cross-posted from: lemmy.zip/post/51856491
Here’s how to opt out.
Archived version: archive.is/…/samsung-family-hub-smart-fridge-ads-…
So it’s a billboard with a build in beer cooler?
Here’s what ads on your $2,000 Samsung smart fridge will look like
Submitted 5 months ago by schizoidman@lemmy.zip to technology@lemmy.world
https://www.theverge.com/report/806797/samsung-family-hub-smart-fridge-ads-opt-out
Comments
GenosseFlosse@feddit.org 5 months ago
Bebopalouie@lemmy.ca 5 months ago
No, won’t look like anything as I will never buy a product like that.
asg101@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 months ago
Never will I ever get an appliance that reports everything to the internet (advertisers) and forces ads into my home. Fuck them all, there is absolutely nothing they can offer that is worth the spying and intrusion.
M0oP0o@mander.xyz 5 months ago
Maybe we are all in the bad place.
Krompus@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Happy with my ad-free dumb fridge.
Let me know when the smart fridge can track when I’m low on essentials and toggle them unchecked on my shopping list, WITHOUT phoning home.
TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 months ago
Nope. Don’t want a fridge to track what I eat. Don’t want anything to track my data unwanted, just give me a fridge which cools and has a working door. No fancy features, just basic functionality and silent. No smart dishwasher, oven, microwave, washing machine, tooth brush, bed, watch, home hub, locks, lights, etc. I want a smart phone and a smart girlfriend.
Krompus@lemmy.world 5 months ago
WITHOUT phoning home
If the data is offline, then it only serves you without selling you out. I know it’s unrealistic; why would any corporation make something that benefits consumers and not themselves?!
melsaskca@lemmy.ca 5 months ago
An old cooler with gas station ice is preferable to this bloated spy crap they’re producing nowadays.
ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Unless you build it and code it yourself, do not get a smart device at any cost. Even if they’re on sale for $5. (Unless you’re just planning on reselling them I guess)
unabart@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
The irony of this article being paywalled is the chef’s kiss.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
Cool, they’re giving me a free $2,000 fridge? Because there’s no way I’m paying for that crap.
3abas@lemmy.world 5 months ago
There’s a future coming where every fridge sold will come with a screen for ads, and not necessarily any other smart features.
Once people accept this shit, there’s no going back.
asg101@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 months ago
I would pry the screen off and dig out the WIFI device if it came down to no other option.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
I sure hope not, it’s hard enough to find nonsucking TVs, I really don’t want to have to find an “industrial” fridge just to get a regular one.
GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 5 months ago
and that future will include me ripping out the network connection cards from the primary boards.
if that bricks it, I’ll just have to setup an “internet” connection.
echodot@feddit.uk 5 months ago
I have never bought a fridge in my life. When I bought this house the owner just left the current fridge behind it has no branding at all and is basically a white box. The only smart feature it has is that it beeps if you leave the door open (although honestly it’s not really much use since it only starts beeping after 10 minutes which I feel like is too long).
Horsey@lemmy.world 5 months ago
I can totally see it going the same general way as TVs.
Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca 5 months ago
I believe I will continue to use the same fridge that has been in the house since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
ptu@sopuli.xyz 5 months ago
Only problem is they become noisy when the coolant leaks out. This is the technical problem they should be solving.
lorski@sopuli.xyz 5 months ago
such bullshit
ilinamorato@lemmy.world 5 months ago
This is an amazing article. I’m serious. Very well written. This is my favorite part:
I asked Higby why they were bringing ads to the fridges. He said via email, “This pilot further explores how a connected appliance can deliver genuinely useful, contextual information. The refrigerator is already a daily hub, and we’re testing a responsible, user-controlled way to make that space more helpful.”
This is similar to the justification Panos Panay, Amazon’s head of Devices & Services, made to me last month when I asked him about advertising on its Echo devices. He said it was looking to be “elegantly elevating the information that a customer needs.”
Do these people actually believe this? Do they see advertisements in their own lives and think, “ah yes, that was useful and contextual. That was a helpful ad, elegantly elevating my information.” I’ve seen some delusional people in executive-level roles, but that would be a special new class of delusion. Nobody likes ads. I recognize that some people have higher and lower tolerances for them, but nobody is actually grateful for them. Right?! I need to believe this is true.
Both companies claim they want to offer “curated,” “relevant” ads that might “enhance the experience.” I can buy that to some extent when it’s ads for features that your smart fridge or smart display offers. This tech is complicated and capable, and most people only tap into a fraction of what their devices can do.
That’s generous. But ok, maybe I can grant the premise.
But there is no future where third-party advertisements will ever be welcome in people’s homes like this — even if they happen to show me a brand of pet food right when my dog is looking at me with hungry eyes.
Right. Exactly. No matter what, I can think of no situation in which an ad is serving the customer’s interests. Maybe in the case of a coupon? But even then, I think it’s dubious.
Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
I like TikTok ads. I am not a material person, so I am generally hard to shop for. But since TikTok came out, I am able to provide a list for people of cool gadgets and stuff that aren’t too expensive. Do I like any other ads? No…
ilinamorato@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Interesting. I have not had that experience, on Tiktok or elsewhere. I do have a similar experience with tech reviewers’ videos on Youtube, though. Albeit not the sponsored ones.
quetzaldilla@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Unfortunately, it is paywalled. Can you copy the text for the rest of us?
ilinamorato@lemmy.world 5 months ago
There’s an archive.is link in the original post: archive.is/…/samsung-family-hub-smart-fridge-ads-…
I’m wary of running afoul of copyright laws to literally paste it here, but I think you should be able to get it there.
1995ToyotaCorolla@lemmy.world 5 months ago
I’m clinging to my “dumb” fridge for dear life
SaraTonin@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Worth pointing out that that “Target figured out a girl was pregnant before her father did” story is almost certainly untrue: www.predictiveanalyticsworld.com/…/3566/
I agree with the article that getting ads on a device you’ve already paid for with no hint that there would be ads is intrusive and a sad sign of how tech is going (in the same week that it was announced that Apple are going to be adding ads to Maps, too). But I also can’t help but wonder - who the fuck wants a smart fridge? Like, legitimately, what is the advantage over a normal fridge?
ilinamorato@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Not a “smart” fridge per se, but I can see the use of a screen on my fridge; something where we can see our family calendar, leave notes for each other, and maybe also be able to access the grocery shopping list. Weather would be nice too, though you can keep the news widget (yikes). Something in a visible location in our house, where we go every day.
I’m not sure what other features they advertise with a smart fridge, but those few would be nice; especially if I could just plug a raspberry pi into it and skip all of the Samsung nonsense entirely.
bitchkat@lemmy.world 5 months ago
I don’t even like water/ice dispensers on the door. I love the interior water dispensers.
NewNewAugustEast@lemmy.zip 5 months ago
We already do all of that (except the weather) why would I need a screen?
timhayes1991@lemmy.zip 5 months ago
Normal fridges are dumb. Smart fridge smart.
reluctant_squidd@lemmy.ca 5 months ago
So, what happens if I use pi-hole or adguard to block DNS for the advertisement TLDs, like I do for all the other gizmos in the house trying to show me ads or obtain telemetry data?
zorblitz@mander.xyz 5 months ago
Inb4 smart devices don’t need wifi and ship with their own cellular connection
reluctant_squidd@lemmy.ca 5 months ago
IOT home devices using cell data? In Canada? It would either come with a hefty monthly fee, or the appliance company would lose their shirt.
Cell companies here put a lot of effort into keeping the prices up.
Might fly south of the border though.
froggycar360@slrpnk.net 5 months ago
Should block it. Blocks the homescreen ads on my Roku.
drspawndisaster@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
Repo it please, I will simply use salt to preserve my food
nucleative@lemmy.world 5 months ago
I was ready gawk at what ads on my fridge would look like, and then this. I don’t know what I expected.
reseller_pledge609@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 months ago
Archived link for you.
nucleative@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Thank you
Picasso@thelemmy.club 5 months ago
1985MustangCobra@lemmy.ca 5 months ago
imagine paying 2k for a fridge just because it has a screen and stupid smart shit. basic fridge please and thank you.
Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 5 months ago
and play ads on it too.
rainbowbunny@slrpnk.net 5 months ago
But can it run Linux
dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 5 months ago
It already does. Samsung’s Tizen OS these things run is Linux based, albeit at this point broadly in the same sense that Android is.
possumparty@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 months ago
The widget will appear by default on the fridges as part of the software update. However, Samsung is giving users the option to turn off ads. To do this, go to the Settings page on the fridge, scroll to Advertisements, select it, and you’ll be taken to a screen where you can toggle off ads.
This will remove the widget entirely. If you think you might actually like the widget’s other features (calendar, weather, and news), you can “X” out a particular ad, and it won’t pop up again. But then you’ll get another ad.
Zier@fedia.io 5 months ago
Any "ads" that appear on my fridge will be because I was given a $2000 fridge free by the company.
Only idiots pay for appliances/services that include ads.kami@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 months ago
I still wouldn’t buy it, but I agree.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
If they gave me the fridge for free, I’d use it, and spend a bunch of time figuring out how to remove the ads. If it’s not possible, I’d just unplug the screen.
baggachipz@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
Why. Why would anyone buy a fridge with a screen. We have lots of screens. A fridge does not need a screen. It is a fridge.
Joelk111@lemmy.world 5 months ago
The issue isn’t that the fridge has a screen. The issue is that the screen real-estate is owned by the manufacturer, not you.
Sprawl@lemmy.world 5 months ago
As a Home Assistant geek, I would love to have a tablet built into the fridge door that I could 100% hack to display useful information and such. Currently I have an Android tablet on the wall that does this, but one on the screen could be cool, especially if you could setup a place for virtual sticky notes that you could leave reminders and such for family members.
Soup@lemmy.world 5 months ago
So a whiteboard with dry erase markers?
MyNameIsAtticus@lemmy.world 5 months ago
My household has a shared calendar we use to plan events. I’ve thought about a project before just to put a big view version of that up somewhere for people to reference, but I’ve been hesitant because it’s a large household and having to play tech support every time it goes wrong isn’t something i can do.
If i could get a reliable screen on the fridge that could display that, along with maybe a Reminders List and your sticky note idea, that would be perfect. With ads though that’s a big nope from me.
Even excluding my stance on not wanting ads, that’s how you find out the 5 year old accidentally bought something, or that something was leaked in a big data leak. That’s just something i don’t want in my home
harmbugler@piefed.social 5 months ago
Good luck when they all have screens :(
redlemace@lemmy.world 5 months ago
You do need to have a display to show you what’s in there /s Yes, that’s an actual selling argument (slap my forehead real hard)
ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 months ago
Screens would get in the way of my many magnets with notes. Not only does it not “need” one, I’m actively anti screen in this case.
melfie@lemy.lol 5 months ago
I wouldn’t mind one for playing Jellyfin videos while I’m cooking, having a dedicated screen for the Mealie recipe I’m currently making, looking at a digital family calendar, adding items to the grocery list, etc. A kitchen kiosk with a larger screen that is easy to clean and doesn’t need a login does have some practical uses for self-hosted apps, but…checks list…nope, ads to make some corpo’s number go up didn’t quite make it into my wishlist.
eleitl@lemmy.zip 5 months ago
There are tablets with docks available. E.g. I could use Pixel tablet with the hub for that, even with privacy-supporting GrapheneOS.
boonhet@sopuli.xyz 5 months ago
And here’s how to opt out.
I’m opting out by buying a significantly cheaper non-smart fridge. Which luckily is still an option.
melroy@kbin.melroy.org 5 months ago
This
Damarus@feddit.org 5 months ago
No they won’t, because I’m not stupid enough to buy a ridiculously overpriced fridge.
wondrous_strange@lemmy.world 5 months ago
“Smart” fridges are the dumbest shit ever; given that, pi hole or some ad blocking DNS? Block access to Samsung servers?
Don’t understand people who are willing to let all that data pass through 3rd party servers
krooklochurm@lemmy.ca 5 months ago
I mean. Sure. Until they start putting SIM cards in them and using the cellular network.
njordomir@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Perhaps they’ll be talking via a giant mesh of your neighbors doorbells, fridges, and televisions. Wouldn’t that be fucked up? Maybe they’ll stream to the police drones patrolling your neighborhood.
I always wondered how an “ad-supported” Kindle would show new ads on the home screen if you only transfer books via USB and never connect via WiFi or wireless? Does it just reuse the old ads? How will the fridge do it?
wondrous_strange@lemmy.world 5 months ago
How will that work? Will they cover the subscription fee for the sim anywhere in the world? Or do you mean the fridge owners will cover it?
jaybone@lemmy.zip 5 months ago
Can you pull it out and put it in your own device to get free service?
ImgurRefugee114@reddthat.com 5 months ago
I’d sooner take a sledge hammer to it
possumparty@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 months ago
I’m about to do that to my echo show
atmorous@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Every day an open source initiative for applicances makes more sense
Krudler@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Can’t believe the number of tool boxes in this comment section say “oh gee, I can really see how this unnecessary feature improves my life because I don’t know how to breathe on my own or live”