Cisco has stated, a few hours ago, in a followup to their original blog that:
"Linksys customers are not required to sign-up for the Cisco Connect Cloud service and they are able to opt-out of signing up for an account
Cisco Connect Cloud is an optional service that brings additional features to a home network. It is not required to set-up and manage Cisco Linksys EA Series routers. In response to our customers’ concerns, we have simplified the process for opting-out of the Cisco Connect Cloud service and have changed the default setting back to traditional router set-up and management.
Customers can set-up and manage their Linksys router without signing up for a Cisco Connect Cloud account
If a customer chooses not to set up a Cisco Connect Cloud account, they can manage their router with the current local management software. We are committed to providing both Cloud-enabled and local management software."
That indicates there will be continued updates of local firmware.
The blog goes on to specifically answer other questions and criticisms of Cisco Cloud. In particular, the blog answers the question about Linksy routers and/or Cisco cloud collecting information about how users use the internet FOUR TIMES apparently trying to quell fears and appease angry users.
Some posters in the Linksy official forums are saying that their routers have, since July 4, been automatically downgraded to the earlier firmware version raising the possibility that Cisco may be reverting all routers that were upgraded to cloud software.
The blog states that Cisco is working on updating its TOS to accurately reflect its commitment "to the privacy and security of our customers". I await this revised TOS with interest. I don't know if this is just hurried damage control, and later Cisco will try the same thing again, or if they have "seen the light" and are committed to continuing to support local firmware updates for the foreseeable future. I hope the latter as I have a Linksy router that is old and I was planning, before this happened, to replace it with a new Linksy.
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blogs.cisco.com/home/upd ··· cloud-2/
