My Phone, Not Samsung’s Property! Stop the Digital Guardianship.
The Opening (Personal Impact):
"Does this sound familiar? You buy a high-end smartphone for over $1,000, treat it like your most prized possession, and after a few years, the manufacturer suddenly tells you: ‘Thanks for your money, but your device is now essentially trash.’
This is exactly what I’m experiencing with Samsung. My phone is in perfect technical shape. The screen is flawless, the battery is strong, and the camera still takes incredible photos. But through software locks (the Bootloader Lock), I’m being treated like a tenant in my own home. By ending security updates, Samsung is practically forcing me to throw away a working phone and buy a new one. Why? Because they lock the hardware, preventing me from installing independent software like LineageOS, which could keep my phone secure for years to come.
This isn't 'security'—it’s planned ownership theft and an absolute disaster for the environment!"
Why This Affects Us All (The Arguments):
PC vs. Mobile – The Massive Contradiction: On any laptop, we can install Linux or Windows as we please. Nobody would dream of dictating which OS we must use just because there's a SIM card slot. Why do we accept this for our phones?
Pure Greenwashing: Manufacturers talk endlessly about sustainability, yet they actively prevent us from using our devices for more than 5–7 years. An open bootloader is the ultimate form of recycling!
Security as an Excuse: Samsung hides behind EU directives to lock us out. But true security means I get to decide who provides my updates once the manufacturer loses interest.
Similar Cases & Evidence (The Proof):
To show the world you aren’t alone, here is the "burden of proof":
The "Knox" Trap: On forums like XDA-Developers, there are thousands of posts from users whose hardware was artificially devalued (e.g., Samsung Pay disabled forever) just because they tried to exercise their right to software freedom.
The US Lock as a Warning: In the United States, Samsung has already completely hard-locked the bootloaders on many models. We must prevent this trend from becoming the legal standard in the EU! (Source: Reddit r/Android / XDA Community).
Abuse of EU Rules: Experts criticize that the EU Radio Equipment Directive (RED) is being used by manufacturers as an excuse to shut down the market and block alternative operating systems. (Source: FSFE - Free Software Foundation Europe).
Our Demand to Policymakers:
We demand a law that mandates manufacturers: At the latest, once the final official security update has been released, the bootloader MUST be made freely accessible to the owner.
The "Call to Action" (The Final Punch):
Don't let them turn your expensive tech into e-waste. Stand up for your right to own what you paid for! Sign the petition now and share it with everyone who is tired of being forced into a new purchase every few years.