Washing Machines as Data Spies: John Oliver Takes on Subscriptions

John Oliver argues that subscription models have exploded across industries—from media to household devices—so you pay for ongoing services rather than ownership. He highlights examples like auto services, printer ink, and smart appliances that collect data, and notes how ‘dark patterns’ make signing up easy while canceling can be intentionally hard. The piece emphasizes checking bank statements and device subscriptions, and mentions regulatory efforts such as the FTC’s proposed ‘click to cancel’ rule as a potential fix to a widespread consumer pain point.