Cisco Systems has moved backwards from its Cisco Connect Cloud service by no longer allowing it to be the default setting for management of its Linksys EA Series Wi-Fi routers. This came after continuous complaints from users about automatic firmware updates and the system's terms of service.
The default technique for managing Linksys routers has been changed from the normal setup using the local network to an updated system. With the new Cisco Connect Cloud, the internet-based administration service is now the new default for routers.
This complicates things for users, as those who want to use the Cisco Connect Cloud feature, now have to manually choose that option on their own.
After receiving so many customer complaints, Cisco began helping users revert back to the old management system, but now users have to choose the new service on their own.
Cisco announced the change in service through a blog post, where the company expressed their apologies for the new change and said that they hoped to end customers' worry about privacy and firmware updates.
"We believe lack of clarity in our own terms of service has contributed to many of our customers' concerns, and we apologize for the confusion and inconvenience this has caused," wrote Brett Wingo, vice president and general manager of Cisco Home Networking.
Customers read over the Cisco Connect Cloud terms of service which states that the service could possibly collect information about how customers are using the service, including their internet history. It further said that Cisco could share "aggregated and anonymous user experience information" with third parties. This made customers even more fearful.
In a response to this anxiety, Wingo wrote, "Cisco Connect Cloud and Cisco Linksys routers do not monitor or store information about how our customers are using the Internet and we do not arbitrarily disconnect customers from the Internet. The Cisco Connect Cloud Service has never monitored customers' Internet usage, nor was it designed to do so."
Following the spur of complains, Cisco rewrote its privacy policy and actively helped users change their router firmware to the old version. The company also helped to end automatic updates.
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