Probably preaching the choir here, but the software is just a symptom.

The problem are the power-relationships and laws which allow someone to abuse you and your stuff, block competition, and even put you in jail for trying to remove the software or helping others to remove it.

> Correction: My car spies on me and its cruise control no longer works because it slams on the brakes in the middle of the highway whenever it sees a mirage. My dishwasher broke because it got an unasked-for software upgrade.

Never, ever connect appliances to the Internet. I thought this was common knowledge on HN. Also pull the telematics (cell modem) fuse to prevent your car from snooping on you and selling your location and driving habits to data brokers and insurance companies.