Security News > 2021 > June > Peloton's $3,000 treadmill now comes with surprise 'subscription fee'
"We care deeply about the safety and well-being of our Members and we created Tread Lock to secure your Tread+ against unauthorized access," writes Peloton in an email.
As the Tread Lock feature is mandatory and is only available to Peloton subscribers, owners are now forced to use their treadmill with a subscription.
"Wow. The Peloton Tread will no longer allow you to use your $3000 treadmill without a $39.99 a month subscription. The pretext is their design issues that led to a child's death," said Brianna Wu, Rebellion PAC executive director and former Massachusetts candidate for US House.
"Unfortunately, Tread Lock is not yet available without a Peloton Membership, which means Tread+ owners without a subscription cannot access Just Run at this time."
BleepingComputer additionally asked Peloton to clarify whether Peloton plans on bringing Tread Lock to non-subscribers as well, or will the subscription requirement apply indefinitely from this point on.
"We understand that this is an inconvenience for some and are working on updates to Tread Lock that will allow us to make Tread Lock and Just Run available without a Peloton Membership," Peloton told BleepingComputer.