> So I guess my issue is not thinking of these general purpose computers as appliances, so much as it is treating the owner of the device as a security threat.

And in this we are 100% in agreement.

The issue in the US is that liability falls on the manufacturer if they don't "reasonably prevent" the device from deviating from its designed function. So if you hack your washer machine to do a 20,000 RPM spin cycle and it fails catastrophically and kills someone, they have some liability there. Parents have successfully sued when their kids have 'modified' things that later killed or injured that kid. Just as burglars have successfully sued for being injured while breaking into a facility. THAT part of US tort law is really broken and needs to change.