Big Tech

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    Apple Found The Tollbooth Again

    ByLee Keybum

    Apple keeps saying the App Store rules protect users, which may even be true when the internet starts selling miracle crypto vitamins through a flashlight app. But in the Epic fight over outside payment links, developer rules, and fees, the safety checkpoint keeps looking suspiciously like a platform toll booth with nicer typography.

    Developers argue over links and payment options; ordinary users get the practical poetry of warning screens, subscription detours, and a button that says “agree” while gently walking their lunch money back to the company cashier. Scams exist. Privacy matters. But protection should not require a velvet rope around the cheapest exit, especially when the bouncer is wearing a privacy vest and asking whether you’d like to renew monthly.

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    Uber One Meets Cancel Never

    ByLee Keybum

    Uber can summon a car, dinner, and a receipt before your thumb cools down, but the FTC says Uber One allegedly got a lot less magical when customers wanted to stop paying. “Cancel anytime” is supposed to mean user freedom, not Terms of Surrender cosplay where the app suddenly develops the emotional availability of a landlord with your security deposit.

    The ordinary user consequence is the whole tech subscription scam in miniature: the sign-up path is velvet rope, spotlight, confetti; the exit path is a subscription barnacle with feelings. Uber sells frictionless convenience, yet the FTC’s complaint says the company allegedly added friction around billing, savings claims, and cancellation. Big Tech believes deeply in one-tap design right up until the tap is pointed away from your wallet.

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