HP is a household name when it comes to printers, but the company employs questionable practices to maximize profits. Much like Apple, HP aims to create a closed ecosystem, forcing you to use only its ink with its printers, especially if you opt into HP+.

Recently, I was at my in-laws’ home and signed up for HP+ for them through the app only to discover that once you accept, the printer firmware is updated permanently. There’s no way to undo it, and you’re locked into using HP ink cartridges to print anything.

It blocked me from printing on my in-laws’ printer because they were using third-party cartridges. Below, I get into the whole saga about HP+, how I wasted hours trying to find a workaround only to learn there’s no way out, and how HP has been hit with multiple lawsuits over this.

GET SECURITY ALERTS AND EXPERT TIPS – SIGN UP FOR KURT’S NEWSLETTER – THE CYBERGUY REPORT HERE

What is HP+ and why you may want to avoid it

HP+ is an optional service available with select HP printers. It’s free and offers cloud connectivity, an extended warranty and more. In HP’s own words, “HP+ is an innovative smart printing system that comes with select HP printers. It offers several benefits, including up to three months of free Instant Ink with compatible printers.”

It might sound harmless initially, but when you dig into the details, you’ll find that the subscription blocks you from using ink other than HP’s. Plus, it requires a constant internet connection just to work. HP+ was introduced in 2020, with the HP LaserJet M200 Series and the HP OfficeJet Pro 8000e and 9000e series being among the first supported printers.

WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?

Printer on a desk in an office setting (HP)

BEST POWER STRIPS AND SURGE PROTECTORS 2024

Once you install HP+ is there a way to reverse or opt out?

The best solution is to avoid signing up for HP+ in the first place, but unfortunately that wasn’t an option for me. So, I called customer support, hoping to find a solution. However, even after spending over an hour on the phone, I didn’t get one. The customer service rep told me that once you sign up, there’s no turning back. They then said the only option to fix what had been done and allow my in-laws to return to using their third-party cartridges is to send them back the printer. 

On a related note, normally you can use any brand’s ink with your printer, which makes things easier and more affordable because you can choose ink that fits your budget. A while back, I wrote a guide about the cheapest printer ink and how to make cartridges last longer. You might want to check it out to get the most out of your printer.

Back to my story. HP told me they were willing to replace my printer with a new one (without HP+), but I’d have to cover the shipping costs. As another option, they said they’d send me four HP cartridges – just once, though – so it’s not exactly a long-term fix. We opted for the four HP cartridges for the time being while we consider replacing the printer with an entirely other brand. 

What a headache. 

A printer on a table in an office setting (HP)

MASSIVE DELL DATA BREACH HITS 49 MILLION USERS. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR PRIVACY AND SECURITY

The HP printer ink issue is now in court

HP+ hasn’t just been a headache for me, many others have had issues, too, and some even took HP to court. One lawsuit filed by Mobile Emergency Housing Corp., Performance Automotive & Tire Center and David Justin Lynch has reached a settlement in principle, and HP is working on finalizing the agreement.

The lawsuit claimed that HP pushed a software update to its printers, making them incompatible with other brands’ ink cartridges. It is looking to represent anyone nationwide who had an HP Color LaserJet Pro M254, HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M280, HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M281 or any other model affected by HP malware transmissions, reported Top Class Actions.

Another lawsuit, which kicked off in January, makes a similar claim. It focuses on a firmware update from late 2022 to early 2023 that allegedly disabled printers if non-HP cartridges were used.

We reached out to HP for a response to our article but did not hear back before our deadline.

SUBSCRIBE TO KURT’S FACEBOOK PAGE FOR QUICK TECH TIPS ON HOW TO WORK ALL OF YOUR TECH DEVICES

TOP PRINTERS FOR 2024

Kurt’s key takeaway

The HP+ service just doesn’t make sense to me as a consumer, and it won’t to anyone else who values their money. If I can get the same ink for cheaper, or if I already have third-party ink on hand, why would I spend extra cash on HP-branded ink? If I’m paying for the printer hardware, I should be able to use it however I want, not as the company dictates. As a word of caution, avoid signing up for HP+ if you’re looking for more choices in ink options.

Do you think printer manufacturers should have the right to restrict which ink cartridges you use or should that choice be up to the consumer? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover.

Follow Kurt on his social channels:

Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:

New from Kurt:

Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.

The California State Assembly has passed the Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act (SB 1047), Reuters reports. The bill is one of the first significant regulations of artificial intelligence in the US.

The bill, which has been a flashpoint for debate in Silicon Valley and beyond, would obligate AI companies operating in California to implement a number of precautions before they train a sophisticated foundation model. Those include making it possible to quickly and fully shut the model down, ensuring the model is protected against “unsafe post-training modifications,” and maintaining a testing procedure to evaluate whether a model or its derivatives is especially at risk of “causing or enabling a critical harm.”

Senator Scott Wiener, the bill’s main author, said SB 1047 is a highly reasonable bill that asks large AI labs to do what they’ve already committed to doing: test their large models for catastrophic safety risk. “We’ve worked hard all year, with open source advocates, Anthropic, and others, to refine and improve the bill. SB 1047 is well calibrated to what we know about forseeable AI risks, and it deserves to be enacted.”

Critics of SB 1047 — including OpenAI and Anthropic, politicians Zoe Lofgren and Nancy Pelosi, and California’s Chamber of Commerce — have argued that it’s overly focused on catastrophic harms and could unduly harm small, open-source AI developers. The bill was amended in response, replacing potential criminal penalties with civil ones, narrowing enforcement powers granted to California’s attorney general, and adjusting requirements to join a “Board of Frontier Models” created by the bill.

After the State Senate votes on the amended bill — a vote that’s expected to pass — the AI safety bill will head to Governor Gavin Newsom, who will have until the end of September to decide its fate, according to The New York Times.

Anthropic declined to comment beyond pointing to a letter sent by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei to Governor Newsom last week. OpenAI didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Welcome to Fox News’ Artificial Intelligence newsletter with the latest AI technology advancements.

IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:

– Elon Musk endorses California AI regulation bill: ‘Tough call’

– Rapper will.i.am. debuts AI radio app with digital personas, curated content

– How Meta AI can be your new digital assistant on the tech giants platforms

‘TOUGH CALL’: Tech billionaire Elon Musk has said that California should pass a controversial bill that would regulate artificial intelligence through having tech companies and AI developers be responsible for safety testing and implementing safeguards against cyberattacks.

‘NEVER TIRED’: While many musicians and celebrities have spoken out against A.I., rapper wiil.i.am is getting in on the technology, announcing a new artificial intelligence app called Raidio.FYI.

Meta’s AI chatbot  (Meta)

AI HANDY HELPER : Meta’s artificial intelligence chatbot, powered by Llama 3, is designed to make your online experience smoother and more enjoyable across platforms like Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. Imagine having a helpful assistant that can quickly answer your questions, provide useful information and even help you create content — all right at your fingertips.

CREEPY COMPETITOR: If you’ve ever found yourself without a partner for a game of pingpong, you might be excited to hear that technology has come to the rescue. Imagine having a robot that can rally with you, challenge your skills and help you improve your game — all without needing a human opponent.

Table tennis robot playing a game of ping-pong with a person (DeepMind Robotics)

Subscribe now to get the Fox News Artificial Intelligence Newsletter in your inbox.

FOLLOW FOX NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Twitter
LinkedIn

SIGN UP FOR OUR OTHER NEWSLETTERS

Fox News First
Fox News Opinion
Fox News Lifestyle
Fox News Health

DOWNLOAD OUR APPS

Fox News
Fox Business
Fox Weather
Fox Sports
Tubi

WATCH FOX NEWS ONLINE

Fox News Go

STREAM FOX NATION

Fox Nation

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future with Fox News here.