Right To Repair

We all know this to be true: when you buy something, you own it. Money and goods have changed hands, and after the transaction you're the new owner of the thing you've just purchased...

_{source: Picpedia}

Or are you? Well, not entirely. Owning something truly implies that you now have the right to make adjustments to the product, and have the right to repair the product if it's broken. Well, that's a problem in the books of many manufacturers of electronics, cars and other consumer products. My nephew is very handy when it comes to repairing cars, and I've had great advantage throughout the years; I always come to him when my car needs repairing or maintenance. However, he's always warned me to never buy cars produced after 2000 - 2005, because by then cars were so computerized that he couldn't repair them anymore; I now have a 2005 Ford Focus C Max... Modern cars need to be linked to a computer to switch off warning lights, for example, something that can only be done through some proprietary software that's only available to the official dealership. This is one way manufacturers force consumers to use only their own (expensive) repair facilities. One manufacturer outside the automotive industry that's infamous for this practice is Apple.

The below linked video is a short rant by one of my favorite YouTubers, Louis Rossmann, who owns an independent repair shop for computers, mobile phones and tablets; he shows how Apple has further cornered the market, and further limited consumers' right to repair, with the introduction of the iPhone 12... So, when you go out and purchase the newest iPhone, please keep in mind that you don't really own it; you buy the right to use it for a period of time, you're leasing it. I can understand Louis' frustration about this topic; he's been warning his audience for years about this trend, but seeing how popular Apple phones still are, the message doesn't seem to land. There's some good news though; on 3 November the right to repair is on the ballot in Massachusetts:

ON NOVEMBER 3, Massachusetts voters will get to weigh in on Question 1, a proposal on the ballot that would make the data on a car’s computer available to third-party repair shops. This would change the status quo—where only dealerships are allowed to access that data—and present a big gain for proponents of the right-to-repair movement. The RTR folks argue that consumers should have the ability to fix, alter, and otherwise access the inner workings of the technology they purchase, whether that’s a car, a vacuum cleaner, or an iPhone.
_{source: Wired}

That's about all I have for today's short post. The Right to Repair is government legislation that is intended to allow consumers the ability to repair and modify their own consumer electronic devices, where otherwise the manufacturer of such devices require the consumer to use only their offered services. This is but one of the many battles before us of we want to claim our rights back from the capitalist oligarchy, one we can not win without a government that's on OUR side. We have a long way to go still...

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