A Better Mousetrap
Summary
Journalist David Sirota’s Logitech mouse suddenly failed, sparking a deeper investigation into the fragility of connected devices. Host Alex Goldman and Consumer Reports’ Stacey Higginbotham explore how expired software certificates can brick hardware, challenging traditional notions of ownership. The episode highlights the need for better consumer protections, such as mandatory support timelines and graceful degradation, to prevent companies from remotely disabling products they sell.
Topics discussed
Intro, Kitchen Sisters project, and sponsor ads
David Sirota's obsession with ergonomic mice
The day David's Logitech mouse stopped working
Logitech's TLS certificate error and David's reaction
The real cause: Logitech Options Plus app dependency
Interview with Stacey Higginbotham from Consumer Reports
The hidden costs and security risks of IoT devices
Proposed legislation for connected product transparency
Sponsor ads for Strawberry and Momentous
Recap of the mouse incident and regulatory push
David's final thoughts on digital ownership and credits
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