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from the take-a-little-ride-on-the-old-John-Deere dept.
An article about how the Russian military stole farm equipment from a John Deere dealership in the Ukraine, only to find it all remotely disabled when trying to use/sell it on the other side:
Russian troops in the occupied city of Melitopol have stolen all the equipment from a farm equipment dealership -- and shipped it to Chechnya, according to a Ukrainian businessman in the area.
But after a journey of more than 700 miles, the thieves were unable to use any of the equipment -- because it had been locked remotely.
Over the past few weeks there's been a growing number of reports of Russian troops stealing farm equipment, grain and even building materials - beyond widespread looting of residences. But the removal of valuable agricultural equipment from a John Deere dealership in Melitopol speaks to an increasingly organized operation, one that even uses Russian military transport as part of the heist.
[...] Other sources in the Melitopol region say theft by Russian military units has extended to grain held in silos, in a region that produces hundreds of thousands of tonnes of crops a year.
Are there other examples like this justifying some sort of limited DRM? How prominent do you think this will be held up as an example in lobbying efforts to justify not passing "Right To Repair" laws?
(Score: 4, Interesting) by SomeGuy on Tuesday May 03 2022, @01:27PM
So this is what Putin meant by "Special Military Operation".
Special, as in "special ed."
I'll also just point out that while this one time Digital Restrictions Management did something good, it does not justify its existence. At least 99% of the time what it does is bad. Besides, these "special" Russians will still probably make money from parts.
I always have to groan when I see a title like "EvilRapeTech saves a baby!" because I know darn well that sort of thing sways a lot of idiots in to thinking whatever tech is suddenly good for them.