UPDATE: We surpassed our goal of 200 bricks! But, if you would still like to place an order, it is not too late. So, order your brick now.
Here are some quick and easy ways you can help!
- Send a brick if you have not already done so.
- Share this story by :
- Posting it to your social networks, http://ur1.ca/44wwv
- Blogging about it or putting the banner on your blog or web site http://defectivebydesign.org/nintendo#banners. Supporter Stefano Maffulli's post is a great example at http://maffulli.net/2011/05/11/the-horrible-terms-of-service-in-nintendo-3ds/.
- Up-voting some of the stories and comments we have already submitted: http://libreplanet.org/wiki/Group:DefectiveByDesign#Brick_Nintendo_sharing_links
- Do you have a favorite journalist, reviewer, or tech writer? David Pogue? Engadget? Gizmodo? Send them a short note letting them know about the TOS and DRM on the Nintendo 3DS. (See our sample letter below.)
Also, the DefectiveByDesign.org campaign called the Nintendo support center and they confirmed they may not be able to unbrick a device once they have bricked it. Further, they said that any work they did trying to fix a bricked 3DS would not be covered by a warranty, since that would have been voided at the time they bricked your 3DS. Therefore, you would have to pay them to attempt to fix it. So, this isn't just a hypothetical -- Nintendo knows what they are doing.
Sample Letter for reviewers
I wanted to inform you of an important story being covered by
DefectiveByDesign.org. It concerns the Terms of Service (TOS) and
Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technology on the Nintendo 3DS. I believe this is an important story and my hope is that [NAME OF NEWS OUTLET OR BLOG] will cover it. You can find the blog post and more detailed analysis of the TOS at
the following URLs: Some of the important points covered by these articles are listed
below: Nintendo reserves the right to connect to your device and do a
firmware update without notifying you. Further, Nintendo has
confirmed that such a firmware update could be used to brick the
device (i.e,. render it unplayable); and their TOS stipulates that
if you use the device with any unauthorized modifications,
accessories, or software, that such a firmware update will brick
the device. If a person takes photos or videos with the 3DS, Nintendo claims a
copyright license to those pictures or videos. All activities done on the device, including cartridges used, games
played, programs run, wireless beacons connected to, etc. are
tracked and stored on the device. This is very similar to the
recent iPhone location-tracking scandal. By default, your 3DS will always be trying to connect to a wifi
connection (even in sleep mode), and upon connection it will upload
all tracked data, including the "user content" (such as the videos
and photos taken; messages created by the person; etc) to Nintendo
servers. Nintendo is clearly targeting children with the 3DS; and their
message to parents is that it's the parents responsibility to
carefully watch their children using it; and make sure they don't
enter any personal information (e.g., take pictures, videos, type
their name to friends they are chatting with, etc.). And, while
they can turn wireless off and selectively disable some software
through settings, it doesn't actually stop collecting and tracking
the info. The DefectiveByDesign.org campaign called the Nintendo call center,
and after being passed around a bit, Nintendo confirmed that not only
could they brick your device, but, that once bricked, they are unsure
they would even be able to salvage it. Further, they said that any
attempted work they did on it would not be covered by a warranty,
since that would be voided, so you would have to pay for the attempt
to fix it! Again, I hope you will consider covering this important story.
Dear [NAME]
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]