cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/51856491
Here’s how to opt out.
Archived version: https://archive.is/20251027141201/https://www.theverge.com/report/806797/samsung-family-hub-smart-fridge-ads-opt-out
The irony of this article being paywalled is the chef’s kiss.
Cool, they’re giving me a free $2,000 fridge? Because there’s no way I’d have that fridge otherwise.
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.
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.
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).
I have a feeling the alarm you’re talking about is a temperature alarm, not for the door. It’s just that leaving the door open will raise the temperature eventually.
I can totally see it going the same general way as TVs.
I believe I will continue to use the same fridge that has been in the house since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
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.
Unfortunately, it is paywalled. Can you copy the text for the rest of us?
such bullshit
Worth pointing out that that “Target figured out a girl was pregnant before her father did” story is almost certainly untrue: https://www.predictiveanalyticsworld.com/machinelearningtimes/target-really-predict-teens-pregnancy-inside-story/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?
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.
I don’t even like water/ice dispensers on the door. I love the interior water dispensers.
We already do all of that (except the weather) why would I need a screen?
We’re a family of six, and the kids don’t have phones. It’s tough to coordinate schedules already and it’s only going to get worse.
I recognize that I’m an edge case.
I was trying to say there is paper. That’s what we always did.
And still do for that matter.
You’re not an edge case. My family isn’t that large but we still have challenges with this exact thing.
There’s a screen device that my wife gets incessantly advertised to her that is probably a better option than it being built into a fridge that has been engineered to last 3 weeks longer than the warranty.
Normal fridges are dumb. Smart fridge smart.
I was ready gawk at what ads on my fridge would look like, and then this. I don’t know what I expected.
Archived link for you.
Thank you
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?
Should block it. Blocks the homescreen ads on my Roku.
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.
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.
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 door could be cool, especially if you could setup a place for virtual sticky notes that you could leave reminders and such for family members.
It’s not worth it for ad space though and I wouldn’t want it to be required for the fridge to operate either!
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
Good luck when they all have screens :(
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.
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.
There are tablets with docks available. E.g. I could use Pixel tablet with the hub for that, even with privacy-supporting GrapheneOS.
I was about to say… I have a laptop that can go anywhere in the house, including the kitchen. It’s not tethered to any one location and can do all the things that fridge screen can do, and much more. Laptops also have ad blockers freely available.
True, although the actual big display on the Samsung fridge powered by the fridge itself showing various widgets is pretty nice. The fridge is also a good location for it, and you’d have to otherwise run a wire across your fridge to power your own tablet. The main problem is that your hardware and your data belong to Samsung after you buy it. Other problem is it seems to also be overpriced. 🤷♂️
The fridge is also a good location for it, and you’d have to otherwise run a wire across your fridge to power your own tablet.
What? How is the fridge possibly a good location for it? In what world could that ever be true? And do you not have wall outlets in your kitchen? Put your device on the counter!
I mean… what?
In my case at least, every other part of my kitchen has counters or cabinets, and there isn’t really an empty space on a wall to hang a tablet. The fridge would be a good place for a screen, except if it’s not built-in, there would be a wire. I can see someone with a different layout not following my logic, though.
Ok, so let’s say you’re making dinner and you want to watch something at the same time. Perhaps you’re chopping vegetables on the counter. Do you really want to be looking at the front of the fridge while you do that? If the fridge is against the same wall as the counter you need to crane your head back to see anything, and if it’s on a different wall you need to turn your head a totally different direction. Why not use one of those tablet cases with a kick stand and then put the tablet right in front of you, on the counter? Like right in front of the the cutting board you’re using.
I don’t know, I think if you do anything other than putting it right in front of you, you’re gonna and up losing some fingers instead of chopping veggies.
The fridge is a very inconvenient location though.
My tablet sits on the counter where I am prepping food when using mealie, or where I am standing to cook when I am talking with someone over Jitsi.
Tablet batteries last far longer than any session I am at in the kitchen so after words it just goes to the charger for tomorrow.
No need for wires during use, and its charging station is where ALL my devices chargers are.
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)
I’m clinging to my “dumb” fridge for dear life
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.
This
imagine paying 2k for a fridge just because it has a screen and stupid smart shit. basic fridge please and thank you.
and play ads on it too.
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.
I still wouldn’t buy it, but I agree.
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.
I’d expect it’s probably not possible to unplug the screen without unplugging the whole fridge XD
No they won’t, because I’m not stupid enough to buy a ridiculously overpriced fridge.
Here’s what they look like on my fridge:
I would not buy appliances with ads,
I would not buy them, Sam-I-Am.I would not buy them here or there. I would not buy them anywhere. I do not like appliances with ads. I do not like them Sam-I-Am.
Not in my house
Not in a flat
Don’t make me grouse
I do not want that!
That’s the main issue here. This fridge didn’t show ads when people bought it.
So buying things that don’t show ads isn’t enough. You need to only buy things that don’t get updates.But… Do you need the LCD panel? Will the box still get cold without it? Cause I do have a hammer…
Yeah, that just makes this so sinister.
What I mean is that my fridge doesn’t have a screen. So if Panasonic decided to show me ads on a fridge where the most complicated feature is the ice maker, that would be a neat trick.
Receives a letter at home from Panasonic containing a message, a color printed sheet and a fridge magnet.
Message reads: “Dear costumer, please use enclosed fridge magnet to hang provided advert sheet on your Panasonic refrigerator”
Funny you say that, in Japan it’s common to get business magnets in your junk mail. Stuff like cleaners, in-home therapy, etc.
We did too… Like 10 years ago. I haven’t seen that nonsense in a while. The closest thing is a coupon calendar.
