alt Hacker NewsA forced update or continual loop of "yes" or "later" is not consent. The fact that there is no "No" option shows that.
Fabricated or fake consent, or worse, forced automated updates, indicates that the company is the owner and exerting ownership-level control. Thus the sale was fraudulently conducted as a sale but is really an indefinite rental.
It Is not an indefinite rental. A sale can't be "misrepresented". It is a blatant CFAA violation. They are accessing your computer, modifying its configuration, and exfiltrating your private data without your authorization.
If I buy a used vehicle for example, I have exactly zero relationship with the manufacturer. I never agree to anything at all with them. I turn the car on and it goes. They do not have any authorization to touch anything.
We shouldn't confuse what's happening here. The engineers working on these systems that access people's computers without authorization should absolutely be in prison right alongside the executives that allowed or pushed for it. They know exactly what they're doing.