From another site:
There is speculation in the PlayStation homebrew community that the change was a way for Sony to sneak in code that will hamper modders. An online check-in is a common tactic against modded hardware, as it prevents illegally downloaded games from being played on the console unless it connects to the internet, which then begins the process of downloading and installing the latest firmware.
Inconveniencing everyone because of a sale you never had. Brilliant.
We should. Rendering these systems inoperable will lead to them getting scrapped. If paying customers can’t play their games because of DRM BS whivh doesn’t benefit them at all when it works, they will want refunds