FTC study finds companies offering ‘smart’ products provide limited information on duration of software updates

The Federal Trade Commission determined in a new paper that the vast majority of companies are not disclosing publicly how long they will continue providing software updates on “smart” products and identifies potential areas where enforcement may be needed.

“FTC staff looked for information about the duration of software support commitments for 184 connected products, including smart phones, home appliances, health monitors, and fitness devices. The big takeaway from this study: Nearly 89 percent of the manufacturers’ web pages for...