“Digital rights management” - the way that manufacturers can lock users out of their hardware, claiming broad copyright over the firmware and software that run the hardware.
This is quite interesting and problematic story - where suffers of sleep disorders are taking things, and their lives into their own hands, as they feel ignored by companies and medical professionals.
Presents a real ethical conundrum. Seems like being forced to hack medical hardware is a terrible option, and people should be fully aware of the risks, but not necessarily prevented from doing so…?
But the reporter claims
Several people with sleep apnea I spoke to said that any concern that altering their treatment is dangerous is misplaced; many said they believe it’s fear-mongering by doctors and device manufacturers, and all of them stressed that they would never make modifications without fully understanding how the machines work and what the data is telling them.