Yup. I've heard this first about Home Assistant, but software like this often inadvertently acts like a pacifier for tech enthusiasts. We may have our neat solution for the moment and be content with that, but that doesn't help anyone else, or us in the long term. Things will get worse with no push-back.

Disclaimer: That's not to say that we shouldn't advocate for those tools in the meantime as well. We just shouldn't lose track of the actual problem.

The US constitution basically guarantees us root access to our own lives (life, liberty, and the pursuit of property/happiness). I'd like the same or better for my devices.

People get what they pay for.