Qualcomm quietly rewrote the terms of service for its newest acquisition, programmable microcontroller and SBC maker Arduino, drawing intense fire from the maker community for grabbing additional rights to user-generated content on its platform and prohibiting reverse-engineering of what was once very open software.
In a level of open criticism that’s unusually frank for Microsoft’s corporate-friendly business-networking site, hobbyist electronics vendor Adafruit published a stinging assessment of the rewritten terms and conditions for Qualcomm’s new subsidiary Arduino, saying that “the changes mark a clear break from the open-hardware ethos that built the platform.”
The New York-based open-source electronics vendor has harsh views about the new Arduino Privacy Policy and new Terms and Conditions. Among its comments, Adafruit’s post says:
The new documents introduce an irrevocable, perpetual license over anything users upload, broad surveillance-style monitoring of AI features, a clause preventing users from identifying potential patent infringement, years-long retention of usernames even after account deletion, and the integration of all user data (including minors) into Qualcomm’s global data ecosystem.
If that were not worrying enough, it notes:
Users are now explicitly forbidden from reverse-engineering or even attempting to understand how the platform works unless Arduino gives permission.
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Source: Makers slam Qualcomm for tightening the clamps on Arduino • The Register
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