searched this on Ecosia and I got the same thing too. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|AnotherConsumerRightsPerson]] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 05:52, 24 August 2025 (UTC)
:It appears that only our former wiki's domain, wiki.Rossmanngroup.com, is what is currently indexed on search engines. Tested this on DuckDuckGo. Query: "Nintendo Consumer Rights Wiki" [[User:JamesTDG|JamesTDG]] ([[User talk:JamesTDG|talk]]) 12:55, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
::@[[User:JamesTDG|JamesTDG]] good point. I originally thought it wasn’t indexed because when i went to a newer incident article and tried searching it up, I couldn’t see it come up. I thought the default setting defaulted incident articles to not indexed after i realised other articles were indexed. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|AnotherConsumerRightsPerson]] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 13:06, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

==Remove eff digital fingerprint tool from consumer privacy tools.==

These tools that supposedly tell you your fingerprint are unreliable and are reccomended against in the privacyguides.org forum. They are also not listed on privacyguides.org for this and many other reasons. I think we should try not to clutter the tools section and rely on strong resources like privacyguides.org for their suggestions. [[User:Dentist5735|Dentist5735]] ([[User talk:Dentist5735|talk]]) 00:04, 25 August 2025 (UTC)

:Also a link to the BBB? Seriously? https://money.cnn.com/2015/09/30/news/better-business-bureau/index.html [[User:Dentist5735|Dentist5735]] ([[User talk:Dentist5735|talk]]) 00:12, 25 August 2025 (UTC)
:@[[User:Dentist5735|Dentist5735]] I agree with this -- less clutter is best. I'll wait for others to chime in before making a change however. '''''[[User:JackFromWisconsin|📎 JackFromWisconsin]]''''' ([[User_talk:JackFromWisconsin|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/JackFromWisconsin|contribs]]) 14:54, 25 August 2025 (UTC)
::Happy to remove the link to the digital fingerprinting tool as I'd tend to agree that it's handled better elsewhere. I think BBB is still probably worth linking because, while a bit crap at times, it's still a major avenue for reporting consumer issues. [[User:Keith|Keith]] ([[User talk:Keith|talk]]) 12:34, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

==Make CRW: Redirects for pages starting with Consumer Rights Wiki:==

Hello. This time I am here as I hate having to write Consumer Rights Wiki: every time I need a page in that section of the wiki. Can we please have redirects to these pages where instead of Consumer Rights Wiki: we can type CRW: sort of like how Wikipedia pages have Wikipedia: and WP: for redirects? Thanks. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|AnotherConsumerRightsPerson]] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 11:26, 25 August 2025 (UTC)

:I can forward that to the developers. Also, you can do Project: as kind of a shortcut already. '''''[[User:JackFromWisconsin|📎 JackFromWisconsin]]''''' ([[User_talk:JackFromWisconsin|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/JackFromWisconsin|contribs]]) 13:19, 25 August 2025 (UTC)
::From what I can tell, it's something that needs to be done on the bakend, so have passed it onto the backend folks. thanks! [[User:Keith|Keith]] ([[User talk:Keith|talk]]) 13:20, 26 August 2025 (UTC)
:::You can do name space redirects, but it’s generally easier for the tech side of people to do it. It’s kind of Janky to do it just through a manual redirect so if we’re gonna do it, it’s better for you to pass it to the tech folks. [[User:Atsumari|Atsumari]] ([[User talk:Atsumari|talk]]) 18:14, 31 August 2025 (UTC)

==Deletion request eRUC NZ 24/7 GPS car surveillance==

Hey guys, this is a serious issue. If the format or section is wrong I'm open to input on what to change or where to repost. Please don't just tear it down and bury this. It's a big deal much worse than most consumer issues.

[[NZ eRUC all-cars 24/7 GPS Surveillance proposal|https://consumerrights.wiki/NZ_eRUC_all-cars_24/7_GPS_Surveillance_proposal]] [[User:FredNZ|FredNZ]] ([[User talk:FredNZ|talk]]) 09:13, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

:Hi @[[User:FredNZ|FredNZ]], read through the [[Consumer Rights Wiki:Style guide|style guide]] and the [[Consumer Rights Wiki:Article types#Incidents|guide on incident pages]]. If you have any more questions that those pages don't answer, please ask. Thanks for making this article and helping to improve it. '''''[[User:JackFromWisconsin|📎 JackFromWisconsin]]''''' ([[User_talk:JackFromWisconsin|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/JackFromWisconsin|contribs]]) 13:53, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

==DCS is an unnecessary disambiguation page==

At [[DCS (disambiguation)]] there is a link to dCS audio ,which doesn’t have an article about it, and Deep Cycle Systems. This means it is useless and isn’t needed. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|AnotherConsumerRightsPerson]] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 07:02, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

:If you wanted to create some of those other pages, even if it’s just basic information, you can do so that way the disambiguation page serves more of a purpose. If you feel we need to remove the page please let us know and we can look into that and tag it properly so that people know to create articles for the pages under it or it will be deleted. [[User:Atsumari|Atsumari]] ([[User talk:Atsumari|talk]]) 18:15, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
::@[[User:Atsumari|Atsumari]] I think looking at it there’s a high chance there’ll eventually be one for it in the future. I was just asking if it is relevant but from your post i think it’s fine for it to stay. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|AnotherConsumerRightsPerson]] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 18:17, 31 August 2025 (UTC)

==Inclusion guidelines==

It appears the Inclusion Guidelines article hasn't been updated since May. Since this is a major FAQ for a lot of contributors, as well as important guidelines for what this wiki does (and doesn't) cover, it seems pretty crucial to update this article. It would also help greatly to add it to the Create a Page, How To Help, and other contributor articles. [[User:Beanie Bo|Beanie Bo]] ([[User talk:Beanie Bo|talk]]) 12:50, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

:I will certainly make sure to get the other stuff members in on this, It is rather concerning that we haven't updated it for hot minute... [[User:JamesTDG|JamesTDG]] ([[User talk:JamesTDG|talk]]) 12:52, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

==Protect Template:Main Page/Featured==

[[Template:Main Page/Featured]] should be protected to allow only administrators. Autoconfirmed/confirmed users being able to edit this seems like a recipe for disaster, especially as only admins need to edit it. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|AnotherConsumerRightsPerson]] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 14:17, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

:Thanks for letting us know. Should now be fixed. '''''[[User:JackFromWisconsin|📎 JackFromWisconsin]]''''' ([[User_talk:JackFromWisconsin|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/JackFromWisconsin|contribs]]) 14:20, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

==Appeal to Piefed Page Deletion==

Someone has marked the Piefed Page for deletion. What are some improvements that could be made to the article to potentially prevent this outcome?

[[Piefed]] [[User:Fierce|Fierce]] ([[User talk:Fierce|talk]]) 05:19, 29 August 2025 (UTC)

:The easier to deal with issue mentioned in the deletion notice surrounds the fact that the article is quite short, and is not in a standard format for a product article. This is fairly manageable, as it just needs to be reformatted into something more similar to other product articles on the wiki.
:The second issue is trickier: piefed's relevance to consumer protection, and general notability, needs to be justified. This is, I suspect, the main reason why it's being considered for deletion, as the other issue would only really justify a stub notice. We do not intend to have a page for every open source solution out there, and generally the only ones which have a page are very large and relevant ones like GrapheneOS (and even then there's some debate as to whether they fit on the Wiki). I'm not sure that Piefed has really has any notable consumer-related incidents to speak of, and for the page to stay I think you'd need to clearly lay out a case (ideally on its talk page, feel free to reply here or ping me if you do this) for the page's notability. [[User:Keith|Keith]] ([[User talk:Keith|talk]]) 10:45, 29 August 2025 (UTC)

=="Despite"==

It seems the word "despite" may be interpreted as inflammatory language. It's much easier to avoid it in the text/body of an article, but with an incident article, how can it be described when the incident in question is blatantly contradictory? i.e. "GoPro advertises waterproof cameras despite design flaw."

My intent is to title the incident as specific and concise as possible, which, something like "GoPro camera waterproof issue" does not do. Same with "Signal data collection" which I had re-titled to "Signal's data collection despite privacy-focused advertising." [[User:Beanie Bo|Beanie Bo]] ([[User talk:Beanie Bo|talk]]) 18:09, 29 August 2025 (UTC)

:Having a look at the article mentioned, I think that it would be an appropriate title if fully supported in the text (the whole article is a bit dubious as it appears to be original research in the sense that the submitting user has drawn inferences from the product spec and warranty language, and there's no evidence of it being picked up by any media outlets or discussed by anyone other than the submitting user. There's also no evidence of an actual design flaw existing - we don't know that the camera is not fine down to 10m, only that the warranty does not fully cover it.)
:Answering the main topic though, if we assume that the article text did fully support the title, I think such a title would be fine. It's certainly a substantial improvement upon where it was before, and like you I can't think of another good way of wording it which is not needlessly unclear or wordy. [[User:Keith|Keith]] ([[User talk:Keith|talk]]) 09:58, 30 August 2025 (UTC)

==dark mode on a template's broken==

[[Template:Quote_box]] been a while since it's been broken on dark mode and I reported it on it's discussion page but it's still yet to be fixed on dark mode. In my experiences the problem's rampant on both mobile and desktop. The background of the template stays white but as it's dark mode the text turns white. Which makes the text invisible. [[User:SinexTitan|SinexTitan]] ([[User talk:SinexTitan|talk]]) 18:35, 29 August 2025 (UTC)

:I do see what you mean when I access it on mobile as I live in dark mode. It becomes a white box. I’ll wait for other staff to confirm this, but I believe we need to pass this on to the infrastructure team so a tech can look at it. This might also just be a situation where it’s a known bug with the software, but we will cross the bridge if we get to it. - [[User:Atsumari|Atsumari]] ([[User talk:Atsumari|talk]]) 18:19, 31 August 2025 (UTC)

==Remove the Help: redirects==

There are some help: redirects to articles that were previously moved, like [[Help:Electron]]. Can we finally remove these? [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|AnotherConsumerRightsPerson]] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 08:52, 30 August 2025 (UTC)

:Sure. Deleted the two redirects to mainspace articles. '''''[[User:JackFromWisconsin|📎 JackFromWisconsin]]''''' ([[User_talk:JackFromWisconsin|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/JackFromWisconsin|contribs]]) 16:33, 30 August 2025 (UTC)

==Sandbox is underutilised==

The sandbox for this doesn’t show up anywhere on the interface and is never used. We either utilise it and put it on the interface or do nothing and it just sits there. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|AnotherConsumerRightsPerson]] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 16:18, 31 August 2025 (UTC)

==Fixed the Sengled article page==

I overhauled the article [[Sengled]] a few days ago. Please remove the Sloppy AI tag and change the Incomplete tag to StubNotice (as I believe it still needs more work, but I lack the familiarity to follow through on it). — [[User:Sojourna|Sojourna]] ([[User talk:Sojourna|talk]]) 22:59, 1 September 2025 (UTC)

:@[[User:Sojourna|Sojourna]], Thanks for fixing that article. I'm keeping incomplete over stub since it's long enough to be useful, but just not complete. '''''[[User:JackFromWisconsin|📎 JackFromWisconsin]]''''' ([[User_talk:JackFromWisconsin|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/JackFromWisconsin|contribs]]) 23:09, 1 September 2025 (UTC)

==Protect Category:Wiki Root==

I think [[:Category:Wiki root]] and other major categories should be fully protected as confirmed/autoconfirmed users can still move it. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|AnotherConsumerRightsPerson]] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 08:02, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

:Thank you for posting this. If you find other categories that need to be protected, please let us know. I just went ahead and locked the main page for that category. - [[User:Atsumari|Atsumari]] ([[User talk:Atsumari|talk]]) 02:33, 5 September 2025 (UTC)

==Appeal Artificial intelligence deletion==

Somebody proposed deletion of the article for the reason: "Does not pertain directly to consumer rights or violations."

Further, in the discussion it was noted that the article is wordy.

I agree that the article needs significant revision. It has more detail than needed on some areas (e.g. web scraping), and totally misses other important areas.

I think it might be easier to improve the existing article, rather than having to start one from scratch.

I see AI more as a theme/background article. AI is so pervasive now, and affects people in so many ways, that I think it makes sense to have at least one article on it.

Things that I think such an article should cover include:

Data centers - environmental impacts, community impacts, energy demand and subsidy by electricity and water rate payers, and how many of these agreements are made in secret, even in nominally democratic/open governmental systems. In the US data centers are often located in marginalized communities, where people are not as organized to protect their community . (This is not exclusively an AI thing might be worth a separate article about data centers in general, covering crypto mining operations, etc.)

Control of information - Use of LLM in place of search is decimating independent information sources (taking away advertising revenue, taking away views).

Inaccuracy and inappropriate use of LLM. "Hallucinations" People not understanding what an LLM is and assuming they are more capable than they are. LLM make a poor substitute for human written product reviews. (Inaccurate, praises whatever the user wants - even products that don't exist.)

Intellectual property - piracy in training data (using stolen data), use of output.

Privacy and security - data poisoning, ease of subverting guardrails, gathering data for training, revealing prompts, law enforcement review of chatbot prompts and outputs, etc.

Concerns about possible effects on users - AI psychosis, etc.

Labor concerns - conditions of labelers/piece workers.

Liability - LLM are often inaccurate, what happens when the AI harms people (libel, suicide, etc.)

In short, I think there is a lot about LLMs and AI that is important for consumers. I hope the above gives some sense of why. However, I only just started here, and will be careful to read the policies and examples in more detail before editing articles.

I have sources for a bunch of this, will be adding them to the article talk page as time permits. Thank you. [[User:Drakeula|Drakeula]] ([[User talk:Drakeula|talk]]) 18:33, 4 September 2025 (UTC)

:Thanks for the heads up. Issue has been addressed in the Discussion page of the article. The notice has been removed [[User:Beanie Bo|Beanie Bo]] ([[User talk:Beanie Bo|talk]]) 21:16, 4 September 2025 (UTC)
:I'd caution here that I think quite a few of the practices listed probably wouldn't be within scope.
:Certainly the following:
:- Labour concerns
:- Intellectual property
:- Control of information/search blocking
:- Environmental/social impact of data centres
:Feel like they're out-of-scope as they concern relationships not relevant to the wiki, between businesses and other businesses/creatives, businesses and their employees/workers, as well as between businesses and the wider environment. To prevent scope creep, we want to keep the wiki focused on the consumer-rights issues.
:And these ones feel like 'edge cases' for relevancy - I'd appreciate some wider input:
:- Possible effects and harm on users from improper function (I'd argue that in a lot of cases there's not much to be done on this front, but I think if insufficient steps are taken to warn and safeguard users, then they could be mentioned. Certainly things like character.ai and similar do feel very exploitative, but I'm not sure I'd bundle the normal assistants under the same umbrella there)
:- Liability (I'd say this can be relevant, but the emphasis should be placed on situations where people create systems using AI that take decisions that really shouldn't be left to AI, and harm consumers that way. This is always going to be a fuzzy line, and I'd expect extensive discussion over it - it feels analogous to the question of 'at what point does someone getting injured by their own chainsaw go from being manufacturer negligence, to user error?')
:More broadly, I think that 'AI' probably isn't the best title for an article, as it's such a wide field. AI technically includes almost anything done by a computer. If we go by dictionary definitions, the computer opponents in old strategy games would count as 'AI'. LLMs, Generative image/video models, and traditional ML stuff like image recognition are all distinct enough, and are related to different issues, that it feels like they'd be better separated into their own articles, rather than bundled.
:I'll also put this on the discussion page of the article, and probably best to move further conversation there [[User:Keith|Keith]] ([[User talk:Keith|talk]]) 09:54, 8 September 2025 (UTC)
::Very fair argument. I was worried that the original article would need to be completely scrapped and redone to be even remotely relevant, but didn't wanna be heavy-handed with it. But it sounds like that's still what might be needed. [[User:Beanie Bo|Beanie Bo]] ([[User talk:Beanie Bo|talk]]) 13:41, 8 September 2025 (UTC)

==Louis Rossman and other channels video directory==

Hello, the [[Louis Rossmann - Video Directory]] article and [[Other Channels - Video Directory]] do seem completely irrelevant now but nothing has been said about this from what I can see, so I just want to double check that it is completely unused, and maybe show it is unused as there's nothing on it saying it's unused. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|AnotherConsumerRightsPerson]] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 08:37, 7 September 2025 (UTC)

:Thanks for bringing this up. I do believe that the staff team were actually discussing this, but I don’t recall. I think you need to wait for Keith or someone more informed on this. I just wanted to make sure that you knew staff saw this. - [[User:Atsumari|Atsumari]] ([[User talk:Atsumari|talk]]) 08:49, 7 September 2025 (UTC)
::I'm pretty sure they were phased out a while ago anyway by the [[Article suggestions]] page, but just wanted to check. Thanks! [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|AnotherConsumerRightsPerson]] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 08:54, 7 September 2025 (UTC)
:::IMO I think it could be fine to have them and similar pages (I was thinking of adding one for PIRG's historical consumer-relevant reports, as they seem like a decent collection), but if it's obvious from their edit log that they're not being used, then individual pages could be scrapped. [[User:Keith|Keith]] ([[User talk:Keith|talk]]) 09:58, 8 September 2025 (UTC)

==Please whitelist Creative Commons==

Have pinged JodyBruchonFan here, who put this on the main page talk page, where i copy pasted this from.

I don't know where to ask for this (not Discord for reasons below). Could you please whitelist creativecommons.org? It is clearly not spam.

I quit using Discord the second they demanded my phone number. See also:

*https://cadence.moe/blog/2020-06-06-why-you-shouldnt-trust-discord
*https://wowana.me/blog/guess-im-done-with-discord.xht

[[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|AnotherConsumerRightsPerson]] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 14:32, 7 September 2025 (UTC)

:That's fair enough - we're aiming to gradually move all of the moderation infrastructure onto the wiki from the discord (with this page being the start of that process) so we do want to make not using the discord fully viable.
:In what context were you having issues with creativecommons? Were you trying to put a link on your user page? If that's the case, then it should work for you now, as I've confirmed you (which also means no more captchas). I'll make a note to whitelist the site though, as it's certainly worth doing.
:@[[User:JodyBruchonFan|JodyBruchonFan]] [[User:Keith|Keith]] ([[User talk:Keith|talk]]) 10:02, 8 September 2025 (UTC)

==MD Health Pathways Automatic Opt In of Taxpayers On Water / Utility Bills Without Consent / Dr. Dirk Perritt / Text a Doc==

Please delete the two earlier pages and retain only the most recent one. Thank you for your kind help. [[User:Soapboxmom|Soapboxmom]] ([[User talk:Soapboxmom|talk]]) 16:42, 8 September 2025 (UTC)

:[[MD Health Pathways automatic opt in of taxpayers on water / utility bills without consent / Dr. Dirk Perritt / Text a Doc]] I've moved the existing article here, if that helps? it might need to be moved again, as the title is quite unclear re. what the incident is about. [[User:Keith|Keith]] ([[User talk:Keith|talk]]) 16:49, 8 September 2025 (UTC)

==Quote box is awful on dark mode==
Have removed this as this was talked about before on here. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|AnotherConsumerRightsPerson]] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 20:13, 12 September 2025 (UTC)

==A template for move suggestion?==

I've raised it on the talk page for [[Denuvo Anti-Tamper]], but there is no notice template (to my knowledge) to help bring attention to the topic. — [[User:Sojourna|Sojourna]] ([[User talk:Sojourna|talk]]) 23:34, 12 September 2025 (UTC)

:Not a mod, but I am pretty sure [[Template:MergeRequest]] will do with a link to talk page discussing both of them being merged into that one article. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|AnotherConsumerRightsPerson]] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 08:43, 13 September 2025 (UTC)

=='What CRW is not' article suggestion==

Hi, I don't think this fits into the [[Article suggestions]] page so I am bringing the idea up here. I think that an article specifically for what the Consumer Rights Wiki is not would be good in the help/consumer rights wiki namespace (probably help:) as there are too many articles of yelp reviews with no references or other bad articles published. To mitigate it even more I think it should be even more obvious in the article creation process. It just annoys me that so many articles immediately get deletion requests as they are just messed up so badly. [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|AnotherConsumerRightsPerson]] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 10:06, 13 September 2025 (UTC)

:That's technically what the [[Consumer Rights Wiki:Inclusion guidelines|Inclusion Guidelines]] article is for, but that needs to be updated. We're working on it and also working on revisions to the [[Consumer Rights Wiki:Article types|Article Types]] page as well. It's taking some time since this directly relates to the direction and scope of the wiki as a whole, and it requires significant input from @[[User:Keith|Keith]] and other higher level moderators/admins. [[User:Beanie Bo|Beanie Bo]] ([[User talk:Beanie Bo|talk]]) 16:10, 13 September 2025 (UTC)
::I knew something similar was made before, I just couldn’t put my finger on it! [[User:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|AnotherConsumerRightsPerson]] ([[User talk:AnotherConsumerRightsPerson|talk]]) 16:20, 13 September 2025 (UTC)
:::If you feel we should add it somewhere more prominent please feel free to suggest where and we can look into getting it added. - [[User:Atsumari|Atsumari]] ([[User talk:Atsumari|talk]]) 23:24, 14 September 2025 (UTC)
::Yes - I've been a bit slow on that but I'll get back on it! We should be able to get a more thorough set of guidelines out before too long [[User:Keith|Keith]] ([[User talk:Keith|talk]]) 00:07, 15 September 2025 (UTC)

==Addition to the style guide - external linking==

Just posting this here for moderator and editor visibility, I've added a section to the [[Consumer Rights Wiki:Style guide#External links|style guide]] which should give some clarity on external links, and also to start a push for including links to the relevant iFixit pages for products where they come up. [[User:Keith|Keith]] ([[User talk:Keith|talk]]) 00:05, 15 September 2025 (UTC)

== Dark Patterns Notices ==

Appeal for the removal of both of the Dark Patterns article notices. [[User:DzLamme|DzLD]] ([[User talk:DzLamme|talk]]) 07:43, 16 September 2025 (UTC)

== Appeal for Protection One home security system irrelevance ==

Regarding this [[Protection One 320P1 Security System|article]], it was flagged for "irrelevance". I would like to provide information as to how it relates to the mission statement.

Specifically, this falls under # 1 in the New Consumer Protection section:

# Remotely deactivate products you "own" via cloud services.

This home security system does not work unless it can phone home to their centralized services to verify if you still have an active subscription with them. Even though all of my sensors and hardware are still perfectly functional and *capable* of doing their job locally, this system won't work unless I can hook it up to their license verification service. [[User:Edisondotme|Edisondotme]] ([[User talk:Edisondotme|talk]]) 13:47, 16 September 2025 (UTC)

== Tone notice removal ==

Appeal to remove the tone notices on both the [[Monopoly]] and [[Consent-or-pay]] articles. [[User:DzLamme|DzLD]] ([[User talk:DzLamme|talk]]) 18:19, 16 September 2025 (UTC)

Consent-or-pay

2025-09-16T18:12:15Z

DzLamme: Tone change/restructuring

{{ToneWarning}}

'''Consent-or-pay''', also known as '''consent-or-okay''', is a business model implemented in response to the European Union's ''[[General Data Protection Regulation]]'' [[General Data Protection Regulation|(GDPR)]]. Under this model, users of a website are presented with a choice to either:

*'''Consent''' to the use of cookies and personal data for targeted advertising, '''or'''
*'''Pay''' a small monthly fee to access the service without tracking.

The practice has been the subject of discussion among regulators, policymakers, and consumer advocates, with some viewing it as a challenge to the principle of meaningful consent. The model has been adopted by a number of large online platforms and news organizations. As of August 2025, 16 of the 50 largest UK news websites had implemented a consent-or-pay model.<ref name="Press Gazette">{{Cite web |first=Charlotte |last=Tobitt |title=Press Gazette, More UK news publishers are adopting 'consent or pay' advertising model |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/marketing/consent-or-pay-uk-publishers-advertising-2025/ |url-access=limited |date=21 Aug 2025 |access-date=1 Sep 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250821204423/https://pressgazette.co.uk/marketing/consent-or-pay-uk-publishers-advertising-2025/ |archive-date=21 Aug 2025}}</ref>

==Background==
{{Main|General Data Protection Regulation}}

The General Data Protection Regulation was enacted in 2018 with the objective of protecting online users from extensive data collection by companies. The regulation requires companies to obtain user consent for data collection, which is typically facilitated through an opt-in banner or pop-up on a website.

Some companies reported a negative impact on revenue following the regulation's implementation, as the scale of data collection for targeted advertising was reduced. The consent-or-pay model emerged as one approach to address this change.

==How it works==
When a user visits a website, a pop-up consent window is displayed. While traditional options were to '''Accept''' or '''Reject''' cookies, the consent-or-pay model presents users with the options to '''Accept or Pay'''.

*The payment is typically a monthly fee (e.g. £1.99 per month).
*Many sites employing this model were previously free-to-access and funded primarily through advertising.
*Users must choose to either provide personal data or pay a monetary fee.

This introduces a form of access control for content that was previously freely available, even in the absence of a traditional subscription model.

==Criticisms and concerns==

===Questions regarding valid consent===
This binary choice model has raised questions about the validity of consent, as users are required to choose between two options, both of which involve a form of payment for content that is often perceived as free.

===Scope of information provided===
Companies typically state that cookies and data collection are for "personalized ads" and "improving services." The extent to which user data is stored, shared with third-parties, sold to data brokers, or potentially exposed in data breaches is often not detailed. This can lead to users underestimating the long-term implications of sharing their personal data.

===Basis for pricing===
The consent-or-pay model equates the value of a user's data to a specific monetary amount. The methodology for calculating this equivalent monthly fee has been questioned, as it is difficult to ascertain the precise advertising revenue generated from an individual user. The fee is often based on an average revenue per user (ARPU) metric, which applies a generalized value to all users regardless of their individual engagement with advertisements.

===User perception of fairness===
The model can create a perception that a fair exchange is taking place. By offering a seemingly low monthly fee as an alternative to data collection, users may believe they are compensating the company fairly for lost advertising revenue. This can influence the decision-making process regarding data privacy.

==Meta investigation and fine==
Following an investigation by the European Commission, [[Meta]] was fined on 23 April 2025 for non-compliance with the [[Digital Markets Act]] (DMA). The investigation concluded that Meta's consent-or-pay model did not meet the DMA's requirements for reducing personalized data for targeted ads and did not allow for freely given consent.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 Jun 2024 |title=Commission sends preliminary findings to Meta over its "Pay or Consent" model for breach of the Digital Markets Act |url=https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_3582 |website=European Commission}}</ref> Meta was fined €228 million in April, and by July, the European Commission indicated that the company could face additional daily fines if it continued to employ this model.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Foo Yun Chee |title=Meta may face daily fines over pay-or-consent model, EU warns |url=https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/meta-will-only-make-limited-changes-pay-or-consent-model-eu-says-2025-06-27/ |date=27 Jun 2025 |access-date=1 Sep 2025 |website=Reuters |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/WlLFg |archive-date=1 Sep 2025}}</ref>

==Other uses==

===News organizations===
Several media outlets in Europe have adopted consent-or-pay models, including:

*The Mirror
*The Independent
*Der Spiegel
*Der Standard
*Le Monde
*Le Parisien
*Corriere della Sera
*MeridioNews<gallery mode="slideshow">
File:Screenshot 20250910-195708 IronFox.png|alt=Screenshot of MeridioNews' consent-or-pay policy viewed on a mobile browser. (written in Italian)|Screenshot of MeridioNews' consent-or-pay policy appearing after rejecting cookies on [https://meridionews.it/piazzale-anita-garibaldi-ennesimo-raid-dei-vandali-la-provocazione-di-artale-mettiamo-una-garitta/ one of their articles]
File:08cd9c3c-fd76-4cc0-bf9a-0e85d8133609.png|alt=(machine-translated from Italian) screenshot of MeridioNews' consent-or-pay policy appearing after rejecting cookies on one of their articles, viewed from a mobile device|(machine-translated) screenshot of MeridioNews' consent-or-pay policy
</gallery>
==Response==

===Regulatory perspectives===
In 2024, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) published a non-binding opinion on "Valid Consent in the Context of Consent or Pay Models Implemented by Large Online Platforms." The opinion stated that consent-or-pay models often do not constitute valid consent and that users should be provided with an "equivalent alternative." Furthermore, it noted that if a payment model is offered, the alternative should not involve processing personal data. Consent is not considered valid if users feel compelled to choose a particular option.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=17 Apr 2024 |title=EDPB: 'Consent or Pay' models should offer real choice |url=https://www.edpb.europa.eu/news/news/2024/edpb-consent-or-pay-models-should-offer-real-choice_en |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250711204531/https://www.edpb.europa.eu/news/news/2024/edpb-consent-or-pay-models-should-offer-real-choice_en |archive-date=11 Jul 2025 |access-date=1 Sep 2025 |website=European Data Protection Board}}</ref>

Anu Talus, Chair of the EDPB, said:<blockquote>"Online platforms should give users a real choice when employing 'consent or pay' models. The models we have today usually require individuals to either give away all their data or to pay. As a result most users consent to the processing in order to use a service, and they do not understand the full implications of their choices."<ref name=":0" /></blockquote>

===Consumer advocacy groups===
The data protection advocacy organization ''noyb'', based in Austria, focuses on GDPR compliance and violations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://noyb.eu/en/about-us |website=noyb}}</ref> In November 2023, the group filed a complaint with the Austrian Data Protection Authority against Meta, arguing that the company lacked "any valid legal basis for [pay-or-okay]. [...] Meta is now trying to extort supposed consent from its users with a 'yes or pay' choice".<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 Nov 2023 |title=COMPLAINT UNDER ARTICLE 77(1) GDPR |url=https://noyb.eu/sites/default/files/2023-11/Complaint%20-%20Meta%20Pay%20or%20Okay%20-%20REDACTED.pdf |website=noyb - European Centre for Digital Rights}}</ref> The complaint cited the cost of rejecting personalized ads, which was €12.99 per month for [[Facebook]] and €8 per month for [[Instagram]], amounting to a combined annual total of €251.88.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 Nov 2023 |title=noyb files GDPR complaint against Meta over "Pay or Okay" |url=https://noyb.eu/en/noyb-files-gdpr-complaint-against-meta-over-pay-or-okay |website=noyb}}</ref> ''noyb'' expressed concern that Meta's approach could set a precedent for other platforms, potentially increasing the cost of data protection for users.

==Effectiveness==
The impact of the consent-or-pay model varies.

*Advertising Week reported in September 2023 that 30% of users accepted cookies post-GDPR.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mititelu |first=Andra |title=As the Open Marketplace Fails, Advertisers Are Turning to Publishers to Reach Audiences |url=https://advertisingweek.com/as-the-open-marketplace-fails-advertisers-are-turning-to-publishers-to-reach-audiences/ |website=Advertising Week |date=2023
|access-date=1 Sep 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927212627/https://advertisingweek.com/as-the-open-marketplace-fails-advertisers-are-turning-to-publishers-to-reach-audiences/ |archive-date=27 Sep 2023}}</ref>

*In 2023, The Drum reported that approximately 40% of users employed a {{Wplink|VPN service|VPN}} to bypass regional consent-or-pay restrictions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Connell |first=Vanessa |title=70% of consumers blocking cookies online, research shows |url=https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2023/05/09/70-consumers-blocking-cookies-online-research-shows |website=The Drum |date=9 May 2023 |access-date=1 Sep 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511090722/https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2023/05/09/70-consumers-blocking-cookies-online-research-shows |archive-date=11 May 2023}}</ref>

*In 2025, the Press Gazette stated, "When users are equally offered the chance to 'accept all' or 'reject all' cookies, consent rates are typically somewhere around 70-80%, according to both Skovgaards and Contentpass founder Dirk Freytag".<ref name="Press Gazette" />

==Alternative practices==
Some organizations have developed alternative advertising models. The Guardian implemented a "contextual advertising" model that serves ads based on the content of the page a user is viewing (e.g., food ingredients on a recipe page). The company described it as "a perfect advertising product for a privacy conscious brand." In 2023, they reported a 35% increase in clicks with this model.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maher |first=Bron |title=Guardian gets around readers who reject cookies with new advertising product |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/marketing/guardian-light-reject-cookies-advertising-stereotype/ |url-access=limited |website=Press Gazette |date=21 Nov 2023 |access-date=1 Sep 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128184011/https://pressgazette.co.uk/marketing/guardian-light-reject-cookies-advertising-stereotype/ |archive-date=28 Nov 2023}}<nowiki>}}</nowiki></ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Common terms]]

2025-09-08T22:44:38Z

DzLamme:

{{CompanyCargo
|Founded=2010
|Industry=E-commerce, Financial services
|Type=Private
|Website=https://stripe.com/
|Description=The company primarily offers payment-processing software and application programming interfaces for e-commerce websites and mobile applications.
}}

[[wikipedia:Stripe,_Inc.|Stripe Inc.]] is an Irish-American multinational financial services and ''software as a service'' (SaaS) company dual-headquartered in South San Francisco, California, United States, and Dublin, Ireland. The company primarily offers payment-processing software and application programming interfaces for e-commerce websites and mobile applications.
Stripe is the largest private fintech company with a valuation of about $91 billion.

==Consumer-impact==

Stripe's business model focuses primarily on developers and enterprises rather than end consumers, resulting in products and policies that often disregard consumer needs.

===Complex pricing and enterprise focus===
Stripe charges standard processing fees of 2.9% + $0.30 for card-not-present transactions, its complex fee structure includes numerous add-ons that increase costs.<ref name=':0'>{{Cite web |last=Lynn Dizon |first=Anna |date=May 29, 2025 |title=Stripe Review: What Users Love (& Complain About) in 2025 |url=https://technologyadvice.com/blog/sales/stripe-review/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250829132027/https://technologyadvice.com/blog/sales/stripe-review/ |archive-date=August 29, 2025 |website=https://technologyadvice.com }}</ref>

These include:<ref name=':0'></ref>
*Invoicing services: 0.4-0.5% on top of regular fees
*Billing services: 0.70% of volume
*International payments: 1.5% additional
*Same-day funding fees: 1.5% per transfer

These costs are ultimately passed to consumers through higher prices, while Stripe's developer-focused approach means consumer-facing features like dispute resolution and transparency take lower priority. The company's enterprise orientation is evident in its customer base: while serving over 5.3 million businesses globally, Stripe primarily caters to sophisticated entities rather than individual consumers or small merchants.<ref name=':1'>{{Cite web |last1=Elad |first1=Barry |last2=Kinder |first2=Kathleen |date=July 26, 2025 |title=PayPal vs. Stripe Statistics 2025: User Base, Fees & Global Reach |url=https://coinlaw.io/paypal-vs-stripe-statistics/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |website=coinlaw.io }}</ref><ref name=':2'>{{Cite web |last=Emewulu |first=Tom-Chris |date=February 24, 2025 |title=Verified Stripe Statistics for 2025 (Updated) |url=https://www.chargeflow.io/blog/stripe-statistics |archive-url= |archive-date= |website=www.chargeflow.io}}</ref>

===Dispute resolution imbalances===
Stripe's dispute process heavily favors merchants over consumers. The company charges a $15 non-refundable fee for each charge-back, regardless of outcome.
<ref name=':0'></ref>

This practice discourages legitimate disputes by imposing costs on merchants that may then be passed back to consumers through various means. While Stripe offers fraud prevention tools like Radar, these primarily protect merchants rather than consumers.

The company's technical complexity creates barriers for consumers seeking resolution. Unlike traditional payment processors with dedicated consumer support, Stripe's developer-first approach means consumers must typically navigate dispute processes through merchant implementations that often lack transparency or customer service options.

===Market dominance and startup ecosystem control===
Stripe has achieved significant market dominance in particular segments, especially among technology companies and startups. The company powers 92% of Y Combinator startups launched since 2019 and 75% of Forbes Cloud 100 companies.<ref name=':2'></ref> This dominance gives Stripe significant influence over how emerging businesses implement payment systems and handle consumer transactions.

Stripe's ecosystem lock-in strategies include complex API implementations that make migration to alternative providers difficult and costly. Once businesses build their payment infrastructure around Stripe's APIs, they face substantial switching costs that reduce competitive pressure on Stripe to improve consumer-facing features and protections.

==Incidents==
{{Ph-C-Inc}}

==Products==
{{Ph-C-P}}

==See also==
{{Ph-C-SA}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Stripe

2025-09-08T21:36:01Z

DzLamme:

{{CompanyCargo
|Founded=2010
|Industry=E-commerce, Financial services
|Type=Private
|Website=https://stripe.com/
|Description=The company primarily offers payment-processing software and application programming interfaces for e-commerce websites and mobile applications.
}}

[[wikipedia:Stripe,_Inc.)|Stripe Inc.]] is an Irish-American multinational financial services and ''software as a service'' (SaaS) company dual-headquartered in South San Francisco, California, United States, and Dublin, Ireland. The company primarily offers payment-processing software and application programming interfaces for e-commerce websites and mobile applications.
Stripe is the largest private fintech company with a valuation of about $91 billion.

==Consumer-impact==

Stripe's business model focuses primarily on developers and enterprises rather than end consumers, resulting in products and policies that often disregard consumer needs.

===Complex pricing and enterprise focus===
Stripe charges standard processing fees of 2.9% + $0.30 for card-not-present transactions, its complex fee structure includes numerous add-ons that increase costs.<ref name=':0'>{{Cite web |last=Lynn Dizon |first=Anna |date=May 29, 2025 |title=Stripe Review: What Users Love (& Complain About) in 2025 |url=https://technologyadvice.com/blog/sales/stripe-review/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250829132027/https://technologyadvice.com/blog/sales/stripe-review/ |archive-date=August 29, 2025 |website=https://technologyadvice.com }}</ref>

These include:<ref name=':0'></ref>
*Invoicing services: 0.4-0.5% on top of regular fees
*Billing services: 0.70% of volume
*International payments: 1.5% additional
*Same-day funding fees: 1.5% per transfer

These costs are ultimately passed to consumers through higher prices, while Stripe's developer-focused approach means consumer-facing features like dispute resolution and transparency take lower priority. The company's enterprise orientation is evident in its customer base: while serving over 5.3 million businesses globally, Stripe primarily caters to sophisticated entities rather than individual consumers or small merchants.<ref name=':1'>{{Cite web |last1=Elad |first1=Barry |last2=Kinder |first2=Kathleen |date=July 26, 2025 |title=PayPal vs. Stripe Statistics 2025: User Base, Fees & Global Reach |url=https://coinlaw.io/paypal-vs-stripe-statistics/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |website=coinlaw.io }}</ref><ref name=':2'>{{Cite web |last=Emewulu |first=Tom-Chris |date=February 24, 2025 |title=Verified Stripe Statistics for 2025 (Updated) |url=https://www.chargeflow.io/blog/stripe-statistics |archive-url= |archive-date= |website=www.chargeflow.io}}</ref>

===Dispute resolution imbalances===
Stripe's dispute process heavily favors merchants over consumers. The company charges a $15 non-refundable fee for each charge-back, regardless of outcome.
<ref name=':0'></ref>

This practice discourages legitimate disputes by imposing costs on merchants that may then be passed back to consumers through various means. While Stripe offers fraud prevention tools like Radar, these primarily protect merchants rather than consumers.

The company's technical complexity creates barriers for consumers seeking resolution. Unlike traditional payment processors with dedicated consumer support, Stripe's developer-first approach means consumers must typically navigate dispute processes through merchant implementations that often lack transparency or customer service options.

===Market dominance and startup ecosystem control===
Stripe has achieved significant market dominance in particular segments, especially among technology companies and startups. The company powers 92% of Y Combinator startups launched since 2019 and 75% of Forbes Cloud 100 companies.<ref name=':2'></ref> This dominance gives Stripe significant influence over how emerging businesses implement payment systems and handle consumer transactions.

Stripe's ecosystem lock-in strategies include complex API implementations that make migration to alternative providers difficult and costly. Once businesses build their payment infrastructure around Stripe's APIs, they face substantial switching costs that reduce competitive pressure on Stripe to improve consumer-facing features and protections.

==Incidents==
{{Ph-C-Inc}}

==Products==
{{Ph-C-P}}

==See also==
{{Ph-C-SA}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Stripe

2025-09-08T21:28:21Z

DzLamme: Created page with "{{CompanyCargo |Founded=2010 |Industry=E-commerce, Financial services |Type=Private |Website=https://stripe.com/ |Description=The company primarily offers payment-processing software and application programming interfaces for e-commerce websites and mobile applications. }} {{Ph-C-Int}} ==Consumer-impact summary== {{Ph-C-CIS}} ==Incidents== {{Ph-C-Inc}} This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned..."

Talk:Collective Shout

2025-09-07T08:22:41Z

DzLamme: /* Final argument, regardless of outcome */ new section

==Relevancy to CRW==

I would argue that the article is relevant here due to the activist group having a history of attempting to or preemptively blocking customers' ability to otherwise engage in lawful transactions because CS finds something offensive. The ability to obtain something ought to be taken into consideration, even though it might not be nearly as important to the focus of this wiki as having said thing and then having it altered in an anti-consumer manner. — [[User:Sojourna|Sojourna]] ([[User talk:Sojourna|talk]]) 05:38, 4 September 2025 (UTC)

:Agreed, their tantrums towards payment processors should be evidence enough to say that their actions are harming consumers. Their actions have been responsible for developers on itch.io and Steam to not get paid in general [[User:JamesTDG|JamesTDG]] ([[User talk:JamesTDG|talk]]) 07:06, 4 September 2025 (UTC)
::I will agree with Sojourna and James as well. I will give @[[User:DzLamme|DzLamme]] one week to respond to this talk page for his side. If no response is given, the deletion notice will be removed. [[User:Mr Pollo|Mr Pollo]] ([[User talk:Mr Pollo|talk]]) 00:51, 5 September 2025 (UTC)
:::I have read that some NSFW games got de-indexed due to lobbying and pressure on payment processors. I'm not for censorship, in general. I don't agree with many of the stances the group takes, however their intentions were framed as though they are just an anti-consumer group. The article gave the following reason for the groups actions in 2014:
:::''the video game encouraged players to "murder women for entertainment."''
:::The article came across hostile, like calling their lobbying, ''tantrums'', while leaving out any responsibility Itch has towards its customers and indie developers.
:::I was unable to find a history of anti-consumer rights, I am not in Australia and have not done a deep dive on them so I may be ignorant of some things. [[User:DzLamme|DzLD]] ([[User talk:DzLamme|talk]]) 06:50, 5 September 2025 (UTC)
::::Well their entire purpose is to censor anything they don't like, which would severely restrict the consumer's ability to purchase legal things, so I would say that their goals are quite anti-consumer. [[User:Lowspeedguy|Lowspeedguy]] ([[User talk:Lowspeedguy|talk]]) 14:07, 5 September 2025 (UTC)
:::::Not to mention, they want to ensure that these games that they are protesting against, are not distributed at all, meaning it also hurts consumers who have paid for these games as well. Just imagine paying for some mature title, only to have it be revoked from your library, because some Karen in Australia got upset over the wrong things [[User:JamesTDG|JamesTDG]] ([[User talk:JamesTDG|talk]]) 14:11, 5 September 2025 (UTC)
::::::Looking more into it, it does sound like being anti-consumer is their entire point. They're lobbyists wanting to take down media that goes against their values.
::::::From the archived website: "Collective Shout is a grassroots movement challenging the objectification of women and sexualisation of girls in media, advertising and popular culture. We target corporations, advertisers, marketers and media which exploit the bodies of women and girls to sell products and services and campaign to change their behaviour." [[User:Beanie Bo|Beanie Bo]] ([[User talk:Beanie Bo|talk]]) 14:53, 5 September 2025 (UTC)
:::::::This is the description of the game they specifically wanted gone from a newsweek article:
:::::::''No Mercy appeared on the PC gaming platform Steam in early April. The game allowed players to control a character who rapes, tortures and kills women. It did not carry an age rating or content warning and was described by some users and critics as a 'rape simulator.'''
:::::::''No Mercy features scenes in which the player rapes a woman, who then becomes pregnant, gives birth to a baby, and is then murdered along with her newborn.'' [[User:DzLamme|DzLD]] ([[User talk:DzLamme|talk]]) 15:08, 5 September 2025 (UTC)
:::::Apparently the protesting of NSFW/Mature video games started specifically against ''No Mercy''. Itch de-indexed the games, as far as I can tell it wasn't because of any new legislation, they did it without notifying any customers. I disagree with much of CS's positions, but Itch wasn't forced to do what they did the way they did it. They chose profit over their customers, it would cost money to go through each title one by one. The games that I found CS reference besides GTA are games I don't want to describe on this wiki.
:::::Which payment processors are involved, I can't find a name? [[User:DzLamme|DzLD]] ([[User talk:DzLamme|talk]]) 15:00, 5 September 2025 (UTC)
::::::At least for itch.io, it's visa and mastercard. [[User:Lowspeedguy|Lowspeedguy]] ([[User talk:Lowspeedguy|talk]]) 16:11, 5 September 2025 (UTC)
:::::This incidents opens up the debate about financial censorship, the role of payment processors as content moderators, and the impact on creative freedom. They don't want to get rid of every game ever, the games in question are objectively for adults only. ''Daddy, Say My Name'', ''Sex Education With Richard And Mr. Dickson'', ''Short Horns'', based on the descriptions, the games content and themes violated the credit co. policies. The group is not main antagonist. I really wanna make it clear that I'm not defending their positions i.e. porn, abortion, etc. [[User:DzLamme|DzLD]] ([[User talk:DzLamme|talk]]) 15:49, 5 September 2025 (UTC)
::::::They also want to take down games like gta, which means many, if not most, games that aren't porn are under their scope. [[User:Lowspeedguy|Lowspeedguy]] ([[User talk:Lowspeedguy|talk]]) 16:14, 5 September 2025 (UTC)
:::::::It's like if an environmentalist lobbies and gets laws passed ending the production of combustion engines to save the planet. You cant buy a gas engine anymore, but you can still buy a car. [[User:DzLamme|DzLD]] ([[User talk:DzLamme|talk]]) 16:48, 5 September 2025 (UTC)
:I think this group is a bit fascist and only incidentally anti-consumer. [[User:DzLamme|DzLD]] ([[User talk:DzLamme|talk]]) 16:59, 5 September 2025 (UTC)
:'''Caitlin Roper''', the campaigns manager said Collective Shout's campaign was only intended to remove rape and incest games.
:''We did not set out to get all NSFW content removed. We specifically targeted rape games, games that promoted sexualised violence against women and children,'' she said.
:[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-03/adult-video-games-removed-from-steam-after-campaign/105597886][Https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-03/adult-video-games-removed-from-steam-after-campaign/105597886 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-03/adult-video-games-removed-from-steam-after-campaign/105597886] [[User:DzLamme|DzLD]] ([[User talk:DzLamme|talk]]) 19:23, 5 September 2025 (UTC)
::Regardless of their intentions, it has had the effect of removing customers' right to engage in ''lawful'' transactions. What good is "right to own" if you have been rendered unable to obtain something in the first place?
::<br />
::And to add: The group ''is'' one of the main parties to the controversy regardless of one's position on the subject. It's not as though Collective Shout's involvement is merely incidental when it was pressure ''from them'' that led to Mastercard, Visa, and PayPal suddenly caring a lot more about video games based around sexual violence or otherwise deeply disturbing themes. — [[User:Sojourna|Sojourna]] ([[User talk:Sojourna|talk]]) 00:23, 6 September 2025 (UTC)
:::I am not saying their involvement was incidental, I'm saying that this talk page is larger than an article on CS's systemic anti-consumer practices could be. I started an article about the DeIndexing, tell me what you think. [[User:DzLamme|DzLD]] ([[User talk:DzLamme|talk]]) 00:44, 6 September 2025 (UTC)

== Final argument, regardless of outcome ==

@[[User:Mr Pollo|Mr Pollo]]

:The term anti-consumer should be reserved for practices that prioritize profit or control over consumer rights without ethical justification. Collective Shout's advocacy, while controversial, is rooted in preventing harm rather than suppressing choice for financial gain. Labeling them as anti-consumer overlooks their motivations and conflates them with corporations whose actions are objectively more harmful to consumers. Their methods can be critiqued as overly broad or collaterally damaging, but not inherently anti-consumer in the same way as corporate practices.
[[User:DzLamme|DzLD]] ([[User talk:DzLamme|talk]]) 08:22, 7 September 2025 (UTC)

Collective Shout

2025-09-06T08:25:39Z

DzLamme: /* Pressure campaign against payment processors */ Added the open letter

{{DeletionRequest|Collective Shout is not an anti-consumer group. This article does not frame the stance of the group properly.}}{{ToneWarning}}{{InfoboxCompany
| Name = Collective Shout
| Type = Private
| Founded = 2009
| Industry = Lobbying, Activism
| Official Website = https://www.collectiveshout.org/
| Logo = Collective-shout-logo.png
}}

[[Collective Shout|Collective Shout]] (CS) is an Australian activist organization founded in 2009 by Melinda Tankard Reist. It identifies as a grassroots movement focused on challenging the objectification of women and the sexualization of girls in media, advertising, and popular culture. The group engages in lobbying, public campaigns, and petitions to advance its goals, which include opposing content it perceives as promoting sexual violence, exploitation, or harmful stereotypes.

===Mission statement===

:CS aims to combat the sexual exploitation and objectification of women and girls. It campaigns against a range of issues, including sexualized advertising, pornography, violent video games, and the normalization of themes such as rape, incest, and child abuse in media.

===Methods and campaigns===

*The organization uses public petitions, open letters, and direct lobbying of corporations, payment processors, and governments to remove content or restrict access to material it deems harmful.

*Notable campaigns include protests against films like A Serbian Film, video games like Grand Theft Auto V and Detroit: Become Human, and the lobbying of payment providers to block transactions for certain adult games on platforms like Steam and Itch.io.

*It has also targeted advertisements, music lyrics, and events such as the Lingerie Football League and Sexpo exhibition.

====Focus on protecting vulnerable groups====

:CS frames its mission as protecting women and girls from harm caused by media that objectifies or sexualizes them. Their campaigns are explicitly targeted at content they believe promotes or glorifies violence, abuse, and exploitation. From their viewpoint, they are pro-safety and pro-dignity rather than anti-consumer. They argue that consumers, especially women and children, are harmed by the very content they seek to remove.

====Targeting illegal and harmful content====

:A significant portion of their campaign focuses on content they argue would be illegal in Australia, such as depictions of rape, incest, and child sexual abuse. They state that their initial target was games tagged with "rape" and "incest" on Steam. Campaigning for the removal of illegal content is not inherently anti-consumer; it can be framed as enforcing existing laws and social standards to protect society from harm.

====Using established corporate channels====

:Their strategy of lobbying payment processors (Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Stripe) relies on appealing to the companies' own corporate social responsibility policies and existing terms of service, which often prohibit illegal content and certain extreme adult material. They are not asking for new laws banning content for consumers but are leveraging the existing contractual relationships between businesses. This working within a established capitalist framework rather than being anti-consumer.

====Affiliations and partnerships====

:CS collaborates with a network of organizations, including anti-trafficking groups, child protection agencies, and conservative advocacy groups. Examples include the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women Australia (CATWA), Bravehearts, and the Australian Childhood Foundation.

===Controversies and criticisms===

*The organization has faced criticism for its campaigns against video games and media, with opponents arguing that its actions lead to financial censorship, disproportionately affect LGBTQ+ creators, and infringe on creative freedom.

*Some critics accuse CS of promoting moral panic and using emotionally charged language in its campaigns.

*The group has also been involved in legal battles, such as its victory against Sexpo in 2018 over the promotion of explicit content on public buses.

*Its 2025 campaign urging payment processors (Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Stripe) to stop processing payments for certain games on Steam and Itch.io raised concerns about financial censorship and the power of financial intermediaries to control online content.

===Overall impact===

CS has achieved significant visibility in Australia and internationally for its campaigns, resulting in tangible outcomes such as the removal of certain games, advertisements, and products. However, its methods and ideological stance have also sparked debate about censorship, freedom of expression, and the balance between protecting vulnerable groups and upholding artistic and creative rights.

==Incidents==

===Protest against ''Grand Theft Auto V''===
In 2014, the group started a petition against ''{{Wplink|Grand Theft Auto V}}'' it read, "It's a game that encourages players to murder women for entertainment. The incentive is to commit sexual violence against women, then abuse or kill them to proceed or get 'health' points." <ref name=":0" /> The video game was banned from two Australian department stores later that year.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30328314|title='Sexually violent' GTA 5 banned from Australian stores|website=BBC|date=4 Dec 2014}}</ref>

===Pressure campaign against payment processors===
{{Main|Valve allows ISPs and payment processors to censor content on Steam|Valve complying with ISPs and payment processors}}

In July 2025, Collective Shout launched a public campaign "demanding credit card companies and PayPal block payments" for games on Steam and Itch.io.<ref name=":02">{{Cite news |last=Bita |first=Natasha |date=15 Jul 2025 |title=Child safety group finds 500 online 'games' role-playing rape and incest |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/education/child-safety-group-finds-500-online-games-roleplaying-rape-and-incest/news-story/b30c59f85ff22934844269cb3beff538 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/koDk8 |archive-date=18 Jul 2025 |access-date=18 Jul 2025 |work=The Australian}}</ref><ref name="RPSCS">{{Cite news |last=Evans-Thirlwell |first=Edwin |date=22 Jul 2025 |title=Anti-porn group who tried to ban GTA 5 claim credit for Steam's sex game crackdown |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/anti-porn-group-who-tried-to-ban-gta-5-claim-credit-for-steams-sex-game-crackdown |access-date=23 Jul 2025 |work=Rock Paper Shotgun}}</ref>

Itch.io responded by de-indexing games with explicit content on July 24.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://itch.io/updates/update-on-nsfw-content|title=Update on NSFW content|website=Itch.io|date=24 Jul 2025}}</ref> On July 31, they re-indexed free games with explicit content.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://itch.io/t/5149036/reindexing-adult-nsfw-content|title=Reindexing adult NSFW content|website=Itch.io|date=31 Jul 2025}}</ref>

De-indexing continued on August 10th, this time of games with explicit content and of LGBTQ+ games without explicit content.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lazine |first=Mira |title='I feel violated' - Queer Creators Lose Livelihoods in Itch.io Bans |url=https://transnews.network/p/i-feel-violated-queer-creators-lose-livelihoods-in-itch-io-bans |website=Trans News Network |date=9 Aug 2025 |access-date=24 Aug 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250819013331/https://transnews.network/p/i-feel-violated-queer-creators-lose-livelihoods-in-itch-io-bans |archive-date=19 Aug 2025}}</ref>

The group claims to have lobbied payment processors after sending 3,000 emails to Steam and receiving no response.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Steam at Collective Shout |url=https://www.collectiveshout.org/tags/steam |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250720103220/https://www.collectiveshout.org/tags/steam |archive-date=20 Jul 2025 |access-date=7 Aug 2025 |website=Collective Shout}}</ref><ref name="CBCCards">{{Cite news |last=Ore |first=Jonathan |date=31 Jul 2025 |title=How an anti-porn lobby on payment processors censored thousands of video games |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/steam-itch-takedowns-credit-cards-1.7597563 |access-date=1 Aug 2025 |work=CBC}}</ref>
====Open letter to payment processors====
----
Mr Alex Chriss, CEO and President, Paypal

Mr Michael Miebach, CEO, Mastercard

Mr Ryan McInerney, CEO, Visa

Mr Bruce Lowthers, CEO, Paysafe Limited

Mr Michael J. Shepherd Director, Interim CEO and President, Discover

Mr Takayoshi Futae, President, CEO and Chairman, Japan Credit Bureau (JCB)

Re: Your corporations facilitating and profiting from rape, incest and child sexual abuse game sales

We the undersigned are writing to request that you cease processing payments on gaming platforms which host rape, incest and child sexual abuse-themed games.

In April, we exposed the sale of rape simulation game ‘No Mercy’ on both Steam and Itch.io gaming platforms. In the game, players assume the persona of a man who rapes his female family members, including his mother and his aunt, as punishment for his mother’s infidelity. It was marketed as follows:

In this game, you’ll either become every woman’s worst nightmare… or rather: the best dick they'll ever have. Your goal is simple: leave no pussy non-''lucked'', since that's the only thing they all want. Never take 'no' for an answer.

''Luck'' your mom, ''luck'' your auntie, and even ''luck'' your friend’s mom. Why not?

Take what’s yours and show No Mercy.

The game was geo-blocked in Australia following Collective Shout’s complaint to the Australian Classification Board. Following our global viral campaign including a change.org petition signed by over 70,000 concerned individuals and attracting international media attention, the game was taken down in Canada and the UK, and pulled from Steam by the developer.

However we have since discovered hundreds of other games featuring rape, incest and child sexual abuse on both Steam and Itch.io. Our research has shown many of these games would breach Australian classification laws. Most of the content found within the games, including the graphics and the developers descriptions, are too distressing for us to make public.

A Collective Shout team member has conducted extensive research using a Steam account set up for this purpose. She has documented content including violent sexual torture of women, and children including incest related abuse involving family members.

These games endorsing men’s sexualised abuse and torture of women and girls fly in the face of efforts to address violence against women. We do not see how facilitating payment transactions and deriving financial benefit from these violent and unethical games, is consistent with your corporate values and mission statements.

We request that you demonstrate corporate social responsibility and immediately cease processing payments on Steam and Itch.io and any other platforms hosting similar games.

We await your response.

Yours sincerely

Melinda Tankard Reist, Movement Director, Collective Shout: for a world free of sexploitation (AUS)

Haley McNamara, Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Programs, National Center on Sexual Exploitation (US)

Michael Salter, Professor and Director of the Childlight East Asia and Pacific Hub, University of New South Wales (AUS)

Helen Taylor, Vice President of Impact, Exodus Cry (US)

Dr Tegan Larin, Public Officer, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women Australia, CATWA (AUS)

Gemma Kelly, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, CEASE (UK)

Kelly Humphries, CSA survivor, speaker, advocate, DV & sexual violence consultant (AUS)

Sally Jackson, Trustee, Global Lead for Male Violence Against Women and Girls (MVAWG), FiLiA (UK)

Jon Rouse APM, Professor at AiLECS Labs Monash University and Childlight Hub (AUS)
----
Alongside explicit content, the group also expressed a desire to remove ''{{Wplink|Detroit: Become Human}}'' from gaming platforms for depictions of physical abuse against women and children.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barbe |first=Rebecca |date=6 Dec 2017 |title=Stop video game Detroit: Become Human, depicting child abuse being sold in Australia |url=https://www.change.org/p/the-hon-christian-porter-mp-stop-video-game-depicting-child-abuse-being-sold-in-australia |url-status=live |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |website=change.org}}</ref>

The owner of the journalism website ''{{Wplink|Vice (magazine)|Vice}}'' allegedly instructed certain articles related to Collective Shout to be removed from their website due to "controversial subject matter." The author of the articles and several of her co-workers resigned soon afterwards in protest.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.notebookcheck.net/After-payment-processors-prompt-removal-of-Steam-games-journalists-investigating-the-censorship-resign.1063259.0.html|title=After payment processors prompt removal of Steam games, journalists investigating the censorship resign|website=notebookcheck.net|date=16 Aug 2025}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Steam]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Collective Shout

2025-09-06T07:59:37Z

2025-09-05T13:11:43Z

DzLamme: /* Internet of Things (IoT) */

== Company List Organization ==

Possible categories for the listed companies:
==Apps/Online Services==
*'''Dating'''
**Coffee Meets Bagel
**Tea Dating Advice
**Tinder
*'''E-Commerce/Retail'''
**Amazon
**Ancestry.com
**Best Buy
**Cricut
**Groupon
**IKEA
**Kroger
**Monoprice
**Shopee
**Walmart
*'''Education'''
**Duolingo
**Brilliant
**EduVULCAN
**CompTIA
*'''Financial Services'''
**Ally Financial
**Ally Invest Securities
**Capital One
**Charles Schwab
**Chase Bank
**PayPal
**PayPal Honey
**Plutus
**Robinhood Financial
**TD Ameritrade
**Venmo
*'''Gaming'''
**Activision Blizzard
**Electronic Arts
**Epic Games, Inc.
**GameStop
**Humble Bundle
**Microsoft
**Nintendo
**Playstation
**Roblox
**Rovio
**Steam
**Take Two
**Team 17
**Ubisoft
**Valve
*'''Media'''
**DAZN
**Disney
**Movies Anywhere
**Netflix, Inc.
**Roku, Inc.
**SiriusXM
**Spotify
**Ticketmaster Entertainment, LLC
**Twitch
**YouTube
*'''Security/Identity'''
**Cerberus
**Guardzilla
**ID.me
**LiveRamp
**NordVPN
**SecuROM
*'''Social Media'''
**Discord
**Twitter
**Reddit
==Devices/Hardware==
*Acer
*Apple
*Arlo
*ASUS
*Balena
*Bambu Lab
*Belkin
*Brother Industries Ltd.
*Canon
*DJI
*Dyson
*Ecoflow
*EVGA
*Fiio
*GoPro
*HP Inc.
*Intel
*LG
*Lenovo
*Magic Leap
*MakerBot
*Motorola
*Nanoleaf
*NZXT
*Purism
*Roku Inc.
*Samsung
*Seagate
*Sony
*Synology
*Thermaltake
*TP-Link
*Wyze
*Xiaomi
*Zyxel
==Automotive/Transportation==
*Allstate
*AirAsia
*BMW
*CARIAD
*Ford
*Frontier Airlines
*General Motors
*Honda
*Hyundai
*Jeep
*John Deere
*Leo Express
*Newag
*Nissan
*Qantas
*Tesla, Inc.
*Toyota
*Uber
*Volkswagen
==Telecommunications/Internet Service Providers==
*AT&T
*Cox Communications
*Lebara
*Optimum
*Optus
*Spectrum
*Starlink
*T-Mobile
*Telstra
*Virgin Media
*Vultr
==Internet of Things (IoT)==
*Anova Culinary
*Chamberlain Group
*Dyson
*Eufy
*Home Connect
*Keurig
*Miele
*Pitboss Grills
*Ring
*Roborock
*Sonos
*Tado GmbH
*Tuya Inc.
*Wink
==Unsorted==
*Adobe
*AVM Software
*Cloudflare
*FUTO
*Glasswire
*Google
*GoGuardian
*IFTTT
*LinkedIn
*ManyCam
*Meta
*Microsoft
*Mozilla
*OpenAI
*Photobucket
*Pinterest
*Pluralsight
*Protonmail
*Wondershare

*Seattle Avionics
*BetterHelp
*BowFlex, Inc.
*Happiest Baby
*Quidd
*Raven
*Smartwool
*Terumo Cardiovascular
*TRMNL
*Trump Mobile
*Urban Air Adventure Park
*Verisk Analytics, Inc.
*Winston-Salem Journal
*X Corp
[[User:DzLamme|DzLD]] ([[User talk:DzLamme|talk]]) 08:04, 5 September 2025 (UTC)

Talk:List of companies

2025-09-05T13:10:18Z

DzLamme: /* Company List Organization */ added companies

== Company List Organization ==

Possible categories for the listed companies:
==Apps/Online Services==
*'''Dating'''
**Coffee Meets Bagel
**Tea Dating Advice
**Tinder
*'''E-Commerce/Retail'''
**Amazon
**Ancestry.com
**Best Buy
**Cricut
**Groupon
**IKEA
**Kroger
**Monoprice
**Shopee
**Walmart
*'''Education'''
**Duolingo
**Brilliant
**EduVULCAN
**CompTIA
*'''Financial Services'''
**Ally Financial
**Ally Invest Securities
**Capital One
**Charles Schwab
**Chase Bank
**PayPal
**PayPal Honey
**Plutus
**Robinhood Financial
**TD Ameritrade
**Venmo
*'''Gaming'''
**Activision Blizzard
**Electronic Arts
**Epic Games, Inc.
**GameStop
**Humble Bundle
**Microsoft
**Nintendo
**Playstation
**Roblox
**Rovio
**Steam
**Take Two
**Team 17
**Ubisoft
**Valve
*'''Media'''
**DAZN
**Disney
**Movies Anywhere
**Netflix, Inc.
**Roku, Inc.
**SiriusXM
**Spotify
**Ticketmaster Entertainment, LLC
**Twitch
**YouTube
*'''Security/Identity'''
**Cerberus
**Guardzilla
**ID.me
**LiveRamp
**NordVPN
**SecuROM
*'''Social Media'''
**Discord
**Twitter
**Reddit
==Devices/Hardware==
*Acer
*Apple
*Arlo
*ASUS
*Balena
*Bambu Lab
*Belkin
*Brother Industries Ltd.
*Canon
*DJI
*Dyson
*Ecoflow
*EVGA
*Fiio
*GoPro
*HP Inc.
*Intel
*LG
*Lenovo
*Magic Leap
*MakerBot
*Motorola
*Nanoleaf
*NZXT
*Purism
*Roku Inc.
*Samsung
*Seagate
*Sony
*Synology
*Thermaltake
*TP-Link
*Wyze
*Xiaomi
*Zyxel
==Automotive/Transportation==
*Allstate
*AirAsia
*BMW
*CARIAD
*Ford
*Frontier Airlines
*General Motors
*Honda
*Hyundai
*Jeep
*John Deere
*Leo Express
*Newag
*Nissan
*Qantas
*Tesla, Inc.
*Toyota
*Uber
*Volkswagen
==Telecommunications/Internet Service Providers==
*AT&T
*Cox Communications
*Lebara
*Optimum
*Optus
*Spectrum
*Starlink
*T-Mobile
*Telstra
*Virgin Media
*Vultr
==Internet of Things (IoT)==
*Anova Culinary
*Chamberlain Group
*Dyson
*Eufy
*Home Connect
*Keurig
*Miele
*Pitboss Grills
*Ring
*Roborock
*Sonos
*Tado GmbH
*Tuya Inc.
*Wink

*Adobe
*AVM Software
*Cloudflare
*FUTO
*Glasswire
*Google
*GoGuardian
*IFTTT
*LinkedIn
*ManyCam
*Meta
*Microsoft
*Mozilla
*OpenAI
*Photobucket
*Pinterest
*Pluralsight
*Protonmail
*Wondershare

*Seattle Avionics
*BetterHelp
*BowFlex, Inc.
*Happiest Baby
*Quidd
*Raven
*Smartwool
*Terumo Cardiovascular
*TRMNL
*Trump Mobile
*Urban Air Adventure Park
*Verisk Analytics, Inc.
*Winston-Salem Journal
*X Corp
[[User:DzLamme|DzLD]] ([[User talk:DzLamme|talk]]) 08:04, 5 September 2025 (UTC)

Talk:List of companies

2025-09-05T10:02:48Z

DzLamme: /* Company List Organization */Added companies

== Company List Organization ==

Possible categories for the listed companies:
*Apps/Online Services
**E-Commerce/Retail
***Amazon
***Ancestry.com
***Best Buy
***Cricut
***Groupon
***IKEA
***Kroger
***Monoprice
***Shopee
***Walmart
**Education
***Duolingo
***Brilliant
***EduVULCAN
***CompTIA
**Financial Services
***Ally Financial
***Ally Invest Securities
***Capital One
***Charles Schwab
***Chase Bank
***PayPal
***PayPal Honey
***Plutus
***Robinhood Financial
***TD Ameritrade
***Venmo
**Gaming
***Activision Blizzard
***Electronic Arts
***Epic Games, Inc.
***GameStop
***Humble Bundle
***Microsoft
***Nintendo
***Playstation
***Roblox
***Rovio
***Steam
***Take Two
***Team 17
***Valve
**Media
***DAZN
***Disney
***Movies Anywhere
***Netflix, Inc.
***Roku, Inc.
***SiriusXM
***Spotify
***Ticketmaster Entertainment, LLC
***Twitch
***YouTube
**Security/Identity
***Cerberus
***Guardzilla
***ID.me
***LiveRamp
***NordVPN
***SecuROM
**Adobe
**AVM Software
**Cloudflare
**Discord
**FUTO
**Glasswire
**Google
**GoGuardian
**IFTTT
**LinkedIn
**ManyCam
**Meta
**Microsoft
**Mozilla
**OpenAI
**Photobucket
**Pinterest
**Pluralsight
**Protonmail
**Reddit
**Twitter
**Wondershare
*Devices/Hardware
**Acer
**Apple
**Arlo
**ASUS
**Balena
**Bambu Lab
**Belkin
**Brother Industries Ltd.
**Canon
**DJI
**Dyson
**Ecoflow
**EVGA
**Fiio
**GoPro
**HP Inc.
**Intel
**LG
**Lenovo
**Magic Leap
**MakerBot
**Motorola
**Nanoleaf
**NZXT
**Purism
**Roku Inc.
**Samsung
**Seagate
**Sony
**Synology
**Thermaltake
**TP-Link
**Wyze
**Xiaomi
**Zyxel
*Automotive/Transportation
**Allstate
**AirAsia
**BMW
**CARIAD
**Ford
**Frontier Airlines
**General Motors
**Honda
**Hyundai
**Jeep
**John Deere
**Leo Express
**Newag
**Nissan
**Qantas
**Tesla, Inc.
**Toyota
**Uber
**Volkswagen
*Telecommunications/Internet Service Providers
**AT&T
**Cox Communications
**Lebara
**Optimum
**Optus
**Spectrum
**Starlink
**T-Mobile
**Telstra
**Virgin Media
**Vultr
*Internet of Things (IoT)
**Anova Culinary
**Chamberlain Group
**Dyson
**Eufy
**Home Connect
**Keurig
**Miele
**Pitboss Grills
**Ring (Amazon)
**Roborock
**Sonos
**Tado GmbH
**Wink
[[User:DzLamme|DzLD]] ([[User talk:DzLamme|talk]]) 08:04, 5 September 2025 (UTC)

User:DzLamme

2025-09-05T08:56:53Z

DzLamme: Blanked the page

Talk:List of companies

2025-09-05T08:04:10Z

DzLamme: /* Company List Organization */ new section

== Company List Organization ==

Possible categories for the listed companies:
*Automotive/Transportation
*E-Commerce/Retail
*Financial Services/Technology
*Gaming/Interactive Entertainment
*Home Appliances/IoT
*Media/Entertainment
*Security/Identity
*Software/Apps/Online Services
*Technology/Hardware
*Telecommunications/Internet Service Providers
[[User:DzLamme|DzLD]] ([[User talk:DzLamme|talk]]) 08:04, 5 September 2025 (UTC)

Talk:Collective Shout

2025-09-05T06:50:45Z

DzLamme: /* Relevancy to CRW */ Reply

YouTube

2025-08-31T04:46:46Z

DzLamme: /* Crackdown against ad-blockers */ wording-tone changes

{{StubNotice}}

{{InfoboxProductLine
| Title = YouTube
| Release Year = 2005
| Product Type = Video sharing and streaming
| In Production = Yes
| Official Website = https://youtube.com
| Logo = YouTube.png
}}

'''{{Wplink|YouTube}}''', founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, is a global video-sharing platform and one of the most visited websites in the world. Acquired by [[Google]] in 2006, YouTube has since become the dominant platform for sharing videos on the internet.

YouTube's business model is built around advertising revenue, with creators earning money through ad views, subscriptions, and other monetization options. The platform hosts a wide range of content, including music videos, tutorials, news, vlogs, and live streams. YouTube has also begun offering subscription services, such as YouTube Premium and YouTube TV, for ad-free experiences, exclusive content, and live television.<ref>{{Cite web |title=YouTube - Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube |website=Wikipedia |access-date=30 Jan 2025}}</ref>

YouTube has faced criticism and regulatory scrutiny on multiple fronts. Concerns have been raised about content moderation policies, the platform's role in the spread of misinformation, and its impact on user privacy, particularly in relation to data collection practices. Additionally, YouTube has been under fire for its algorithms, which some argue promote harmful or divisive content to maximize engagement.

==Consumer Impact Summary==

*'''User Freedom''': Questionable; rampant bots and [[Elsagate]] suggest negligent moderation, yet at the same time, content moderation can be quite excessive for users as well.
*'''User Privacy''': Poor; Since August 2025, accessing mature content without identification is a gamble. User data is also sold to advertisers.
*'''Business Model''': [[Advertising overload|Excessive advertising]], YouTube Premium, YouTube Premium Lite
*'''Market Competition''': Despite several platforms that follow its niche, such as Odysee, PeerTube, and DailyMotion, they provide no significant competition.

==Incidents==

===Restricting users that don't share their personal information===
{{Main|Youtubes Requirement for Government ID}}

On July 30, 2025, in response to the [[UK Online Safety Act]], YouTube announced a verification update that asks for either a government-issued ID, a photo, or credit card, otherwise they could not access content.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ingram |first=Michael |date=30 Jul 2025 |title=YouTube is Rolling Out A New Controversial Feature |url=https://gamerant.com/youtube-new-age-verification-feature-id-recognition/ |url-status=live |access-date=14 Aug 2025 |website=GameRant}}</ref>

YouTube will estimate the age of a user from various sources, including the videos watched, and will ask for previously mentioned personal information when it believes that the user falls below 18.

===Advertising overload on YouTube===
{{Main|Advertising overload}}

Advertisements are YouTube's primary source of revenue,<ref>{{Cite web |title=How YouTube Works |url=https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/our-commitments/sharing-revenue/ |website=YouTube |date= |access-date= |url-status=live}}</ref> but because the platform is run by a publicly shared parent company, it is forced to grow its revenue by any means necessary. This has led to advertisements becoming more pervasive on the platform<ref>{{Cite web |first=Jordan |last=Brown |title=Why YouTube Has So Many Ads (and Why There Will Probably Be More) |url=https://www.33rdsquare.com/software-app/why-youtube-has-so-many-ads-and-why-there-will-probably-be-more/ |website=33rd Square |date=20 Jan 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref> such as an increasing number of spaces for static ads, longer ad breaks (which some users have documented being longer than the videos they watch,<ref>{{Cite web |first=Aamir |last=Siddiqui |title=Frustrated YouTube viewers seek explanation for hour-long unskippable ads (Updated: Clarification) |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-long-unskippable-ads-problem-3519957/ |website=Android Authority |date=27 Jan 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250128162022/https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-long-unskippable-ads-problem-3519957/ |archive-date=28 Jan 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=Hans-Christian |last=Dirscherl |first2=Joel |last2=Lee |title=Hours-long unskippable ads spotted on YouTube. What’s going on? |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/2590352/hours-long-unskippable-ads-spotted-on-youtube-whats-going-on.html |website=PCWorld |date=28 Jan 2025 |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250129183554/https://www.pcworld.com/article/2590352/hours-long-unskippable-ads-spotted-on-youtube-whats-going-on.html |archive-date=29 Jan 2025}}</ref> and most prevalent on YouTube TV, <ref>{{Cite web |first=Anu |last=Adegbola |title=YouTube tests longer CTV ad breaks |url= https://searchengineland.com/youtube-tests-longer-ad-breaks-ctv-445248#:~:text=YouTube%20is%20increasing%20the%20duration,ads%20over%20shorter%2C%20dispersed%20slots. |website=Search Engine Land |date=16 Aug 2024 |access-date=16 Aug 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>) increased ad frequency in videos,<ref>{{Cite web |first=Arol |last=Wright |title=YouTube is Adding Even More Ads |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/youtube-is-adding-even-more-ads/ |website=How-To-Geek |date=26 Apr 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426192258/https://www.howtogeek.com/youtube-is-adding-even-more-ads/ |archive-date=26 Apr 2024}}</ref> and poorer quality ads.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |author=@T3rr0r |title=BAD Mobile Game Ads |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRjGn54O4Zg |website=[[YouTube]] |date=17 Oct 2021 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |first=Max |last=Knoblauch |title=Why are mobile game ads so weird and bad? |url=https://sherwood.news/business/mobile-game-ads-industry-fake-misleading/ |website=Sherwood News |date=14 Jun 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240614151756/https://sherwood.news/business/mobile-game-ads-industry-fake-misleading/ |archive-date=14 Jun 2024}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |author= @Saberspark |title=The DISGUSTING State of Mobile Game Ads (and why YouTube LOVES IT) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsKlfN9phAs |website=[[YouTube]] |date=18 Sep 2021 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> Practices are also put into place in order to force non-paying users into seeing these ads as well, such as subscription-gating playing videos in the background.<ref>{{Cite web |title=YouTube Premium |url=https://www.youtube.com/premium?ybp=Sg0IBhIJdW5saW1pdGVk4AEC |website=[[YouTube]] |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Furthermore, even if a user pays for YouTube premium, they do not necessarily receive an ad-free experience<ref>{{Cite web |author=CaptainMystery_123 |title=I have YouTube premium, why am I getting adds. |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18ll7y6/i_have_youtube_premium_why_am_i_getting_adds/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=18 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231219183511/https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18ll7y6/i_have_youtube_premium_why_am_i_getting_adds/ |archive-date=19 Dec 2023
}}</ref> — they may still see ads within the video they watch, such as sponsored segments.{{Citation needed}} YouTube has added a "skip" feature, but it has been reported that this does not work consistently.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Anurag |last=Singh |title=YouTube now lets you skip sponsored segments — but you’ll have to pay for it |url=https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/youtube-now-lets-you-skip-sponsored-segments-but-youll-have-to-pay-for-it-2872784/ |website=Dexerto |date=22 Aug 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822211151/https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/youtube-now-lets-you-skip-sponsored-segments-but-youll-have-to-pay-for-it-2872784/ |archive-date=22 Aug 2024}}</ref>

====Refusal to handle malicious ads====
A common phenomenon on YouTube's advertisements is content that is mature and/or malicious in nature.<ref>{{Cite web |author=@Beyond The Internet |title=YouTube Ads are a Disgrace…
|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B2KdIoRVo8 |website=[[YouTube]] |date=22 Feb 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |first=Adamya |last=Sharma |title=Explicit ads are plaguing YouTube, and it’s only getting worse |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-explicit-ads-problem-3520285/ |website=Android Authority |date=27 Jan 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127062033/https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-explicit-ads-problem-3520285/ |archive-date=27 Jan 2025}}</ref> The content of these advertisements include pornography,<ref>{{Cite web |author=@Saberspark |title=YouTube's Ads Have Hit A New Low...(it's literally p*rn) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW4On_gWAvI |website=[[YouTube]] |date=31 Mar 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":8" /> false advertising,<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> scams,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Jakob_G |title=YouTube doesn't want to take down scam ads |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18gjiqy/youtube_doesnt_want_to_take_down_scam_ads/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=12 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217144248/https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18gjiqy/youtube_doesnt_want_to_take_down_scam_ads/ |archive-date=17 Dec 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=@JerryRigEverything |title=I CAUGHT THE YOUTUBE SCAMMER - $1000 dollars EVERY DAY?! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iROF9Dd7FXA |website=[[YouTube]] |date=9 Mar 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web
|author=LoganAH |title=Why does YouTube run blatant scams as advertisements? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18osjs6/why_does_youtube_run_blatant_scams_as/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=22 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250713054442/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18osjs6/why_does_youtube_run_blatant_scams_as/  |archive-date=13 Jul 2025}}</ref> and far more. Rather than working towards clearing these ads, or acknowledging this advertising content that has been harming consumers on the platform, YouTube moderation has only cut the revenue for these videos that attempt to call out these ads,<ref>{{Cite web |author=@Deep Humor |title=Watch This Before YouTube Deletes It. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRpECEQ0-hg |website=[[YouTube]] |date=24 Feb 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> which has been known to make said videos be less-showcased.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |author=@Sealow |title=Extensive evidence of algorithm censorship of demonetised videos |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3H8D2LrLHc |website=[[YouTube]] |date=29 Nov 2017 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |author=Karlaplan |title=Monetisation analysis / research |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/155yNpfR7dGKuN-4rbrvbJLcJkhGa_HqvVuyPK7UEfPo/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.jou9rc5d49jl
|website=[[Google]] |date=20 Nov 2017 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250319182149/https://docs.google.com/document/d/155yNpfR7dGKuN-4rbrvbJLcJkhGa_HqvVuyPK7UEfPo/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.jou9rc5d49jl  |archive-date=19 Mar 2025}}</ref>

===Demonetization and censorship===
Since at least 2016, YouTube has had an extensive record of censoring content that is demonetized.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":1" /> Within understandable circumstances, legitimately malicious or offensive videos would be demonetized and should not be shown on the platform; however, how videos are considered to be demonetized has had a harmful impact upon both viewers and content creators. Transgender creators on YouTube, for example, have experienced unfair censorship via demonetization since 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Malia |last=Disney |title=Trans YouTubers Say They Are Being Censored. Is It The Algorithm? |url=https://archive.yr.media/journalism/outloud/trans-youtubers-say-they-are-being-censored-and-an-algorithm-may-be-to-blame/ |website=archive.yr.media |date=4 May 2018 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130035845/https://archive.yr.media/journalism/outloud/trans-youtubers-say-they-are-being-censored-and-an-algorithm-may-be-to-blame/ |archive-date=30 Jan 2023}}</ref> Content creators affected by this unfairly balanced moderation via algorithms<ref>{{Cite web |first=Randy |last=Cantz |title=Adpocalypse: How YouTube Demonetization Imperils the Future of Free Speech |url=https://bpr.studentorg.berkeley.edu/2018/05/01/adpocalypse-how-youtube-demonetization-imperils-the-future-of-free-speech/ |website=Berkeley Political Review |date=1 May 2018 |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240424095310/https://bpr.studentorg.berkeley.edu/2018/05/01/adpocalypse-how-youtube-demonetization-imperils-the-future-of-free-speech/ |archive-date=24 Apr 2024}}</ref> have dubbed these events as "adpocalypses".<ref>{{Cite web |first=Julia |last=Alexander |title=YouTubers fear looming ‘adpocalypse’ after child exploitation controversy |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/20/18231561/youtube-child-exploitation-predators-controversy-creators-adpocalypse |website=The Verge |date=20 Feb 2019 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220205927/https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/20/18231561/youtube-child-exploitation-predators-controversy-creators-adpocalypse |archive-date=20 Feb 2019}}</ref>

====Irresponsibly automated moderation====
When YouTube integrated the ability to take down videos via the [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]] (DMCA), they decided to often handle take-down requests in an automated manner.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |first=Chuck |last=Jines |title=ABUSE – How DMCA automated takedown notices violate free speech |url=https://www.chuckjines.com/abuse-dmac-automated-takedown-notices-and-free-speech/ |website=Chuck Jines |date=4 Mar 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250303201747/https://www.chuckjines.com/abuse-dmac-automated-takedown-notices-and-free-speech/ |archive-date=3 Mar 2025}}</ref> This automation has led to an excess in fraudulent DMCA take-downs of content,<ref>{{Cite web |author=itanshi |title=I'd like to talk about the problem with anonymous DMCA take down notices. |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/5zzr9c/id_like_to_talk_about_the_problem_with_anonymous/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=27 Mar 2017 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606184354/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/5zzr9c/id_like_to_talk_about_the_problem_with_anonymous/ |archive-date=6 Jun 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=@The Last Civil Rights Lawyer |title=“Lackluster” Gets a Fraudulent Copyright Strike for Dashcam Footage and Now We Sue |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPqtT88PT9Y |website=[[YouTube]] |date=21 Jul 2021 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> even going so far as to have [[Bungie]] call out YouTube in a legal case for their negligence.<ref>{{Cite web |first=John |last= Brodkin |title=Bungie slams YouTube’s DMCA system in lawsuit against ''Destiny'' takedown fraudsters |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/bungie-slams-youtubes-dmca-system-in-lawsuit-against-destiny-takedown-fraudsters/ |website=Ars Technica |date=28 Mar 2022 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329203809/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/bungie-slams-youtubes-dmca-system-in-lawsuit-against-destiny-takedown-fraudsters/ |archive-date=29 Mar 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=Andy |last=Maxwell
|title=Digital Trails: How Bungie Identified a Mass Sender of Fake DMCA Notices |url=https://torrentfreak.com/digital-trails-how-bungie-identified-a-mass-sender-of-fake-dmca-notices-220624/ |website=TorrentFreak |date=24 Jun 2022 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624070824/https://torrentfreak.com/digital-trails-how-bungie-identified-a-mass-sender-of-fake-dmca-notices-220624/ |archive-date=24 Jun 2022}}</ref> These take-down requests have ranged from users impersonating corporations, to users impersonating other users.<ref name=":3" />

===Crackdown against ad-blockers===

The prevalence of advertising on the platform, coupled with the repeated appearance of harmful and deceptive ads within YouTube's advertising system, has led a significant number of users to employ ad-blocking tools to facilitate their viewing experience.

In response, Google has initiated technical countermeasures to limit the functionality of these tools. This has resulted in an ongoing cycle where ad-blocker developers adapt to new restrictions, and the platform subsequently implements further detection methods. A key strategy in this effort involves the implementation of advanced code integrity checks designed to ensure ad content is delivered to viewers.

However, these measures typically exhibit limited efficacy before ad-blocking tools develop new methods of circumvention,<ref>{{Cite web |first=Kate |last=O'Flaherty |title=YouTube’s Ad Blocker Ban Just Got Even Bigger |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2024/06/20/youtubes-ad-blocker-ban-just-got-even-bigger/ |website=Forbes |date=20 Jun 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=Scharon |last=Harding |title=YouTube’s ad blocker crackdown escalates, aggravating users |url=https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/11/youtube-tries-to-kill-ad-blockers-in-push-for-ad-dollars-premium-subs/ |website=Ars Technica |date=1 Nov 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101170643/https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/11/youtube-tries-to-kill-ad-blockers-in-push-for-ad-dollars-premium-subs/ |archive-date=1 Nov 2023}}</ref><ref group="Rossmann Video">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMaFH4KzOVg YouTube blocks adblockers; will this be their downfall?]</ref> a dynamic that some analysts suggest exemplifies the<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brave no longer blocking youtube ads as of March 27, 2024 |url=https://community.brave.com/t/brave-no-longer-blocking-youtube-ads-as-of-march-27-2024/540032 |website=Brave |date=27 May 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240801101510/https://community.brave.com/t/brave-no-longer-blocking-youtube-ads-as-of-march-27-2024/540032 |archive-date=1 Aug 2024}}</ref> {{Wplink|Streisand effect}}.<ref group="Rossmann Video">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GARcKCaUfI YouTube's adblock war is backfiring in the worst way possible 🤣]</ref>

Additional strategies have involved the integration of advertisements directly into video streams. This approach has impaired the functionality of certain browser extensions, including SponsorBlock, a community-driven tool designed to skip sponsored segments within videos. The extension relies on user-submitted timestamps to identify these segments; its effectiveness is significantly reduced when personalized advertisements, which vary in duration and placement for each viewer, are embedded into the stream itself.<ref group="Rossmann Video">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weP62wPEjRw Youtube is dedicated to making this website worse; destroys sponsorblock with ad injection changes]</ref>

Google has publicly acknowledged implementing code that degrades the user experience for individuals using ad blockers. This includes introducing artificial latency, which has been documented to slow page load times, an measure that also affected users of the Firefox browser.<ref group="Rossmann Video">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMLMQRS3Krk Youtube confirms intentional slowdown of adblock users 🤦‍♂️]</ref><ref group="Rossmann Video">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x7NSw0Irc0 Is Youtube making firefox load slow on purpose?]</ref>
Further viewing:
<ref group="Rossmann Video">[https://youtube.com/watch?v=fcXTlobPCQw Youtube goes to war with ad blockers - how companies die]</ref><ref group="Rossmann Video">[https://youtube.com/watch?v=ALvky_4mJpM Youtube adblocker gives Google the finger on their own platform]</ref><ref group="Rossmann Video">[https://youtube.com/watch?v=PTmZv7-eMrE Youtube's war on adblockers continues, sends cease & desist to invidious.io - you know what to do 😉]</ref>

====Offline video DRM====
The YouTube Mobile application permits users with a YouTube Premium subscription to download videos for offline viewing. However, the downloaded content is protected by Digital Rights Management (DRM) that requires the application to establish an online connection with YouTube's servers at least once every 48 hours to maintain playback functionality. This requirement is not prominently featured on the primary YouTube Premium marketing page and is detailed instead within the platform's support documentation.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/premium |title=YouTube Premium |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |title=Watch videos offline on mobile in selected countries and regions |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6141269 |website=[[Google]] |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>

====Universal DRM testing and violation of Creative Commons licences====
YouTube on TV is an HTML5 web interface from Google to allow supported devices — such as game consoles which do not have a native YouTube app — to view content via YouTube. An A/B experiment has begun which protects all video and audio content regardless of bitrate or format via the YouTube on TV platform with DRM.<ref>{{Cite web |author=coletdjnz |title=[YouTube] DRM on ALL videos with tv (TVHTML5) client #12563 |url=https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/issues/12563 |website=GitHub |date=8 Mar 2025 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250330031529/https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/issues/12563 |archive-date=30 Mar 2025}}</ref> One {{Wplink|Xbox 360}} user reported that the YouTube on TV functionality stopped working as a result of the DRM implementation{{Citation needed|date=18 Aug 2025}}. A number of content creators license their work uploaded to YouTube via the {{Wplink|Creative Commons}} licenses. The universal implementation of DRM to restrict a users ability to exercise their rights granted by the license is a violation of the aforementioned licenses.<ref>{{Cite web |title=License Versions
|url=https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/License_Versions#Application_of_effective_technological_measures_by_users_of_CC-licensed_works_prohibited |website=Creative Commons |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250101062938/https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/License_Versions#Application_of_effective_technological_measures_by_users_of_CC-licensed_works_prohibited |archive-date=1 Jan 2025}}</ref>

===Paywalling standard browser features===
Another premium feature of the YouTube mobile app is the ability to play videos in the background.<ref name=":0" /> Without a premium subscription, neither the app nor a web browser will play YouTube videos in the background. However, the default HTML5 video player supports this with no extra effort needed from the developer.{{Citation needed}}

===Removal of the dislike count on videos===
On 10 November 2021, YouTube removed the public dislike count from all of its videos. Creators are still be able to view dislike counts on their videos through the YouTube Studio website and app.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=An update to dislikes on YouTube |url=https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/update-to-youtube/ |website=YouTube Official Blog |date=10 Nov 2021 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110173333/https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/update-to-youtube/ |archive-date=10 Nov 2021}}</ref>

According to YouTube, this was implemented after user testing revealed that users were less likely to feel incentivized to actively try and manipulate the dislike count on videos if the dislike count was not visible to them.<ref name=":2" /> This spurred the creation of "Return YouTube Dislike" by Dmitry Selivanov, a third-party web browser extension to expose the dislike count again. YouTube discontinued the related API, upon which the extension relied, on 13 December 2021. From thereon "Return YouTube Dislike" switched "to using a combination of archived dislike stats, estimates extrapolated from extension user data and estimates based on view/like ratios for videos whose dislikes weren't archived and for outdated dislike archives."<ref>{{Cite web |first=Michael |last=Can |title=Browser Extension Brings Back Dislike Count to YouTube Videos |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/browser-extension-brings-back-dislike-count-to-youtube-videos
|website=PC Mag |date=29 Nov 2021 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130001311/https://www.pcmag.com/news/browser-extension-brings-back-dislike-count-to-youtube-videos |archive-date=30 Nov 2021}}</ref>

===Anti-features and dark patterns to trick the user into staying longer===
YouTube has introduced multiple features that are designed to make the user stay longer on the platform and watch more videos than they intended, thus increasing ad revenue. They come at the cost of making it harder to watch the content the user actually wants to watch.

This includes the introduction of a feature called Autoplay that resumes playback of another video (chosen by the platform) immediately after the current one ends (after a delay of about 8 seconds), in the hope that the user gets hooked and continues to watch. This feature is activated by default (opt-out instead of opt-in).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Autoplay videos - YouTube Help
|url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6327615?hl=en |website=[[Google]] |date=4 Apr 2025 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250401080124/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6327615?hl=en |archive-date=1 Apr 2025}}</ref>

Another feature like this is the inclusion of irrelevant videos in search results. If the user searches for something and scrolls down the list too far, the likelihood of them finding what they were looking for decreases since results are generally sorted by what the platform deems relevant to the search query. Hence, if the user scrolls down too far, it is likely that they give up and leave the site. Therefore YouTube started to add random videos out of its recommendation list for the user into the search results, increasing the probability that they see something they will click and watch. This makes it much harder and more inconvenient to find relevant search results since the user has to scroll past all the noise that is designed to distract them. It also means that a video that is actually relevant is less likely to be discovered — especially if it still has low view counts — since unrelated videos are promoted in search in its place.

===High number of bots===
Upon the initial publication of a video, the comment section is frequently targeted by coordinated automated accounts. These accounts often engage in disruptive activities, including attempts to direct users to external scams or artificially inflate engagement.
These accounts commonly employ identifiable tactics, such as:
*Utilizing profile pictures of popular public figures or suggestive imagery.
*Reposting highly-liked comments from the same video, sometimes with minor edits if the comment gains significant traction.
*Posting generic comments that are irrelevant to the video's content or the channel's focus.
Despite consistent feedback from content creators and the broader community, effective platform-level measures to automatically detect and mitigate this activity appear limited. Consequently, content creators and their moderation teams are often required to manually review and remove these comments on a per-video basis to maintain the quality and safety of their community interactions.

===Crackdown against third-party front-ends===
YouTube began blocking third-party front-ends providing privacy friendly ways of access to the site.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 Feb 2025 |title=Youtube changed something, again! |url=https://nadeko.net/announcements/invidious-02-20/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250816014757/https://nadeko.net/announcements/invidious-02-20/ |archive-date=16 Aug 2025 |access-date=16 Aug 2025}}</ref>

===AI upscaling without consent===
YouTube is testing an experiment on Shorts content that enhances a video's detail without the creator's consent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reisner |first=Alex |date=August 22, 2025 | title=YouTube’s Sneaky AI ‘Experiment’ |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/08/youtube-shorts-ai-upscaling/683946/ |website=The Register |url-status=live |access-date=August 26, 2025}}</ref> The resulting output tends to look plastic.
This change has been observed as early as June 27, 2025<ref>{{Cite web |author=
Ulincsys |date=June 27, 2025 |title=YouTube Shorts are almost certainly being AI upscaled |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1lllnse/youtube_shorts_are_almost_certainly_being_ai/ |access-date=August 26, 2025}}</ref> and affects creators who especially intend the video to be viewed in a certain way, such as the "VHS look".<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 21, 2025 |title=YouTube Shorts are becoming AI upscaled without consent from creators |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1m5y7zu/youtube_shorts_are_becoming_ai_upscaled_without/ |url-status=live |website=Reddit |access-date=August 26, 2025}}</ref> Rhett Shull, in his video, opines such a change "will inevitably erode viewers trust in my content [...] or any of the other creators on this platform that we all watch and we all follow" due to implications that the creator may be using AI, and "also erodes my trust in the platform."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shull |first=Rhett |date=2025-08-14 |title=YouTube Is Using AI to Alter Content (and not telling us) |url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=86nhP8tvbLY |url-status=live |website=YouTube |access-date=August 26, 2025}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Relevant Rossmann Videos===
<references group="Rossmann Video" />

[[Category:YouTube]]

YouTube

2025-08-31T04:16:37Z

DzLamme: /* Rampant bots */ tone-wording

{{StubNotice}}

{{InfoboxProductLine
| Title = YouTube
| Release Year = 2005
| Product Type = Video sharing and streaming
| In Production = Yes
| Official Website = https://youtube.com
| Logo = YouTube.png
}}

'''{{Wplink|YouTube}}''', founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, is a global video-sharing platform and one of the most visited websites in the world. Acquired by [[Google]] in 2006, YouTube has since become the dominant platform for sharing videos on the internet.

YouTube's business model is built around advertising revenue, with creators earning money through ad views, subscriptions, and other monetization options. The platform hosts a wide range of content, including music videos, tutorials, news, vlogs, and live streams. YouTube has also begun offering subscription services, such as YouTube Premium and YouTube TV, for ad-free experiences, exclusive content, and live television.<ref>{{Cite web |title=YouTube - Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube |website=Wikipedia |access-date=30 Jan 2025}}</ref>

YouTube has faced criticism and regulatory scrutiny on multiple fronts. Concerns have been raised about content moderation policies, the platform's role in the spread of misinformation, and its impact on user privacy, particularly in relation to data collection practices. Additionally, YouTube has been under fire for its algorithms, which some argue promote harmful or divisive content to maximize engagement.

==Consumer Impact Summary==

*'''User Freedom''': Questionable; rampant bots and [[Elsagate]] suggest negligent moderation, yet at the same time, content moderation can be quite excessive for users as well.
*'''User Privacy''': Poor; Since August 2025, accessing mature content without identification is a gamble. User data is also sold to advertisers.
*'''Business Model''': [[Advertising overload|Excessive advertising]], YouTube Premium, YouTube Premium Lite
*'''Market Competition''': Despite several platforms that follow its niche, such as Odysee, PeerTube, and DailyMotion, they provide no significant competition.

==Incidents==

===Restricting users that don't share their personal information===
{{Main|Youtubes Requirement for Government ID}}

On July 30, 2025, in response to the [[UK Online Safety Act]], YouTube announced a verification update that asks for either a government-issued ID, a photo, or credit card, otherwise they could not access content.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ingram |first=Michael |date=30 Jul 2025 |title=YouTube is Rolling Out A New Controversial Feature |url=https://gamerant.com/youtube-new-age-verification-feature-id-recognition/ |url-status=live |access-date=14 Aug 2025 |website=GameRant}}</ref>

YouTube will estimate the age of a user from various sources, including the videos watched, and will ask for previously mentioned personal information when it believes that the user falls below 18.

===Advertising overload on YouTube===
{{Main|Advertising overload}}

Advertisements are YouTube's primary source of revenue,<ref>{{Cite web |title=How YouTube Works |url=https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/our-commitments/sharing-revenue/ |website=YouTube |date= |access-date= |url-status=live}}</ref> but because the platform is run by a publicly shared parent company, it is forced to grow its revenue by any means necessary. This has led to advertisements becoming more pervasive on the platform<ref>{{Cite web |first=Jordan |last=Brown |title=Why YouTube Has So Many Ads (and Why There Will Probably Be More) |url=https://www.33rdsquare.com/software-app/why-youtube-has-so-many-ads-and-why-there-will-probably-be-more/ |website=33rd Square |date=20 Jan 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref> such as an increasing number of spaces for static ads, longer ad breaks (which some users have documented being longer than the videos they watch,<ref>{{Cite web |first=Aamir |last=Siddiqui |title=Frustrated YouTube viewers seek explanation for hour-long unskippable ads (Updated: Clarification) |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-long-unskippable-ads-problem-3519957/ |website=Android Authority |date=27 Jan 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250128162022/https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-long-unskippable-ads-problem-3519957/ |archive-date=28 Jan 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=Hans-Christian |last=Dirscherl |first2=Joel |last2=Lee |title=Hours-long unskippable ads spotted on YouTube. What’s going on? |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/2590352/hours-long-unskippable-ads-spotted-on-youtube-whats-going-on.html |website=PCWorld |date=28 Jan 2025 |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250129183554/https://www.pcworld.com/article/2590352/hours-long-unskippable-ads-spotted-on-youtube-whats-going-on.html |archive-date=29 Jan 2025}}</ref> and most prevalent on YouTube TV, <ref>{{Cite web |first=Anu |last=Adegbola |title=YouTube tests longer CTV ad breaks |url= https://searchengineland.com/youtube-tests-longer-ad-breaks-ctv-445248#:~:text=YouTube%20is%20increasing%20the%20duration,ads%20over%20shorter%2C%20dispersed%20slots. |website=Search Engine Land |date=16 Aug 2024 |access-date=16 Aug 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>) increased ad frequency in videos,<ref>{{Cite web |first=Arol |last=Wright |title=YouTube is Adding Even More Ads |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/youtube-is-adding-even-more-ads/ |website=How-To-Geek |date=26 Apr 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426192258/https://www.howtogeek.com/youtube-is-adding-even-more-ads/ |archive-date=26 Apr 2024}}</ref> and poorer quality ads.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |author=@T3rr0r |title=BAD Mobile Game Ads |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRjGn54O4Zg |website=[[YouTube]] |date=17 Oct 2021 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |first=Max |last=Knoblauch |title=Why are mobile game ads so weird and bad? |url=https://sherwood.news/business/mobile-game-ads-industry-fake-misleading/ |website=Sherwood News |date=14 Jun 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240614151756/https://sherwood.news/business/mobile-game-ads-industry-fake-misleading/ |archive-date=14 Jun 2024}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |author= @Saberspark |title=The DISGUSTING State of Mobile Game Ads (and why YouTube LOVES IT) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsKlfN9phAs |website=[[YouTube]] |date=18 Sep 2021 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> Practices are also put into place in order to force non-paying users into seeing these ads as well, such as subscription-gating playing videos in the background.<ref>{{Cite web |title=YouTube Premium |url=https://www.youtube.com/premium?ybp=Sg0IBhIJdW5saW1pdGVk4AEC |website=[[YouTube]] |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Furthermore, even if a user pays for YouTube premium, they do not necessarily receive an ad-free experience<ref>{{Cite web |author=CaptainMystery_123 |title=I have YouTube premium, why am I getting adds. |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18ll7y6/i_have_youtube_premium_why_am_i_getting_adds/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=18 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231219183511/https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18ll7y6/i_have_youtube_premium_why_am_i_getting_adds/ |archive-date=19 Dec 2023
}}</ref> — they may still see ads within the video they watch, such as sponsored segments.{{Citation needed}} YouTube has added a "skip" feature, but it has been reported that this does not work consistently.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Anurag |last=Singh |title=YouTube now lets you skip sponsored segments — but you’ll have to pay for it |url=https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/youtube-now-lets-you-skip-sponsored-segments-but-youll-have-to-pay-for-it-2872784/ |website=Dexerto |date=22 Aug 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822211151/https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/youtube-now-lets-you-skip-sponsored-segments-but-youll-have-to-pay-for-it-2872784/ |archive-date=22 Aug 2024}}</ref>

====Refusal to handle malicious ads====
A common phenomenon on YouTube's advertisements is content that is mature and/or malicious in nature.<ref>{{Cite web |author=@Beyond The Internet |title=YouTube Ads are a Disgrace…
|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B2KdIoRVo8 |website=[[YouTube]] |date=22 Feb 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |first=Adamya |last=Sharma |title=Explicit ads are plaguing YouTube, and it’s only getting worse |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-explicit-ads-problem-3520285/ |website=Android Authority |date=27 Jan 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127062033/https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-explicit-ads-problem-3520285/ |archive-date=27 Jan 2025}}</ref> The content of these advertisements include pornography,<ref>{{Cite web |author=@Saberspark |title=YouTube's Ads Have Hit A New Low...(it's literally p*rn) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW4On_gWAvI |website=[[YouTube]] |date=31 Mar 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":8" /> false advertising,<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> scams,<ref>{{Cite web |author=Jakob_G |title=YouTube doesn't want to take down scam ads |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18gjiqy/youtube_doesnt_want_to_take_down_scam_ads/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=12 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217144248/https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18gjiqy/youtube_doesnt_want_to_take_down_scam_ads/ |archive-date=17 Dec 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=@JerryRigEverything |title=I CAUGHT THE YOUTUBE SCAMMER - $1000 dollars EVERY DAY?! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iROF9Dd7FXA |website=[[YouTube]] |date=9 Mar 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web
|author=LoganAH |title=Why does YouTube run blatant scams as advertisements? |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18osjs6/why_does_youtube_run_blatant_scams_as/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=22 Dec 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250713054442/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/18osjs6/why_does_youtube_run_blatant_scams_as/  |archive-date=13 Jul 2025}}</ref> and far more. Rather than working towards clearing these ads, or acknowledging this advertising content that has been harming consumers on the platform, YouTube moderation has only cut the revenue for these videos that attempt to call out these ads,<ref>{{Cite web |author=@Deep Humor |title=Watch This Before YouTube Deletes It. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRpECEQ0-hg |website=[[YouTube]] |date=24 Feb 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> which has been known to make said videos be less-showcased.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |author=@Sealow |title=Extensive evidence of algorithm censorship of demonetised videos |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3H8D2LrLHc |website=[[YouTube]] |date=29 Nov 2017 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |author=Karlaplan |title=Monetisation analysis / research |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/155yNpfR7dGKuN-4rbrvbJLcJkhGa_HqvVuyPK7UEfPo/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.jou9rc5d49jl
|website=[[Google]] |date=20 Nov 2017 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250319182149/https://docs.google.com/document/d/155yNpfR7dGKuN-4rbrvbJLcJkhGa_HqvVuyPK7UEfPo/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.jou9rc5d49jl  |archive-date=19 Mar 2025}}</ref>

===Demonetization and censorship===
Since at least 2016, YouTube has had an extensive record of censoring content that is demonetized.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":1" /> Within understandable circumstances, legitimately malicious or offensive videos would be demonetized and should not be shown on the platform; however, how videos are considered to be demonetized has had a harmful impact upon both viewers and content creators. Transgender creators on YouTube, for example, have experienced unfair censorship via demonetization since 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Malia |last=Disney |title=Trans YouTubers Say They Are Being Censored. Is It The Algorithm? |url=https://archive.yr.media/journalism/outloud/trans-youtubers-say-they-are-being-censored-and-an-algorithm-may-be-to-blame/ |website=archive.yr.media |date=4 May 2018 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130035845/https://archive.yr.media/journalism/outloud/trans-youtubers-say-they-are-being-censored-and-an-algorithm-may-be-to-blame/ |archive-date=30 Jan 2023}}</ref> Content creators affected by this unfairly balanced moderation via algorithms<ref>{{Cite web |first=Randy |last=Cantz |title=Adpocalypse: How YouTube Demonetization Imperils the Future of Free Speech |url=https://bpr.studentorg.berkeley.edu/2018/05/01/adpocalypse-how-youtube-demonetization-imperils-the-future-of-free-speech/ |website=Berkeley Political Review |date=1 May 2018 |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240424095310/https://bpr.studentorg.berkeley.edu/2018/05/01/adpocalypse-how-youtube-demonetization-imperils-the-future-of-free-speech/ |archive-date=24 Apr 2024}}</ref> have dubbed these events as "adpocalypses".<ref>{{Cite web |first=Julia |last=Alexander |title=YouTubers fear looming ‘adpocalypse’ after child exploitation controversy |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/20/18231561/youtube-child-exploitation-predators-controversy-creators-adpocalypse |website=The Verge |date=20 Feb 2019 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220205927/https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/20/18231561/youtube-child-exploitation-predators-controversy-creators-adpocalypse |archive-date=20 Feb 2019}}</ref>

====Irresponsibly automated moderation====
When YouTube integrated the ability to take down videos via the [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]] (DMCA), they decided to often handle take-down requests in an automated manner.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |first=Chuck |last=Jines |title=ABUSE – How DMCA automated takedown notices violate free speech |url=https://www.chuckjines.com/abuse-dmac-automated-takedown-notices-and-free-speech/ |website=Chuck Jines |date=4 Mar 2025 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250303201747/https://www.chuckjines.com/abuse-dmac-automated-takedown-notices-and-free-speech/ |archive-date=3 Mar 2025}}</ref> This automation has led to an excess in fraudulent DMCA take-downs of content,<ref>{{Cite web |author=itanshi |title=I'd like to talk about the problem with anonymous DMCA take down notices. |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/5zzr9c/id_like_to_talk_about_the_problem_with_anonymous/ |website=[[Reddit]] |date=27 Mar 2017 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606184354/https://old.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/5zzr9c/id_like_to_talk_about_the_problem_with_anonymous/ |archive-date=6 Jun 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=@The Last Civil Rights Lawyer |title=“Lackluster” Gets a Fraudulent Copyright Strike for Dashcam Footage and Now We Sue |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPqtT88PT9Y |website=[[YouTube]] |date=21 Jul 2021 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> even going so far as to have [[Bungie]] call out YouTube in a legal case for their negligence.<ref>{{Cite web |first=John |last= Brodkin |title=Bungie slams YouTube’s DMCA system in lawsuit against ''Destiny'' takedown fraudsters |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/bungie-slams-youtubes-dmca-system-in-lawsuit-against-destiny-takedown-fraudsters/ |website=Ars Technica |date=28 Mar 2022 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329203809/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/bungie-slams-youtubes-dmca-system-in-lawsuit-against-destiny-takedown-fraudsters/ |archive-date=29 Mar 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=Andy |last=Maxwell
|title=Digital Trails: How Bungie Identified a Mass Sender of Fake DMCA Notices |url=https://torrentfreak.com/digital-trails-how-bungie-identified-a-mass-sender-of-fake-dmca-notices-220624/ |website=TorrentFreak |date=24 Jun 2022 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624070824/https://torrentfreak.com/digital-trails-how-bungie-identified-a-mass-sender-of-fake-dmca-notices-220624/ |archive-date=24 Jun 2022}}</ref> These take-down requests have ranged from users impersonating corporations, to users impersonating other users.<ref name=":3" />

===Crackdown against ad-blockers===

Related to the incessant usage of ads on the platform and multitudes of harmful and scam ads that have gotten through YouTube's advertising system, consumers have been needing to use ad blockers while on the platform merely to watch their videos. Unfortunately, [[Google]] sparked a game of cat and mouse, and has been attempting to integrate a variant of DRM onto YouTube to make consumers watch ads.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Kate |last=O'Flaherty |title=YouTube’s Ad Blocker Ban Just Got Even Bigger |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2024/06/20/youtubes-ad-blocker-ban-just-got-even-bigger/ |website=Forbes |date=20 Jun 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=Scharon |last=Harding |title=YouTube’s ad blocker crackdown escalates, aggravating users |url=https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/11/youtube-tries-to-kill-ad-blockers-in-push-for-ad-dollars-premium-subs/ |website=Ars Technica |date=1 Nov 2023 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101170643/https://arstechnica.com/google/2023/11/youtube-tries-to-kill-ad-blockers-in-push-for-ad-dollars-premium-subs/ |archive-date=1 Nov 2023}}</ref><ref group="Rossmann Video">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMaFH4KzOVg YouTube blocks adblockers; will this be their downfall?]</ref> However, these attempts usually only work for a short period of time before ad blocking tools find new ways to circumvent the advertisements,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brave no longer blocking youtube ads as of March 27, 2024 |url=https://community.brave.com/t/brave-no-longer-blocking-youtube-ads-as-of-march-27-2024/540032 |website=Brave |date=27 May 2024 |access-date=12 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240801101510/https://community.brave.com/t/brave-no-longer-blocking-youtube-ads-as-of-march-27-2024/540032 |archive-date=1 Aug 2024}}</ref> resulting in these actions taking place reflecting the {{Wplink|Streisand effect}}.<ref group="Rossmann Video">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GARcKCaUfI YouTube's adblock war is backfiring in the worst way possible 🤣]</ref>

There have also been attempts to inject ads directly into video streams, which has disrupted extensions such as [https://sponsor.ajay.app/ SponsorBlock], a community-driven tool for automatically skipping sponsored segments. Users submit timestamps marking the start and end of sponsored segments. The add-on's functionality is severely weakened when personalized ads, which have different durations and appear at varying timestamps for individual viewers, are injected directly into video streams.<ref group="Rossmann Video">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weP62wPEjRw Youtube is dedicated to making this website worse; destroys sponsorblock with ad injection changes]</ref>

Google has directly confirmed attempts to harm the experience of users who use ad blockers and also Firefox via intentionally slowing down connection speeds by 5 seconds.<ref group="Rossmann Video">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMLMQRS3Krk Youtube confirms intentional slowdown of adblock users 🤦‍♂️]</ref><ref group="Rossmann Video">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x7NSw0Irc0 Is Youtube making firefox load slow on purpose?]</ref>
Further viewing:
<ref group="Rossmann Video">[https://youtube.com/watch?v=fcXTlobPCQw Youtube goes to war with ad blockers - how companies die]</ref><ref group="Rossmann Video">[https://youtube.com/watch?v=ALvky_4mJpM Youtube adblocker gives Google the finger on their own platform]</ref><ref group="Rossmann Video">[https://youtube.com/watch?v=PTmZv7-eMrE Youtube's war on adblockers continues, sends cease & desist to invidious.io - you know what to do 😉]</ref>

====Offline video DRM====
The YouTube Mobile app allows you to download videos for offline consumption if you have a YouTube Premium subscription.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/premium |title=YouTube Premium |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> However, the app's DRM prevents you from watching downloaded videos, unless the app has "phoned home" in the last 48 hours.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Watch videos offline on mobile in selected countries and regions |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6141269 |website=[[Google]] |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> This caveat is not clearly disclosed on the main YouTube Premium page, instead requiring the user to navigate support articles to discover this limitation.

====Universal DRM testing and violation of Creative Commons licences====
YouTube on TV is an HTML5 web interface from Google to allow supported devices — such as game consoles which do not have a native YouTube app — to view content via YouTube. An A/B experiment has begun which protects all video and audio content regardless of bitrate or format via the YouTube on TV platform with DRM.<ref>{{Cite web |author=coletdjnz |title=[YouTube] DRM on ALL videos with tv (TVHTML5) client #12563 |url=https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/issues/12563 |website=GitHub |date=8 Mar 2025 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250330031529/https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/issues/12563 |archive-date=30 Mar 2025}}</ref> One {{Wplink|Xbox 360}} user reported that the YouTube on TV functionality stopped working as a result of the DRM implementation{{Citation needed|date=18 Aug 2025}}. A number of content creators license their work uploaded to YouTube via the {{Wplink|Creative Commons}} licenses. The universal implementation of DRM to restrict a users ability to exercise their rights granted by the license is a violation of the aforementioned licenses.<ref>{{Cite web |title=License Versions
|url=https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/License_Versions#Application_of_effective_technological_measures_by_users_of_CC-licensed_works_prohibited |website=Creative Commons |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250101062938/https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/License_Versions#Application_of_effective_technological_measures_by_users_of_CC-licensed_works_prohibited |archive-date=1 Jan 2025}}</ref>

===Paywalling standard browser features===
Another premium feature of the YouTube mobile app is the ability to play videos in the background.<ref name=":0" /> Without a premium subscription, neither the app nor a web browser will play YouTube videos in the background. However, the default HTML5 video player supports this with no extra effort needed from the developer.{{Citation needed}}

===Removal of the dislike count on videos===
On 10 November 2021, YouTube removed the public dislike count from all of its videos. Creators are still be able to view dislike counts on their videos through the YouTube Studio website and app.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=An update to dislikes on YouTube |url=https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/update-to-youtube/ |website=YouTube Official Blog |date=10 Nov 2021 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110173333/https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/update-to-youtube/ |archive-date=10 Nov 2021}}</ref>

According to YouTube, this was implemented after user testing revealed that users were less likely to feel incentivized to actively try and manipulate the dislike count on videos if the dislike count was not visible to them.<ref name=":2" /> This spurred the creation of "Return YouTube Dislike" by Dmitry Selivanov, a third-party web browser extension to expose the dislike count again. YouTube discontinued the related API, upon which the extension relied, on 13 December 2021. From thereon "Return YouTube Dislike" switched "to using a combination of archived dislike stats, estimates extrapolated from extension user data and estimates based on view/like ratios for videos whose dislikes weren't archived and for outdated dislike archives."<ref>{{Cite web |first=Michael |last=Can |title=Browser Extension Brings Back Dislike Count to YouTube Videos |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/browser-extension-brings-back-dislike-count-to-youtube-videos
|website=PC Mag |date=29 Nov 2021 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130001311/https://www.pcmag.com/news/browser-extension-brings-back-dislike-count-to-youtube-videos |archive-date=30 Nov 2021}}</ref>

===Anti-features and dark patterns to trick the user into staying longer===
YouTube has introduced multiple features that are designed to make the user stay longer on the platform and watch more videos than they intended, thus increasing ad revenue. They come at the cost of making it harder to watch the content the user actually wants to watch.

This includes the introduction of a feature called Autoplay that resumes playback of another video (chosen by the platform) immediately after the current one ends (after a delay of about 8 seconds), in the hope that the user gets hooked and continues to watch. This feature is activated by default (opt-out instead of opt-in).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Autoplay videos - YouTube Help
|url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6327615?hl=en |website=[[Google]] |date=4 Apr 2025 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250401080124/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6327615?hl=en |archive-date=1 Apr 2025}}</ref>

Another feature like this is the inclusion of irrelevant videos in search results. If the user searches for something and scrolls down the list too far, the likelihood of them finding what they were looking for decreases since results are generally sorted by what the platform deems relevant to the search query. Hence, if the user scrolls down too far, it is likely that they give up and leave the site. Therefore YouTube started to add random videos out of its recommendation list for the user into the search results, increasing the probability that they see something they will click and watch. This makes it much harder and more inconvenient to find relevant search results since the user has to scroll past all the noise that is designed to distract them. It also means that a video that is actually relevant is less likely to be discovered — especially if it still has low view counts — since unrelated videos are promoted in search in its place.

===High number of bots===
Upon the initial publication of a video, the comment section is frequently targeted by coordinated automated accounts. These accounts often engage in disruptive activities, including attempts to direct users to external scams or artificially inflate engagement.
These accounts commonly employ identifiable tactics, such as:
*Utilizing profile pictures of popular public figures or suggestive imagery.
*Reposting highly-liked comments from the same video, sometimes with minor edits if the comment gains significant traction.
*Posting generic comments that are irrelevant to the video's content or the channel's focus.
Despite consistent feedback from content creators and the broader community, effective platform-level measures to automatically detect and mitigate this activity appear limited. Consequently, content creators and their moderation teams are often required to manually review and remove these comments on a per-video basis to maintain the quality and safety of their community interactions.

===Crackdown against third-party front-ends===
YouTube began blocking third-party front-ends providing privacy friendly ways of access to the site.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 Feb 2025 |title=Youtube changed something, again! |url=https://nadeko.net/announcements/invidious-02-20/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250816014757/https://nadeko.net/announcements/invidious-02-20/ |archive-date=16 Aug 2025 |access-date=16 Aug 2025}}</ref>

===AI upscaling without consent===
YouTube is testing an experiment on Shorts content that enhances a video's detail without the creator's consent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reisner |first=Alex |date=August 22, 2025 | title=YouTube’s Sneaky AI ‘Experiment’ |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/08/youtube-shorts-ai-upscaling/683946/ |website=The Register |url-status=live |access-date=August 26, 2025}}</ref> The resulting output tends to look plastic.
This change has been observed as early as June 27, 2025<ref>{{Cite web |author=
Ulincsys |date=June 27, 2025 |title=YouTube Shorts are almost certainly being AI upscaled |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1lllnse/youtube_shorts_are_almost_certainly_being_ai/ |access-date=August 26, 2025}}</ref> and affects creators who especially intend the video to be viewed in a certain way, such as the "VHS look".<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 21, 2025 |title=YouTube Shorts are becoming AI upscaled without consent from creators |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1m5y7zu/youtube_shorts_are_becoming_ai_upscaled_without/ |url-status=live |website=Reddit |access-date=August 26, 2025}}</ref> Rhett Shull, in his video, opines such a change "will inevitably erode viewers trust in my content [...] or any of the other creators on this platform that we all watch and we all follow" due to implications that the creator may be using AI, and "also erodes my trust in the platform."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shull |first=Rhett |date=2025-08-14 |title=YouTube Is Using AI to Alter Content (and not telling us) |url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=86nhP8tvbLY |url-status=live |website=YouTube |access-date=August 26, 2025}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Relevant Rossmann Videos===
<references group="Rossmann Video" />

[[Category:YouTube]]

2025-08-30T07:12:54Z

DzLamme: Small change in wording

{{InfoboxCompany
| Company = Reddit
| Name = Reddit
| Type = Public
| Founded = 2005
| Industry = Social Media Services
| Official Website = https://reddit.com/
| Logo = Reddit_logo_2023.svg.png
}}[[wikipedia:Reddit|'''Reddit''']] is an American social media network for social-news aggregation, content rating, and forums. As of December 2024, Reddit is the eighth most-visited website in the world. It was founded in 2005 by University of Virginia roommates Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, as well as Aaron Swartz.

==Consumer Impact Summary==

*'''User freedom:''' Went closed-source in 2017,<ref name=":0" /> paywalled the API and blocked anonymous users on VPNs in 2023,{{Citation needed}}<ref name=":1" /> halted archiving posts via the Internet Archive due to "AI scraping concerns"<ref name=":2" />
*'''User Privacy:''' Had a data breach in 2018.<ref name=":3" />
*'''Business model:''' Primarily funded through advertisements, has a premium subscription,requires paying to use the API since 2023{{Citation needed}}
*'''Market competition:''' Plenty; [[Imgur]], [[Facebook]], [[X Corp|X]] (formerly [[Twitter]]), [[Instagram]]

==Incidents==
===Going closed source===
In September 2017, Reddit reverted on their open source policy and archived their public repositories, citing difficulty to stealth launch features and desire to move away from a monorepo architecture. Users responded by noting that neither of these reasons require being closed source, and that Reddit had been slowly becoming less transparent over time.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=An update on the state of the reddit/reddit and reddit/reddit-mobile repositories |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/changelog/comments/6xfyfg/an_update_on_the_state_of_the_redditreddit_and/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>

===Data breach===
In August 2018, Reddit suffered a data breach due to employees using SMS two-factor authentication (2FA). Leaked data included old hashed passwords and private messages from before 2007.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=1 Aug 2018 |title=Reddit Breach Highlights Limits of SMS-Based Authentication |url=https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/08/reddit-breach-highlights-limits-of-sms-based-authentication/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=krebsonsecurity.com}}</ref>

===Erasing Aaron Swartz===
In October 2020, Reddit removed the late co-founder [[wikipedia:Aaron_Swartz|'''Aaron Swartz''']] from their About page.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 Oct 2020 |title=Reddit’s About page doesn't include Aaron Swartz as a founder |url=https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24677419 |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=news.ycombinator.com}}</ref> Swartz was a political activist supporting open access to knowledge resources. He died by suicide in 2013 to avoid prosecution for leaking MIT's archive of research articles.

===API paywall===
In April 2023, Reddit announced that they would be locking API features and functionality previously accessible to its users behind a paywall, citing concerns about user generated content being trained on AI. This resulted in a backlash in the community, as alternative apps utilizing Reddit's API would be rendered completely useless as a result of this decision. While some users held out hope that app developers could pay this fee to keep their user base, Apollo developer Christian Selig crushed any hope of this idea, explaining that the cost of this API fee was too high and that he would be ceasing development for the foreseeable future.

Users expressed concerns that this wasn't because of AI, but rather, due to greed and an attempt to monopolize information, as Reddit is often cited as many people's go to resource for almost any topic. This sentiment resulted in one of the largest internet protests known as the Reddit Blackout. The Reddit Blackout was an event in which subreddits were closed, marked as NSFW to prevent advertisements from being displayed on them, or flooded with posts shaming Reddit's CEO, Steve Huffman. Users also edited their posts, deleted them, or deleted their Reddit accounts to shame Huffman in an attempt to reduce the value of the information.<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Reddit_API_controversy "2023 Reddit API controversy"] - Wikipedia </ref> 

===VPN blockage===
In December 2023, Reddit blocked access to the platform

Began blocking VPN access to users not logged in to the site.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=16 Dec 2023 |title=Tell HN: Just noticed Reddit blocking VPN traffic. Old subdomain still works |url=https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38666028 |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=news.ycombinator.com}}</ref>

===Ads looking like user posts===
In March 2024, Reddit rolled out a feature that made ads look like they came from real users (and by extent, were "upvoted" by real users). Reddit boasted that these ads had a 28% higher click-through rate than regular ads.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Malik |first=Aisha |date=4 Mar 2024 |title=Reddit introduces a new ad format that looks similar to posts made by users |url=https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/14/reddit-introduces-a-new-ad-format-that-looks-similar-to-posts-made-by-users/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 Apr 2025 |website=TechCrunch}}</ref>

===To block the internet archive===
In 2025, Reddit announced it would block the indexing of its pages by the [https://archive.org Internet Archive]. This means users will no longer be able to access deleted Reddit threads.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2025-08-14 |title=“New age of internet censorship”: Reddit to block the Internet Archive from indexing its site. Here’s why it matters |url=https://www.dailydot.com/news/reddit-to-block-the-internet-archive-from-indexing-the-site/ |website=Daily Dot}}</ref>

==References==
<references />

==See also==
*[[Lemmy]]
[[Category:Reddit]]
[[Category:Social media companies]]

GameSpy

2025-08-30T06:55:26Z

DzLamme:

{{ToneWarning}}
{{InfoboxCompany
| Name = {{PAGENAME}}
| Type =Subsidiary
| Founded =1999
| Industry =Multiplayer software services
| Official Website =gamespy.com
| Logo =GameSpy.svg
}}'''''[[wikipedia:GameSpy|GameSpy]]''''' was a company founded by ''Mark Sufas'' in 1995 initally as and provided multiplayer middleware for video game publishers. '''''GameSpy''''' was merged with the gaming magazine ''[[IGN]]'' in 2004,<ref>{{Cite news |date=Mar 4, 2004 |title=IGN/GameSpy Merger Creates One of the Internet's Largest Game and Entertainment-Focused Companies |url=https://corp.ign.com/press/press/2004/igngamespy-merger-creates-one-of-the-internets-largest-game-and-entertainment-focused-companies |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102223614/http://corp.ign.com/press/2004/igngamespy-merger-creates-one-of-the-internets-largest-game-and-entertainment-focused-companies |archive-date=Jan 2, 2018 |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |work=IGN}}</ref> while its '<nowiki/>'''''GameSpy''' Industries''<nowiki/>' division, which handled all of its multiplayer services, was purchased from ''[[IGN]]'' by [[Glu Mobile|''Glu Mobile'']] in 2012.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Potter |first=Seth |date=Aug 2, 2012 |title=Glu Acquires GameSpy Technology to Expand Connected, Cross-platform Mobile Leadership |url=http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=207033&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1721900&highlight= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411143602/http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=207033&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1721900&highlight= |archive-date=Apr 11, 2016 |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |work=[[Glu Mobile]]}}</ref>

On '''May 31st, 2014''', '''''GameSpy'''''<nowiki/>'s services that were documented to be used by over 800 games were shut down by ''[[Glu Mobile]]'',<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Futter |first=Mike |date=Apr 3, 2014 |title=Glu Shutting Down Gamespy Service, Affecting A Reported 800 Developers And Publishers |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/04/03/glu-shutting-down-gamespy-service-affecting-a-reported-800-developers-and-publishers.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407072627/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/04/03/glu-shutting-down-gamespy-service-affecting-a-reported-800-developers-and-publishers.aspx |archive-date=Apr 7, 2014 |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |work=Game Informer}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=u/Stevoisiak |date=Apr 7, 2014 |title=List of games affected by GameSpy shutdown |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/22fz75/list_of_games_affected_by_gamespy_shutdown/ |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref> affecting popular titles such as ''[[Battlefield (game)|Battlefield]] 2142'',<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Battlefield 2142 Reclamation instructions |url=https://battlefield2142.co/help/ |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |website=Battlefield 2142 Reclamation}}</ref> ''[[Halo (game series)|Halo]] Combat Evolved'', and ''[[Saints Row]] 2'', which lost all multiplayer functionality,<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameSpy |url=https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/GameSpy |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |website=PC Gaming Wiki}}</ref> and for some games, left entirely unplayable due to DRM reliant on '''''GameSpy''''' servers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Williams |first=Byrn |date=Mar 9, 2010 |title=Ubisoft's DRM Servers Attacked Again |url=http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/assassins-creed-2/1075803p1.html |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |work=[[GameSpy]]}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Burns |first=Chris |date=Apr 4, 2014 |title=GAMESPY SHUTS DOWN MAY 31: WILL YOUR GAME BE AFFECTED? |url=https://www.slashgear.com/gamespy-shuts-down-may-31-will-your-game-be-affected-04323788/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717091309/http://www.slashgear.com/gamespy-shuts-down-may-31-will-your-game-be-affected-04323788/ |archive-date=Jul 17, 2014 |access-date=Jul 8, 2025 |website=Slashgear}}</ref>

==Consumer-impact summary==

*User freedom: Games affected by '''''GameSpy'''''<nowiki/>'s shutdown requires some modification of the software to regain functionality.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
*User privacy: All services shut down as of '''May 31, 2014'''; not applicable.
*Business model: Multiplayer services, including servers and game matchmaking software.
*Market control: Initially the primary game hosting service for many games. All market control is gone due to shutdown.

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].
===Shutdown (May 31, 2014)===
{{Main|GameSpy server shutdown}}
In April of 2014, [[Glu Mobile]], the owner of '''''GameSpy'''''<nowiki/>'s software divsion ('''''GameSpy''' Industries''), announced the shutdown of all GameSpy multiplayer services.<ref name=":0" /> Of the 800+ games affected by the shutdown,<ref name=":1" /> some were able to be retrofit to run on different servers, many lost multiplayer features, and a subset became impossible to play due to DRM.<ref name=":3" />

In the aftermath of the incident, projects such as OpenSpy were created to restore functionality to these damaged games, such as Battlefield 2142.<ref name=":2" />

==Products==
{{Incomplete section}}

==See also==
{{Placeholder box|Link to relevant theme articles or companies with similar incidents.}}

==References==
{{reflist}}



[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Collective Shout

2025-08-29T00:00:11Z

DzLamme: Not an anti consumer group.

{{DeletionRequest|Collective Shout is not an anti-consumer group. This article does not frame the stance of the group properly.}}
{{InfoboxCompany
| Name = Collective Shout
| Type = Private
| Founded = 2009
| Industry = Lobbying, Activism
| Official Website = https://www.collectiveshout.org/
| Logo = Collective-shout-logo.png
}}

Collective Shout is an Australian activist group founded in 2009 by its current director, {{Wplink|Melinda Tankard Reist}}. It identifies itself as "''A grassroots movement challenging the objectification of women and sexualization of girls in media, advertising and popular culture''".<ref>{{Cite news |title=Collective Shout |url=https://www.collectiveshout.org/faq |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250720102043/https://www.collectiveshout.org/faq |archive-date=20 Jul 2025 |access-date=7 Aug 2025 |work=Collective Shout}}</ref>

The activist group became prominent in 2025 after their campaign against payment processors caused online gaming platforms [[Steam]] and [[Itch.io]] to de-list hundreds of games that are believed to victimize women.<ref>{{cite web|first=Josh|last=Taylor|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/29/mastercard-visa-backlash-adult-games-removed-online-stores-steam-itchio-ntwnfb|title=Mastercard and Visa face backlash after hundreds of adult games removed from online stores Steam and Itch.io|website=The Guardian|date=2025-07-28}}</ref> While the advocacy is based in Australia, the effects of this movement affected other countries as well. {{Citation needed}}

Some news and media outlets have expressed concern that the organization's censorship of adult content in the video game industry negatively impacts creative freedom.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Farokhmanesh |first=Megan |date=30 Jul 2025 |title=Gamers Are Furious About the Censorship of NSFW Games—and They’re Fighting Back |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250823055403/https://www.wired.com/story/gamers-are-furious-about-the-censorship-of-nsfw-games-and-theyre-fighting-back |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250823055403/https://www.wired.com/story/gamers-are-furious-about-the-censorship-of-nsfw-games-and-theyre-fighting-back/ |archive-date=23 Aug 2025 |access-date=23 Aug 2025 |work=WIRED}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dodds |first=Io |date=18 Aug 2025 |title=‘Financial companies shouldn’t be in this position’: How more than 20,000 NSFW video games fell under censorship |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/video-game-censorship-visa-mastercard-b2809867.html |website=The Independent}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hughes |first=Marley |date=2 Aug 2025 |title=This Advocacy Group is Threatening Video Games as We Know It |url=https://www.cbr.com/collective-shout-video-game-censorship/ |website=CBR}}</ref>

==Incidents==

===Protest against ''Grand Theft Auto V''===
In 2014, the group started a petition against ''{{Wplink|Grand Theft Auto V}}'' it read, "It's a game that encourages players to murder women for entertainment. The incentive is to commit sexual violence against women, then abuse or kill them to proceed or get 'health' points." <ref name=":0" /> The video game was banned from two Australian department stores later that year.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30328314|title='Sexually violent' GTA 5 banned from Australian stores|website=BBC|date=4 Dec 2014}}</ref>

===Pressure campaign against payment processors===
{{Main|Valve allows ISPs and payment processors to censor content on Steam|Valve complying with ISPs and payment processors}}

In July 2025, Collective Shout launched a public campaign "demanding credit card companies and PayPal block payments" for games on Steam and Itch.io.<ref name=":02">{{Cite news |last=Bita |first=Natasha |date=15 Jul 2025 |title=Child safety group finds 500 online 'games' role-playing rape and incest |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/education/child-safety-group-finds-500-online-games-roleplaying-rape-and-incest/news-story/b30c59f85ff22934844269cb3beff538 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/koDk8 |archive-date=18 Jul 2025 |access-date=18 Jul 2025 |work=The Australian}}</ref><ref name="RPSCS">{{Cite news |last=Evans-Thirlwell |first=Edwin |date=22 Jul 2025 |title=Anti-porn group who tried to ban GTA 5 claim credit for Steam's sex game crackdown |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/anti-porn-group-who-tried-to-ban-gta-5-claim-credit-for-steams-sex-game-crackdown |access-date=23 Jul 2025 |work=Rock Paper Shotgun}}</ref>

Itch.io responded by de-indexing games with explicit content on July 24.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://itch.io/updates/update-on-nsfw-content|title=Update on NSFW content|website=Itch.io|date=24 Jul 2025}}</ref> On July 31, they re-indexed free games with explicit content.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://itch.io/t/5149036/reindexing-adult-nsfw-content|title=Reindexing adult NSFW content|website=Itch.io|date=31 Jul 2025}}</ref>

De-indexing continued on August 10th, this time of games with explicit content and of LGBTQ+ games without explicit content.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lazine |first=Mira |title='I feel violated' - Queer Creators Lose Livelihoods in Itch.io Bans |url=https://transnews.network/p/i-feel-violated-queer-creators-lose-livelihoods-in-itch-io-bans |website=Trans News Network |date=9 Aug 2025 |access-date=24 Aug 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250819013331/https://transnews.network/p/i-feel-violated-queer-creators-lose-livelihoods-in-itch-io-bans |archive-date=19 Aug 2025}}</ref>

The group claims to have lobbied payment processors after sending 3,000 emails to Steam and receiving no response.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Steam at Collective Shout |url=https://www.collectiveshout.org/tags/steam |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250720103220/https://www.collectiveshout.org/tags/steam |archive-date=20 Jul 2025 |access-date=7 Aug 2025 |website=Collective Shout}}</ref><ref name="CBCCards">{{Cite news |last=Ore |first=Jonathan |date=31 Jul 2025 |title=How an anti-porn lobby on payment processors censored thousands of video games |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/steam-itch-takedowns-credit-cards-1.7597563 |access-date=1 Aug 2025 |work=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]}}</ref>

Alongside explicit content, the group also expressed a desire to remove ''{{Wplink|Detroit: Become Human}}'' from gaming platforms for depictions of physical abuse against women and children.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barbe |first=Rebecca |date=6 Dec 2017 |title=Stop video game Detroit: Become Human, depicting child abuse being sold in Australia |url=https://www.change.org/p/the-hon-christian-porter-mp-stop-video-game-depicting-child-abuse-being-sold-in-australia |url-status=live |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |website=change.org}}</ref>

The owner of the journalism website ''{{Wplink|Vice (magazine)|Vice}}'' allegedly instructed certain articles related to Collective Shout to be removed from their website due to "controversial subject matter." The author of the articles and several of her co-workers resigned soon afterwards in protest.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.notebookcheck.net/After-payment-processors-prompt-removal-of-Steam-games-journalists-investigating-the-censorship-resign.1063259.0.html|title=After payment processors prompt removal of Steam games, journalists investigating the censorship resign|website=notebookcheck.net|date=16 Aug 2025}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Steam]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Collective Shout

2025-08-28T23:27:39Z

DzLamme: /* Protest against Grand Theft Auto V */ inaccurate quote

{{InfoboxCompany
| Name = Collective Shout
| Type = Private
| Founded = 2009
| Industry = Lobbying, Activism
| Official Website = https://www.collectiveshout.org/
| Logo = Collective-shout-logo.png
}}

Collective Shout is an Australian activist group founded in 2009 by its current director, {{Wplink|Melinda Tankard Reist}}. It identifies itself as "''A grassroots movement challenging the objectification of women and sexualization of girls in media, advertising and popular culture''".<ref>{{Cite news |title=Collective Shout |url=https://www.collectiveshout.org/faq |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250720102043/https://www.collectiveshout.org/faq |archive-date=20 Jul 2025 |access-date=7 Aug 2025 |work=Collective Shout}}</ref>

The activist group became prominent in 2025 after their campaign against payment processors caused online gaming platforms [[Steam]] and [[Itch.io]] to de-list hundreds of games that are believed to victimize women.<ref>{{cite web|first=Josh|last=Taylor|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/29/mastercard-visa-backlash-adult-games-removed-online-stores-steam-itchio-ntwnfb|title=Mastercard and Visa face backlash after hundreds of adult games removed from online stores Steam and Itch.io|website=The Guardian|date=2025-07-28}}</ref> While the advocacy is based in Australia, the effects of this movement affected other countries as well. {{Citation needed}}

Some news and media outlets have expressed concern that the organization's censorship of adult content in the video game industry negatively impacts creative freedom.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Farokhmanesh |first=Megan |date=30 Jul 2025 |title=Gamers Are Furious About the Censorship of NSFW Games—and They’re Fighting Back |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250823055403/https://www.wired.com/story/gamers-are-furious-about-the-censorship-of-nsfw-games-and-theyre-fighting-back |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250823055403/https://www.wired.com/story/gamers-are-furious-about-the-censorship-of-nsfw-games-and-theyre-fighting-back/ |archive-date=23 Aug 2025 |access-date=23 Aug 2025 |work=WIRED}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dodds |first=Io |date=18 Aug 2025 |title=‘Financial companies shouldn’t be in this position’: How more than 20,000 NSFW video games fell under censorship |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/video-game-censorship-visa-mastercard-b2809867.html |website=The Independent}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hughes |first=Marley |date=2 Aug 2025 |title=This Advocacy Group is Threatening Video Games as We Know It |url=https://www.cbr.com/collective-shout-video-game-censorship/ |website=CBR}}</ref>

==Incidents==

===Protest against ''Grand Theft Auto V''===
In 2014, the group started a petition against ''{{Wplink|Grand Theft Auto V}}'' it read, "It's a game that encourages players to murder women for entertainment. The incentive is to commit sexual violence against women, then abuse or kill them to proceed or get 'health' points." <ref name=":0" /> The video game was banned from two Australian department stores later that year.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30328314|title='Sexually violent' GTA 5 banned from Australian stores|website=BBC|date=4 Dec 2014}}</ref>

===Pressure campaign against payment processors===
{{Main|Valve allows ISPs and payment processors to censor content on Steam|Valve complying with ISPs and payment processors}}

In July 2025, Collective Shout launched a public campaign "demanding credit card companies and PayPal block payments" for games on Steam and Itch.io.<ref name=":02">{{Cite news |last=Bita |first=Natasha |date=15 Jul 2025 |title=Child safety group finds 500 online 'games' role-playing rape and incest |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/education/child-safety-group-finds-500-online-games-roleplaying-rape-and-incest/news-story/b30c59f85ff22934844269cb3beff538 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/koDk8 |archive-date=18 Jul 2025 |access-date=18 Jul 2025 |work=The Australian}}</ref><ref name="RPSCS">{{Cite news |last=Evans-Thirlwell |first=Edwin |date=22 Jul 2025 |title=Anti-porn group who tried to ban GTA 5 claim credit for Steam's sex game crackdown |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/anti-porn-group-who-tried-to-ban-gta-5-claim-credit-for-steams-sex-game-crackdown |access-date=23 Jul 2025 |work=Rock Paper Shotgun}}</ref>

Itch.io responded by de-indexing games with explicit content on July 24.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://itch.io/updates/update-on-nsfw-content|title=Update on NSFW content|website=Itch.io|date=24 Jul 2025}}</ref> On July 31, they re-indexed free games with explicit content.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://itch.io/t/5149036/reindexing-adult-nsfw-content|title=Reindexing adult NSFW content|website=Itch.io|date=31 Jul 2025}}</ref>

De-indexing continued on August 10th, this time of games with explicit content and of LGBTQ+ games without explicit content.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lazine |first=Mira |title='I feel violated' - Queer Creators Lose Livelihoods in Itch.io Bans |url=https://transnews.network/p/i-feel-violated-queer-creators-lose-livelihoods-in-itch-io-bans |website=Trans News Network |date=9 Aug 2025 |access-date=24 Aug 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250819013331/https://transnews.network/p/i-feel-violated-queer-creators-lose-livelihoods-in-itch-io-bans |archive-date=19 Aug 2025}}</ref>

The group claims to have lobbied payment processors after sending 3,000 emails to Steam and receiving no response.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Steam at Collective Shout |url=https://www.collectiveshout.org/tags/steam |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250720103220/https://www.collectiveshout.org/tags/steam |archive-date=20 Jul 2025 |access-date=7 Aug 2025 |website=Collective Shout}}</ref><ref name="CBCCards">{{Cite news |last=Ore |first=Jonathan |date=31 Jul 2025 |title=How an anti-porn lobby on payment processors censored thousands of video games |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/steam-itch-takedowns-credit-cards-1.7597563 |access-date=1 Aug 2025 |work=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]}}</ref>

Alongside explicit content, the group also expressed a desire to remove ''{{Wplink|Detroit: Become Human}}'' from gaming platforms for depictions of physical abuse against women and children.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barbe |first=Rebecca |date=6 Dec 2017 |title=Stop video game Detroit: Become Human, depicting child abuse being sold in Australia |url=https://www.change.org/p/the-hon-christian-porter-mp-stop-video-game-depicting-child-abuse-being-sold-in-australia |url-status=live |access-date=16 Aug 2025 |website=change.org}}</ref>

The owner of the journalism website ''{{Wplink|Vice (magazine)|Vice}}'' allegedly instructed certain articles related to Collective Shout to be removed from their website due to "controversial subject matter." The author of the articles and several of her co-workers resigned soon afterwards in protest.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.notebookcheck.net/After-payment-processors-prompt-removal-of-Steam-games-journalists-investigating-the-censorship-resign.1063259.0.html|title=After payment processors prompt removal of Steam games, journalists investigating the censorship resign|website=notebookcheck.net|date=16 Aug 2025}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Steam]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

General Motors (OnStar)

2025-08-18T12:25:16Z

DzLamme: /* Incidents */

{{Incomplete|Issue 1=Has some useful information, but has some missing sections}}{{CompanyCargo
|Founded=1908-09-16
|Industry=Automotive, Technology, Information Technology
|Logo=OnStar.png
|Type=Public
|Website=https://www.gm.com, https://www.onstar.com
|Description=A multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and markets vehicles and offers in-vehicle safety, security, and information services.
}}
'''General Motors (OnStar)''' is a multinational automotive manufacturing company and its subsidiary, OnStar, which provides in-vehicle security, emergency, and navigation services. This article assesses the company's consumer protection stance, with a primary focus on the accessibility of emergency 911 services for non-subscribers of the OnStar service.

==Consumer-impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}
====Business model====
*The company's business model for its OnStar service includes paywalling a critical emergency 'SOS' button, preventing non-subscribers from using it for its primary purpose of contacting emergency services.

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].

===Data monetization===
In 2025, GM settled with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) due to its misuse of the ''OnStar Smart Driver'' by collecting drivers' precise location every 3 seconds and driving data such as hard braking and quick acceleration then selling it without informed consent to consumer reporting agencies like LexisNexis and Verisk, which lead to insurance premium hikes or coverage denials.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Chandler |first=Kelley |date=February 17, 2025 |title=General Motors Settles With the FTC Over Unauthorized Collection and Sale of Driver Data |url=https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/general-motors-settles-with-the-ftc-1706133/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250723212043/https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/general-motors-settles-with-the-ftc-1706133/ |archive-date=July 23, 2025 |website=JDSupra }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Mather |first=Ciarán |date=January 17, 2025 |title=GM hit with data-sharing ban from FTC |url=https://www.siliconrepublic.com/business/ftc-gm-general-motors-driver-data-legal-us-motoring-settlement |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250211043345/https://www.siliconrepublic.com/business/ftc-gm-general-motors-driver-data-legal-us-motoring-settlement |archive-date=February 11, 2025 |website=SiliconRepublic }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last1=Sisco |first1=Josh |last2=Nylen |first2=Leah |date=January 17, 2025 |title=General Motors Settles With FTC Over Sharing Driver Data |url=https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2025/01/17/808769.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250214055734/https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2025/01/17/808769.htm |archive-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Insurance Journal }}</ref>

They deceived consumers by claiming that some safety features would only activate if OnStar was enabled during purchase. The consent mechanisms was buried in a 29-page ToS and obscured its data-sharing practices.<ref name=":1"></ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=August 13, 2024 |title=Attorney General Ken Paxton Sues General Motors for Unlawfully Collecting Drivers’ Private Data and Selling It To Several Companies, Including Insurance Companies |url=https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-general-motors-unlawfully-collecting-drivers-private-data-and |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250726133353/https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-general-motors-unlawfully-collecting-drivers-private-data-and |archive-date=July 26, 2025 |website=Texas Attorney General }}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=White |first=Emmet |date=July 9, 2025 |title=Nebraska Sues General Motors and OnStar Over Allegations of Data Harvesting and Sales |url=https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a65351080/nebraska-lawsuit-gm-alleged-data-breach/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250815104923/https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a65351080/nebraska-lawsuit-gm-alleged-data-breach/ |archive-date=August 15, 2025 |website=Road and Track }}</ref>

Texas, Arkansas, and Nebraska sued GM for violating trade practices acts, citing lack of transparency and harm to consumers.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last1=Anderson |first1=Hope |last2=Rodman |first2=Rachel |last3=Naydonov |first3=Anna |date=March 26, 2025 |title=Arkansas Attorney General Sues General Motors Over Alleged Deceptive Data Practices |url=https://www.whitecase.com/insight-alert/arkansas-attorney-general-sues-general-motors-over-alleged-deceptive-data-practices |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250513105730/https://www.whitecase.com/insight-alert/arkansas-attorney-general-sues-general-motors-over-alleged-deceptive-data-practices |archive-date=May 13, 2025 |website=White and Case }}</ref><ref name=":4"></ref><ref name=":5"></ref> The FTC imposed a 5-year ban on sharing data with insurers and mandated explicit consent.<ref name=":1"></ref><ref name=":2"></ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Christie |first=Joel |date=January 30, 2025 |title=General Motors and OnStar, LLC; Analysis of Proposed Consent Order To Aid Public Comment |url=https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/30/2025-01940/general-motors-and-onstar-llc-analysis-of-proposed-consent-order-to-aid-public-comment |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250724125828/https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/30/2025-01940/general-motors-and-onstar-llc-analysis-of-proposed-consent-order-to-aid-public-comment |archive-date=July 24, 2025 |website=Federal Register }}</ref>

===Inaccessible Emergency 'SOS' Button (1996-Present)===
This practice places a direct paywall on a critical, life-saving feature. The core of the issue rests on the classification of the OnStar system as a cellular communication device.<ref>Auto-Vlog. (2024, January 29). "Here's How To Call 911 With An INACTIVE OnStar System" [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved August 16, 2025, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM7cqDzchjg</ref> The Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999 (the "911 Act") mandates that mobile service providers must transmit all 911 calls to a public safety answering point, regardless of whether the caller has a subscription.<ref>U.S. Congress. (1999). "Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999," Public Law 106-81, 106th Congress. Retrieved August 16, 2025, from https://www.congress.gov/bill/106th-congress/senate-bill/800</ref> It has been argued that by preventing a direct connection to emergency services via its most prominent emergency button, OnStar's behavior for non-subscribers is inconsistent with the spirit of this federal law and the established public expectation for emergency communication devices.<ref>Lopez, J. (2020, June 30). "OnStar Hands-Free Calling Will Be Sunset in 2022". GM Authority. Retrieved August 16, 2025, from https://gmauthority.com/blog/2020/06/onstar-hands-free-calling-will-be-sunset-in-2022/</ref>

==Products==

*OnStar (1996): An in-vehicle telematics system. The primary consumer issue involves the paywalling of its dedicated emergency SOS button for non-subscribers.

==See also==

*[[Right to Repair]]
*[[John Deere]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Android

2025-08-06T18:42:58Z

DzLamme: /* Consumer impact summary */

{{StubNotice}}
{{InfoboxProductLine
| Title = Android
| Release Year = 2008 (Android 1.0)
| Product Type = Software
| In Production = Yes
| Official Website = https://android.com/
| Logo = Android Logo.png
}}

[[wikipedia:Android_(operating_system)|'''Android''']] is an operating system which started in 2003, got acquired by '''[[Google]]''' in 2005<ref>{{Cite web |last=Elgin |first=Ben |date=2005-08-17 |title=Google Buys Android for Its Mobile Arsenal |url=http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2005/tc20050817_0949_tc024.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227182929/http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2005/tc20050817_0949_tc024.htm |archive-date=2011-02-27 |access-date=2025-07-12 |website=Bloomberg Businessweek}}</ref>, and made its first official release (Android 1.0) in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-09-23 |title=Announcing the Android 1.0 SDK, release 1 |url=https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2008/09/announcing-android-10-sdk-release-1.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/tW5WL |archive-date=2025-07-12 |access-date=2025-07-12 |website=Android Developers Blog}}</ref> It is based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software, designed primarily for touchscreen-based mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, but is also used in smart TVs, cameras, in-car infotainment systems, etc.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025 |title=Why Android? |url=https://www.android.com/why-android/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/DZ17U |archive-date=2025-07-12 |access-date=2025-07-12 |website=Android}}</ref>

==Consumer impact summary==
With over 3.5 billion active users, open-source flexibility, affordability, and extensive device ecosystems continue to shape consumer behavior, regional adoption, and technological advancements.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=G |first=Nick |date=September 4, 2024 |title=Android Market Share in 2025: Global Dominance and Key Insights|url=https://techjury.net/industry-analysis/android-market-share |website=TechJury |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250629102621/https://techjury.net/industry-analysis/android-market-share/ |archive-date=June 29, 2025 }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Trend of Newly Released Android |url=https://www.accio.com/business/trend-of-newly-released-android |website= |archive-url= |archive-date= }}</ref> Android’s global reach, affordability, and device diversity make it the preferred OS for billions, particularly in emerging economies. It remains the world’s most widely used mobile operating system, but its dominance has been accompanied by controversies from security vulnerabilities and privacy concerns to accusations of anti-competitive behavior and declining open-source commitments.

===Global market share===
Android remains the world’s dominant mobile operating system (OS) as of 2025, holding a 72.23% global market share compared to iOS with 27.39%.<ref name=":0"></ref>
*Asia & Africa: Android dominates with 95.16% in India, 86.8% in Indonesia, and 80.88% in Africa due to affordability and device variety.<ref name=":0"></ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last1=Qadir |first1=Salam |last2=Shaikh |first2=Sohaib |date=April 20, 2025 |title=Android vs iOS Statistics 2025: Users, Revenue, and Global Trends |url=https://www.tekrevol.com/blogs/android-vs-ios-statistics/ |website=Tekrevol |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250515022542/https://www.tekrevol.com/blogs/android-vs-ios-statistics/ |archive-date=May 15, 2025 }}</ref>
*North America: Android holds 45% market share, trailing iOS (57.68%) in the U.S.<ref name=":0"></ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Howarth |first=Josh |date=April 24, 2025 |title=iPhone vs Android User Stats (2025 Data) |url=https://explodingtopics.com/blog/iphone-android-users |website=ExplodingTopics |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250709235506/https://explodingtopics.com/blog/iphone-android-users |archive-date=July 9, 2025 }}</ref>
*Europe: Android leads with 65% market share, though iOS is strong in the UK (52.29%).<ref name=":0"></ref><ref name=":3"></ref>
*Affordability: Android devices range from $100 budget phones to premium flagships, making them accessible in emerging markets.<ref name=":0"></ref><ref name=":2"></ref>
*Device Variety: Multiple manufacturers (Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO) offer diverse options, unlike Apple’s closed ecosystem.<ref name=":4>{{Cite web |last=Frąckiewicz |first=Marcin |date=May 16, 2025 |title=Smartphone Wars 2025: Inside the Global Market Shake-Up, Trends, and Future Tech Disruptions |url=https://ts2.tech/en/smartphone-wars-2025-inside-the-global-market-shake-up-trends-and-future-tech-disruptions/ |website=Ts2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250720045846/https://ts2.tech/en/smartphone-wars-2025-inside-the-global-market-shake-up-trends-and-future-tech-disruptions/ |archive-date=July 20, 2025}}</ref>

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this software. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].

===Data collection===
{{Main|Android Data Collection}}
Android mobile devices, even when minimally configured, collect and share with Google extensive user data with little options for opting-out, raising privacy concerns.

===Android System Safety Core silent install===
{{Main|Android System SafetyCore}}
On January 22, 2025, Google quietly rolled out Android System SafetyCore to all Android devices. The installation of the program neither informed consumers that it was installed, nor did it request consumers to install it onto their devices.

===OEM Locked Bootloaders===
{{Main|Motorola}}
In North America, many Android devices like phones or tablets will not allow consumers to unlock and do what they want to modify the software. Therefore, it has been incredibly difficult and nearly impossible to root and install custom ROMs on the device unless an exploit has been found.

==References==
<references />
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Ford

2025-08-04T11:19:24Z

DzLamme: formatting

{{ToneWarning}}

{{CompanyCargo
|Founded=1903
|Industry=Automotive
|Logo=Ford.png
|Type=Public
|Website=https://ford.com/
}}

The '''[[Wikipedia:Ford Motor Company|Ford Motor Company]]''' was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford in Detroit, Michigan. With the introduction of a moving assembly line, Ford drastically reduced the cost and time of automobile production, making cars affordable for the masses and transforming industrial production globally. It is one of the oldest and largest automobile manufacturers, one of the "Big Three" American automakers, alongside General Motors (GM) and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler).

==Consumer protection summary==

===User privacy===
:Ford’s data collection practices and privacy policies have raised significant concerns:
:*Extensive data collection: Ford collects a wide range of personal and vehicle data, including location, driving behavior (speed, braking), voice commands, media preferences, and even passenger information. This data is linked to the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), which can be tied to individual users.<ref name=":0">https://www.ford.com/help/privacy/#USprivacynotice Ford US Privacy Notice</ref>
:*Data collected includes purchase history, financial information, coarse and precise location data, contact information, identifiers (e.g., VIN, account ID), user-generated content (e.g., voice recordings from smart features), search and browsing history for advertising purposes, usage data, sensitive information (under "Inferences"), diagnostics, and more.<ref name=":0" />
:*Aggregates data from external sources as well, including users' social media posts.<ref name=":0" />
:*Privacy policy is designed to prevent quickly searching for important terms.<ref name=":2">https://www.ford.com/help/privacy/ Ford Privacy Policy</ref><ref name=":0" />
:*Lack of transparency and control: Users are often unaware of the scope of data collection, and Ford’s policies allow sharing with affiliates, dealers, advertisers, and law enforcement. The company reserves the right to override location settings in certain circumstances (e.g., repossession, legal requests).<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Elvy |first=Stacy-Ann |title=Paying for Privacy and the Personal Data Economy |url=https://www.columbialawreview.org/content/paying-for-privacy-and-the-personal-data-economy/ |website=Columbia Law Review }}</ref>
:*Security vulnerabilities: Past incidents, such as cybersecurity flaws in the FordPass app and exposed customer records, highlight risks of data breaches. Ford has been criticized for dismissing external reports of vulnerabilities.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=August 15, 2023 |title=Ford |url=https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/privacynotincluded/ford/ |website=mozillafoundation.org }}</ref>
:*According to CCPA Metrics from 2023, there were 96 requests for data to be deleted, and seven of these requests were denied.<ref>https://www.ford.com/help/privacy/#caPrivacy Ford California Notice At Collection And Privacy Disclosures</ref>
===User freedom===
:*Limited opt-out options: Ford’s default settings opt users into data collection, with no clear path to fully delete data. Passengers and secondary drivers must also be informed of data collection, placing the burden on the primary user.<ref name=":2" />
:*Forced connectivity: Features like FordPass require data sharing for basic functionalities (e.g., remote start, tire pressure checks), limiting user choice.<ref name=":3" />
===Business model===
:*Data monetization: Ford’s business model leverages user data for targeted advertising, joint marketing, and partnerships (e.g., Sirius XM). This aligns with broader industry trends where data is a revenue driver.
:*AI and surveillance: Investments in AI (e.g., Baidu’s SYNC system in China) enable deeper user profiling, raising ethical questions about surveillance and consent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marr |first=Bernard |date=July 2, 2021 |title=The Amazing Ways The Ford Motor Company Uses Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning |url=https://bernardmarr.com/the-amazing-ways-the-ford-motor-company-uses-artificial-intelligence-and-machine-learning/ |website= }}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Acquisition of Freedom Ford Sales Limited by 1911265 Alberta Ltd. |url=https://competition-bureau.canada.ca/en/how-we-foster-competition/education-and-outreach/position-statements/acquisition-freedom-ford-sales-limited-1911265-alberta-ltd |website=Competition Bureau Canada }}</ref>
===Market control===
:*Dealership consolidation: Ford’s acquisitions of dealerships (e.g., Freedom Ford) have drawn scrutiny from competition regulators. While deemed non-antitrust, such consolidation can reduce local competition and consumer choice.<ref name=":4" />
:*Dependence on connected services: By integrating AI and IoT (e.g., autonomous vehicles, CarStory analytics), Ford reinforces market dominance in connected car technology, potentially stifling smaller competitors.

===Anti-consumer practices===

:*Patents regarding consumer data
::They have secured patents for systems that are unrelated to core driving functions and involve consumer data collection. One patented system can deliver targeted advertisements based on in-vehicle conversations, while another relates to vehicle repossession and allows for access restrictions (e.g., in cases of missed payments). Ford has clarified that holding these patents does not necessarily mean they will be implemented in future products. However, the existence of such systems could influence consumer perceptions of the company and affect their willingness to accept certain sales terms.<ref name=":1">https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/03/ford-files-patent-for-system-that-could-remotely-repossess-a-car/</ref><ref>https://therecord.media/ford-patent-application-in-vehicle-listening-advertising</ref>

:*Engineering practices
::Some engine designs use a rubber belt—rather than a metal chain—to drive the oil pump. This belt operates submerged in engine oil and may wear out prematurely, potentially leading to a sudden loss of oil pressure. Additionally, they have released transmission systems in certain ''Fiesta'' and ''Focus'' models that have experienced issues, including loss of power during acceleration, gear shifting, or at constant speeds, as well as unintended acceleration. It has been reported that a software update rendered a vehicle inoperable.<ref>https://garagewire.co.uk/news/bbc-watchdog-ford-ecoboost-wet-belt-problem/</ref><ref>https://www.freep.com/in-depth/money/cars/ford/2019/07/11/ford-focus-fiesta-transmission-defect/1671198001/</ref><ref>https://www.fordraptorforum.com/threads/automatic-software-update-bricked-my-truck.96624/</ref>

:Ford has had the highest number of vehicle recalls in the U.S. in 2021, 2022, and 2023. While recall volume can be influenced by market share, larger automakers often have more recalls, it may also reflect differences in production quality compared to competitors.<ref>https://datahub.transportation.gov/stories/s/NHTSA-Recalls-by-Manufacturer/38mw-dp8u/</ref>

==References==
<references />
[[Category:Ford]]

Positive practices

2025-08-04T11:14:57Z

DzLamme: formatting

{{ToneWarning}}
Positive practices are pro-consumer business approaches that prioritize the interests, rights, and well-being of customers. They are designed to empower consumers, offer fairness, transparency, and value:
*;Transparency
::Clearly disclosing pricing, terms, conditions, and product information upfront.

*;Fair value
::Offering products/services at reasonable prices that match the value provided.

*;Consumer control and choice
::Giving customers genuine options, easy cancellation, ownership rights, and repair ability.

*;Longevity and durability
::Designing products to last and be repairable, reducing waste and repeat costs.

*;Respectful support
::Providing accessible, helpful, and fair customer service to resolve issues.

==Examples==
{| class="wikitable"
|+Common Positive Practices
!Practice
!Description
|-
|One-Time Purchase
|Offering a product or service for a single payment with no recurring fees for core functionality
|-
|Right to Repair
|Designing products to be repairable, and making parts, tools, manuals and software accessible
|-
|Transparent Pricing
|Clearly displaying the full price (including all mandatory fees/taxes) upfront in advertising or early during checkout
|-
|Fair Return Policy
|Offering easy returns, exchanges, or refunds within a reasonable timeframe
|-
|Clear Cancellation Policy
|Making it simple and straightforward for consumers to cancel subscriptions without hoops
|-
|Ownership Model
|Ensuring consumers own what they purchase, including the ability to use, modify, resell, or transfer the product freely
|-
|Honest Marketing
|Providing accurate information about products.
|-
|Proactive Customer Support
|Offering readily available support to identify and resolve issues efficiently.
|}
----

===Subscription or single purchase===
Subscriptions prioritize continuous access and updates, while one-time purchases emphasize upfront ownership.

====One-time====
:A single payment granting permanent ownership or access to a physical product or lifetime software license.
::Positives<ref name=":SubOne">{{Cite web |last=Fernandes |first=Lauren |date=February 6, 2024 |title=Consumer Outlook 2024 |url=https://nielseniq.com/global/en/insights/report/2024/consumer-outlook-2024-6-consumer-sentiment-driven-strategies-to-drive-growth-and-capture-spending/ |website=Nielsen IQ }}</ref><ref name=":SubTwo">{{Cite web |last=Goodbread |first=Justin |date=October 27, 2023 |title=The Truth About Recurring Revenue |url=https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesfinancecouncil/2023/10/27/the-truth-about-recurring-revenue/ |website=Forbes }}</ref>
::*No long-term financial commitment required.
::*No ongoing costs allows customers to avoid recurring fees.
::*The users retains access indefinitely without dependency on the provider.
::Negatives<ref name=":SubOne"></ref><ref name=":SubTwo"></ref>
::*Higher initial cost may deter budget-conscious buyers.
::*Limited updates and future improvements may require additional purchases.
::*Businesses rely on new sales for sustained income.

====Subscription====
:Recurring monthly or annual payments provide ongoing access to a product or service.
::Positives<ref name=":SubOne"></ref><ref name=":SubTwo"></ref>
::*Lower entry cost spreads payments over time, making services more accessible.
::*Subscribers receive continuous updates, ongoing improvements, and support.
::*Businesses get a predictable revenue stream from recurring payments.
::Negatives<ref name=":SubOne"></ref><ref name=":SubTwo"></ref>
::*Long-term cost may become more expensive over time than a one-time purchase.
::*Ongoing commitment requires active cancellation to stop payments.
::*Subscription fatigue may cause consumers to feel overwhelmed by multiple recurring charges.

====Considerations for subscription plans====

*Does this service update frequently or at least within the subscription timeframe?
*How long will I be needing this service, and will it be compatible with me for that amount of time?

====Considerations for one-time purchases====

*Will I need this for more than a single month (or subscription period)?
*How soon will this product become redundant or outdated? Is it an annual subscription in disguise?

===Offline product vs. online services for digital goods===
Services that run exclusively online innately allow the company to have more control over how their product operates and are received. This form of control can lead to changes in the product that can improve it, but can otherwise also introduce a myriad of issues such as incompatibility and the removal of functionality. Digital goods that are completely operational offline allow the consumer to decide how long those goods will be used. As long as the downloaded product can be stored and correctly rendered, it has no expiration.

====Considerations for online services====

*Is this product made for online connectivity and interaction?
**Example: Online social games such as ''World of Warcraft''
*Is this product more secure online?
*How likely am I to maintain an internet connection to this service?
*Can this service alter itself into an incompatible state? Can this service remove functionality that I need?
*Is this service distributed from a centralized organization?
**If so, is there legislation and effective enforcement in said organization's location that protects me from malicious practices with my data?

====Considerations for offline products====

*Will I be able to effectively download and store this?
*Does it have any dependencies, and can those dependencies become redundant?
**Example: Products designed for a limited set of operating systems that may become outdated

===Source availability===
Oftentimes companies will not provide or [[security through obscurity|actively obscure]] details about how a product works. This exacerbates the potential pitfalls mentioned above, but when information is provided it can eliminate many of them.

====Considerations for physical goods====

*Does the product provide schematics?
*Are parts available?
**This helps product longevity by making repair easier, regardless of who performs the repair.
*Are there anti-repair measures in place?

====Considerations for digital goods====

*Is the source code available?
**This can allow patches if unwanted updates are pushed or support is dropped.
*Are there [[DRM]] measures in place?

[[Category:Common terms]]
<references />

Positive practices

2025-08-04T11:00:25Z

DzLamme: /* Subscription */ grammar

{{ToneWarning}}
Positive practices are pro-consumer business approaches that prioritize the interests, rights, and well-being of customers. They are designed to empower consumers, offer fairness, transparency, and value:
*;Transparency
::Clearly disclosing pricing, terms, conditions, and product information upfront.

*;Fair value
::Offering products/services at reasonable prices that match the value provided.

*;Consumer control and choice
::Giving customers genuine options, easy cancellation, ownership rights, and repair ability.

*;Longevity and durability
::Designing products to last and be repairable, reducing waste and repeat costs.

*;Respectful support
::Providing accessible, helpful, and fair customer service to resolve issues.

==Examples==
{| class="wikitable"
|+Common Positive Practices
!Practice
!Description
|-
|One-Time Purchase
|Offering a product or service for a single payment with no recurring fees for core functionality
|-
|Right to Repair
|Designing products to be repairable, and making parts, tools, manuals and software accessible
|-
|Transparent Pricing
|Clearly displaying the full price (including all mandatory fees/taxes) upfront in advertising or early during checkout
|-
|Fair Return Policy
|Offering easy returns, exchanges, or refunds within a reasonable timeframe
|-
|Clear Cancellation Policy
|Making it simple and straightforward for consumers to cancel subscriptions without hoops
|-
|Ownership Model
|Ensuring consumers own what they purchase, including the ability to use, modify, resell, or transfer the product freely
|-
|Honest Marketing
|Providing accurate information about products.
|-
|Proactive Customer Support
|Offering readily available support to identify and resolve issues efficiently.
|}
----

===Subscription or single purchase===
Subscriptions prioritize continuous access and updates, while one-time purchases emphasize upfront ownership.

====One-time====
:A single payment granting permanent ownership or access to a physical product or lifetime software license.
::'''Positives'''<ref name=":SubOne">{{Cite web |last=Fernandes |first=Lauren |date=February 6, 2024 |title=Consumer Outlook 2024 |url=https://nielseniq.com/global/en/insights/report/2024/consumer-outlook-2024-6-consumer-sentiment-driven-strategies-to-drive-growth-and-capture-spending/ |website=Nielsen IQ }}</ref><ref name=":SubTwo">{{Cite web |last=Goodbread |first=Justin |date=October 27, 2023 |title=The Truth About Recurring Revenue |url=https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesfinancecouncil/2023/10/27/the-truth-about-recurring-revenue/ |website=Forbes }}</ref>
::*No long-term financial commitment required.
::*No ongoing costs allows customers to avoid recurring fees.
::*The users retains access indefinitely without dependency on the provider.
::'''Negatives'''<ref name=":SubOne"></ref><ref name=":SubTwo"></ref>
::*Higher initial cost may deter budget-conscious buyers.
::*Limited updates and future improvements may require additional purchases.
::*Businesses rely on new sales for sustained income.

====Subscription====
:Recurring monthly or annual payments provide ongoing access to a product or service.
::'''Positives'''<ref name=":SubOne"></ref><ref name=":SubTwo"></ref>
::*Lower entry cost spreads payments over time, making services more accessible.
::*Subscribers receive continuous updates, ongoing improvements, and support.
::*Businesses get a predictable revenue stream from recurring payments.
::'''Negatives'''<ref name=":SubOne"></ref><ref name=":SubTwo"></ref>
::*Long-term cost may become more expensive over time than a one-time purchase.
::*Ongoing commitment requires active cancellation to stop payments.
::*Subscription fatigue may cause consumers to feel overwhelmed by multiple recurring charges.

====Considerations for subscription plans====

*Does this service update frequently or at least within the subscription timeframe?
*How long will I be needing this service, and will it be compatible with me for that amount of time?

====Considerations for one-time purchases====

*Will I need this for more than a single month (or subscription period)?
*How soon will this product become redundant or outdated? Is it an annual subscription in disguise?

===Offline product vs. online services for digital goods===
Services that run exclusively online innately allow the company to have more control over how their product operates and are received. This form of control can lead to changes in the product that can improve it, but can otherwise also introduce a myriad of issues such as incompatibility and the removal of functionality. Digital goods that are completely operational offline allow the consumer to decide how long those goods will be used. As long as the downloaded product can be stored and correctly rendered, it has no expiration.

====Considerations for online services====

*Is this product made for online connectivity and interaction?
**Example: Online social games such as ''World of Warcraft''
*Is this product more secure online?
*How likely am I to maintain an internet connection to this service?
*Can this service alter itself into an incompatible state? Can this service remove functionality that I need?
*Is this service distributed from a centralized organization?
**If so, is there legislation and effective enforcement in said organization's location that protects me from malicious practices with my data?

====Considerations for offline products====

*Will I be able to effectively download and store this?
*Does it have any dependencies, and can those dependencies become redundant?
**Example: Products designed for a limited set of operating systems that may become outdated

===Source availability===
Oftentimes companies will not provide or [[security through obscurity|actively obscure]] details about how a product works. This exacerbates the potential pitfalls mentioned above, but when information is provided it can eliminate many of them.

====Considerations for physical goods====

*Does the product provide schematics?
*Are parts available?
**This helps product longevity by making repair easier, regardless of who performs the repair.
*Are there anti-repair measures in place?

====Considerations for digital goods====

*Is the source code available?
**This can allow patches if unwanted updates are pushed or support is dropped.
*Are there [[DRM]] measures in place?

[[Category:Common terms]]
<references />

Positive practices

2025-08-04T08:20:44Z

DzLamme: Subscription vs one purchase, expanded, tone change

{{ToneWarning}}
Positive practices are pro-consumer business approaches that prioritize the interests, rights, and well-being of customers. They are designed to empower consumers, offer fairness, transparency, and value:
*;Transparency
::Clearly disclosing pricing, terms, conditions, and product information upfront.

*;Fair value
::Offering products/services at reasonable prices that match the value provided.

*;Consumer control and choice
::Giving customers genuine options, easy cancellation, ownership rights, and repair ability.

*;Longevity and durability
::Designing products to last and be repairable, reducing waste and repeat costs.

*;Respectful support
::Providing accessible, helpful, and fair customer service to resolve issues.

==Examples==
{| class="wikitable"
|+Common Positive Practices
!Practice
!Description
|-
|One-Time Purchase
|Offering a product or service for a single payment with no recurring fees for core functionality
|-
|Right to Repair
|Designing products to be repairable, and making parts, tools, manuals and software accessible
|-
|Transparent Pricing
|Clearly displaying the full price (including all mandatory fees/taxes) upfront in advertising or early during checkout
|-
|Fair Return Policy
|Offering easy returns, exchanges, or refunds within a reasonable timeframe
|-
|Clear Cancellation Policy
|Making it simple and straightforward for consumers to cancel subscriptions without hoops
|-
|Ownership Model
|Ensuring consumers own what they purchase, including the ability to use, modify, resell, or transfer the product freely
|-
|Honest Marketing
|Providing accurate information about products.
|-
|Proactive Customer Support
|Offering readily available support to identify and resolve issues efficiently.
|}
----

===Subscription or single purchase===
Subscriptions prioritize continuous access and updates, while one-time purchases emphasize upfront ownership.

====One-time====
:A single payment granting permanent ownership or access to a physical product or lifetime software license.
::'''Positives'''<ref name=":SubOne">{{Cite web |last=Fernandes |first=Lauren |date=February 6, 2024 |title=Consumer Outlook 2024 |url=https://nielseniq.com/global/en/insights/report/2024/consumer-outlook-2024-6-consumer-sentiment-driven-strategies-to-drive-growth-and-capture-spending/ |website=Nielsen IQ }}</ref><ref name=":SubTwo">{{Cite web |last=Goodbread |first=Justin |date=October 27, 2023 |title=The Truth About Recurring Revenue |url=https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesfinancecouncil/2023/10/27/the-truth-about-recurring-revenue/ |website=Forbes }}</ref>
::*No long-term financial commitment required.
::*No ongoing costs allows customers to avoid recurring fees.
::*The users retains access indefinitely without dependency on the provider.
::'''Negatives'''<ref name=":SubOne"></ref><ref name=":SubTwo"></ref>
::*Higher initial cost may deter budget-conscious buyers.
::*Limited updates and future improvements may require additional purchases.
::*Businesses rely on new sales for sustained income.

====Subscription====
:Recurring monthly or annual payments provide ongoing access to a product or service.
::'''Positives'''<ref name=":SubOne"></ref><ref name=":SubTwo"></ref>
::*Lower entry cost spreads payments over time, making services more accessible.
::*Subscribers receive continuous updates, ongoing improvements, and support.
::*Businesses get a predictable recurring revenue stream from recurring payments.
::'''Negatives'''<ref name=":SubOne"></ref><ref name=":SubTwo"></ref>
::*Long-term cost may become more expensive over time than a one-time purchase.
::*Ongoing commitment requires active cancellation to stop payments.
::*Subscription fatigue may cause consumers to feel overwhelmed by multiple recurring charges.

====Considerations for subscription plans====

*Does this service update frequently or at least within the subscription timeframe?
*How long will I be needing this service, and will it be compatible with me for that amount of time?

====Considerations for one-time purchases====

*Will I need this for more than a single month (or subscription period)?
*How soon will this product become redundant or outdated? Is it an annual subscription in disguise?

===Offline product vs. online services for digital goods===
Services that run exclusively online innately allow the company to have more control over how their product operates and are received. This form of control can lead to changes in the product that can improve it, but can otherwise also introduce a myriad of issues such as incompatibility and the removal of functionality. Digital goods that are completely operational offline allow the consumer to decide how long those goods will be used. As long as the downloaded product can be stored and correctly rendered, it has no expiration.

====Considerations for online services====

*Is this product made for online connectivity and interaction?
**Example: Online social games such as ''World of Warcraft''
*Is this product more secure online?
*How likely am I to maintain an internet connection to this service?
*Can this service alter itself into an incompatible state? Can this service remove functionality that I need?
*Is this service distributed from a centralized organization?
**If so, is there legislation and effective enforcement in said organization's location that protects me from malicious practices with my data?

====Considerations for offline products====

*Will I be able to effectively download and store this?
*Does it have any dependencies, and can those dependencies become redundant?
**Example: Products designed for a limited set of operating systems that may become outdated

===Source availability===
Oftentimes companies will not provide or [[security through obscurity|actively obscure]] details about how a product works. This exacerbates the potential pitfalls mentioned above, but when information is provided it can eliminate many of them.

====Considerations for physical goods====

*Does the product provide schematics?
*Are parts available?
**This helps product longevity by making repair easier, regardless of who performs the repair.
*Are there anti-repair measures in place?

====Considerations for digital goods====

*Is the source code available?
**This can allow patches if unwanted updates are pushed or support is dropped.
*Are there [[DRM]] measures in place?

[[Category:Common terms]]