cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/47871545
🌐 Many companies now block older browser versions from accessing their websites!
This follows many browser makers ending updates 4 older operating systems, leaving legacy devices unable to use web services without an OS upgrade.
This kinda reminds me of the Java website block by browsers a few years ago, just in reverse. (Revenge? ;)
Old Android versions are also increasingly blocked from accessing the Google appstore.
Truly about security or perhaps Planned Obsolescence?
Update: “old devices can only use old os > old os can only use old browser > old browser cannot use web> poor uneducated people = screwed once again!”
“Only suggesting corporate browsers, kinda like an ad.”
Yep, my father in law got locked out of his bank because of this. He has a Chromebook so he couldn’t upgrade anymore, he thought he had to change his computer but fortunately Linux will never be obsolete so I just migrated him to freedom.
10/10 in law support <3
I had the bad idea to study computer science so I’m basically the computer (and unfortunately printer) “specialist” of the whole in-law family. Yay
It’s been like that for years if not decades though.
Not doubting that, however it’s the first time I have encountered it at this level, and I have used kinda retro devices to surf the web at times ;)
I think this is not a clean cut case of evil planned obsolescence. There are valid security concerns, as browsers are a common attack vector. You should get that updated, also to protect your privacy while surfing online. So for a banking site or similar, I kind of get it. (I recognize there is a possible conundrum when people can’t go bank in person because the bank no longer has branches and/or get excluded by their old hardware/economic reasons from doing it online. Should they be able to choose risking it if the bank knows about a flaw they then leave exposed? Shit’s complicated.)
That being said I’m sure this banner of corporate concern was not primarily motivated by the security and privacy of their users.
Yeah if it was just the login page of a bank or something it would make sense, but these are all kind of websites, blocking complete access for no reason. They could put a warning instead “Use at your own risk” if they wanted and not just tell people to get corp browsers “CHROME EDGE FIREFOX SAFARI OPERA” ;)
Even for a non-bank website, I imagine there is an octogenarian federal judge somewhere in the States who is still puzzled by fax machines who made a ruling holding website owners liable if they didn’t do this when they know of any vulnerability that could affect the user. So there is a possible legal angle as well.
The people who use browsers other than the ones listed will either never see this message or know how to upgrade on their own.
I have an old iPad Mini that is long outside the support deadline for Apple. It’s using AltStore instead now, but when I tried to install a patched version of Spotify, the app and even the web app, completely blocked both the OS version and the WebKit version. I can’t even use the web version of Apple Music on it. The amount of artificial locks these companies use is annoying as fuck.
How is this related to privacy, as you posted it in the privacy community?
What sub do you think it should go in?
idk, webdesign? Retro computing? Capitalism?
No more Netscape Navigator for me I guess. 🥲
It’s mostly age verification services. Some Lithuanian service blocked me this way when I tried to sign up for a Wise account.
just spoof your user-agent whats the problem
also: using old browser versions is really unsafe, there is always a way to run recent software on your hardware, you can install custom roms on old phones, install linux old old computers etc.
I think the only problem here is the user.
if you want firefox without the ai bs install librewolf
saying that old devices can only use old os is bs
The method by which they check if your browser is “out-of-date” is not always/usually a simple version check. They check for browser features such as JS, WebGL, WASM, etc.
I would more so think it’s a privacy issue to use older browsers. At least compared with the modern privacy-focused ones.
