WeTransfer: Difference between revisions

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===Data breach (''2019'')===

In June 2019, it was disclosed that some files were sent to the wrong recipients.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Abrams |first=Lawrence |title=WeTransfer Security Incident Sent Files to the Wrong People |url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/wetransfer-security-incident-sent-files-to-the-wrong-people/ |website=Bleeping Computer |date=21 Jun 2019 |access-date=19 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112034757/https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/wetransfer-security-incident-sent-files-to-the-wrong-people/ |archive-date=12 Nov 2020}}</ref>

=== Discontinuation of Pencil by FiftyThree support (''2019'') ===

In August 2018, WeTransfer acquired the assets of FiftyThree, Inc., including the Paper drawing app and intellectual property related to Pencil by FiftyThree, a Bluetooth active stylus launched in 2013.<ref>["FiftyThree". ''Wikipedia''. Archived from the original on 18 Apr 2026. Retrieved 18 Apr 2026. https://web.archive.org/web/20260418101936/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FiftyThree]</ref> The Pencil's key features — palm rejection, eraser, and Blend — relied entirely on Bluetooth integration with the Paper app via a proprietary SDK, and had no fallback through any open standard or third-party app ecosystem.

In 2019, WeTransfer discontinued support for the Pencil in the Paper app.<ref>["Stylus". ''Evernote Help & Learning''. Archived from the original on 18 Apr 2026. Retrieved 18 Apr 2026. https://web.archive.org/web/20260418101907/https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/42082069153555-Stylus]</ref> The device was not bricked entirely — it continued to function as a basic passive stylus — but its core active features became permanently inaccessible, with no means of recovery available to consumers. No compensation or replacement was offered. The product had been sold commercially at prices between $49.95 and $59.95.<ref>["Pencil by FiftyThree". ''FiftyThree Support''. Archived from the original on 23 Jul 2019. Retrieved 18 Apr 2026. https://web.archive.org/web/20190723182931/https://support.fiftythree.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001141660-Pencil-by-FiftyThree]</ref>

This is an early documented instance of active hardware being functionally downgraded through a software decision made by a company after acquiring the product from its original developer, without prior consumer notice or recourse.

===Business model changes (''2024'')===

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==See also==

~~{{Ph~~-~~C-SA}}~~

* [[Spotify Car Thing]] — another case of active hardware rendered non-functional following discontinuation of app support, similar to Pencil by FiftyThree

==References==

@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 ===Data breach (''2019'')===
 In June 2019, it was disclosed that some files were sent to the wrong recipients.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Abrams |first=Lawrence |title=WeTransfer Security Incident Sent Files to the Wrong People |url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/wetransfer-security-incident-sent-files-to-the-wrong-people/ |website=Bleeping Computer |date=21 Jun 2019 |access-date=19 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112034757/https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/wetransfer-security-incident-sent-files-to-the-wrong-people/ |archive-date=12 Nov 2020}}</ref>
+=== Discontinuation of Pencil by FiftyThree support (''2019'') ===
+In August 2018, WeTransfer acquired the assets of FiftyThree, Inc., including the Paper drawing app and intellectual property related to Pencil by FiftyThree, a Bluetooth active stylus launched in 2013.<ref>["FiftyThree". ''Wikipedia''. Archived from the original on 18 Apr 2026. Retrieved 18 Apr 2026. https://web.archive.org/web/20260418101936/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FiftyThree]</ref> The Pencil's key features — palm rejection, eraser, and Blend — relied entirely on Bluetooth integration with the Paper app via a proprietary SDK, and had no fallback through any open standard or third-party app ecosystem.
+In 2019, WeTransfer discontinued support for the Pencil in the Paper app.<ref>["Stylus". ''Evernote Help & Learning''. Archived from the original on 18 Apr 2026. Retrieved 18 Apr 2026. https://web.archive.org/web/20260418101907/https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/42082069153555-Stylus]</ref> The device was not bricked entirely — it continued to function as a basic passive stylus — but its core active features became permanently inaccessible, with no means of recovery available to consumers. No compensation or replacement was offered. The product had been sold commercially at prices between $49.95 and $59.95.<ref>["Pencil by FiftyThree". ''FiftyThree Support''. Archived from the original on 23 Jul 2019. Retrieved 18 Apr 2026. https://web.archive.org/web/20190723182931/https://support.fiftythree.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001141660-Pencil-by-FiftyThree]</ref>
+This is an early documented instance of active hardware being functionally downgraded through a software decision made by a company after acquiring the product from its original developer, without prior consumer notice or recourse.
 ===Business model changes (''2024'')===
@@ Line 79: / Line 86: @@
 ==See also==
-{{Ph-C-SA}}
+* [[Spotify Car Thing]] — another case of active hardware rendered non-functional following discontinuation of app support, similar to Pencil by FiftyThree
 ==References==