An anonymous hero created a website called GE Filtergate. The website describes how his GE refrigerator issued an ominous warning that he had seven days to install a new GE water filter before the refrigerator "disabled its own ice and water system.
He examined the refrigerator and learned that the filter had an RFID chip:
What gives? Well some asshole at GE thought it would be a good idea to include a fucking RFID DRM module in select refrigerators.
From the patents [US10040009B1, US9366388B2 ]it looks like I can thank inventors Mr. Krause and Mr. Chernov for their freedom sucking, major appliance disabling, communist, 1984-esque idea. From what I am reading — with every press of the dispense switch the control board asks the DRM board, "Please sir, may I dispense some water for my loving owners."
Now the hero part comes in. He removed the RFID module from a filter bypass unit and taped it to the RFID reader. This prevents the refrigerator from shutting down its own water and ice system.
