KingSong: Difference between revisions
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'''Ransomware practice: Coercion to download the app to use the product''' | '''Ransomware practice: Coercion to download the app to use the product''' | ||
The King Song business model requires new electric unicycles to be activated via the official King Song mobile application. This process is mandatory and often includes a "beginner mode" that limits the wheel's performance until a certain distance has been ridden or the mode is deactivated through the app. | The King Song business model requires new electric unicycles to be activated via the official King Song mobile application. This process is mandatory and often includes a "beginner mode" that limits the wheel's performance until a certain distance has been ridden or the mode is deactivated through the app. The requirement to use the app for initial setup and full functionality has been a source of significant frustration for consumers. User reports describe instances where a failure to connect or register with the app, often due to an IP address that doesn't match the wheel's intended market, leaves the user with a non-functional device—a "beeping brick"<ref>{{Cite web |last=NathanRN42 |date=2025-03-01 |title=KingSong woes |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/ElectricUnicycle/comments/1kfctor/kingsong_woes/ |url-status=live |website=reddit.com}}</ref> | ||
This practice represents a form of Digital Rights Management (DRM) that extends beyond software and into physical hardware. A consumer who has fully paid for a physical product is unable to use it as intended without complying with the manufacturer's software and connectivity requirements. This holds the product's full functionality in a state of digital "hostage," which challenges the foundational principle of consumer ownership. It also raises questions about the consumer's ability to repair and maintain their device independently. The fact that a failed firmware update can potentially "brick" the Battery Management System (BMS) of a wheel further illustrates the potential for a device to be rendered useless by a manufacturer-controlled software error, highlighting a significant constraint on user freedom and the right to repair.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bake |first=Marty |date=2024-06-25 |title=KingSong S16 BMS Bricked And Then Fixed |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5duw5mB9XY |website=youtube.com}}</ref> | This practice represents a form of Digital Rights Management (DRM) that extends beyond software and into physical hardware. A consumer who has fully paid for a physical product is unable to use it as intended without complying with the manufacturer's software and connectivity requirements. This holds the product's full functionality in a state of digital "hostage," which challenges the foundational principle of consumer ownership. It also raises questions about the consumer's ability to repair and maintain their device independently. The fact that a failed firmware update can potentially "brick" the Battery Management System (BMS) of a wheel further illustrates the potential for a device to be rendered useless by a manufacturer-controlled software error, highlighting a significant constraint on user freedom and the right to repair.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bake |first=Marty |date=2024-06-25 |title=KingSong S16 BMS Bricked And Then Fixed |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5duw5mB9XY |website=youtube.com}}</ref> | ||
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As a policy to combat "grey market" imports, King Song implemented a region-locking mechanism that requires the official app for new wheel "activation." Wheels intended for the Chinese domestic market are remotely disabled or "bricked" if an attempt is made to connect them with the app from an international IP address. This policy has left consumers who unknowingly purchased these wheels from unofficial resellers with non-functional devices, sparking outrage within the community.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vulkov |date=2020-08-05 |title=WARNING KINGSONG PRODUCTS |url=https://forum.electricunicycle.org/topic/19378-warning-kingsong-products/ |access-date=2025-08-20}}</ref> | As a policy to combat "grey market" imports, King Song implemented a region-locking mechanism that requires the official app for new wheel "activation." Wheels intended for the Chinese domestic market are remotely disabled or "bricked" if an attempt is made to connect them with the app from an international IP address. This policy has left consumers who unknowingly purchased these wheels from unofficial resellers with non-functional devices, sparking outrage within the community.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vulkov |date=2020-08-05 |title=WARNING KINGSONG PRODUCTS |url=https://forum.electricunicycle.org/topic/19378-warning-kingsong-products/ |access-date=2025-08-20}}</ref> | ||
<gallery> | |||
File:Chat with KingSong representative.jpg|Screenshot of a chat detailing a victim's experience with a KingSong representative, who, on behalf of the company, accepted payment for a wheel and subsequently geo-locked the device, preventing the consumer from using it. | |||
File:Chat with KingSong representative2.jpg|thumb|Screenshot of a chat detailing a victim's experience with a KingSong representative, who, on behalf of the company, accepted payment for a wheel and subsequently geo-locked the device, preventing the consumer from using it. | |||
</gallery> | |||
==Incidents== | ==Incidents== | ||
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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]]. | 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]]. | ||
===Example incident one (''date'')=== | ===Example incident one (''date'')=== | ||