4 ms·

Massachusetts already did a limited form of right to repair. I know at least Subaru and Kia now don't sell with certain features in MA as a result.

KennyBlanken 4y ago
MA passed a right to repair bill requiring tools be made available to third party mechanics. So car companies shifted all the functionality of those tools into "telematics" (so for example, instead of a Subaru tech plugging in a scan tool, now he logs into a Subaru website which talks to the car over its cellular based telematics link) and said "neener neener, you didn't say telematics in your law, HAW HAW!" So MA passed a second right to repair bill specifying telematics is included, and slapped back harder by speccing that they had to establish various systems to grant third parties access, etc. A couple of automakers responded by petulantly disabling telematics functions for any vehicles sold in MA. Of note: both bills were general ballot measures, because the Right To Repair folks knew that they'd never get a bill like it through the MA legislature due to lobbyists and legislative corruption (aided by much of the MA legislature's activities not being public record; the executive branch has also declared itself exempt from public record/meeting laws, as has the judiciary.) The other thing of note: automakers ran a massive advertising campaign including videos strongly implying that women would get stalked and sexually assaulted/murdered, presumably by third parties given access to their vehicle's telematics. They basically called independent mechanics rapists and murderers. Worse, they claimed that a sexual assault victim's NPO (RAINN I think? I forget) was against the bill. Turns out it was a bald-faced lie and the org wasted no time reaching out to press to inform them of that. It really tells you how much was at stake here profits-wise, and how important right to repair is, that automakers were willing to shout "YOU'LL BE RAPED BY YOUR MECHANIC!" and lie so blatantly about NPOs supporting them

KennyBlanken 4y ago

MA passed a right to repair bill requiring tools be made available to third party mechanics. So car companies shifted all the functionality of those tools into "telematics" (so for example, instead of a Subaru tech plugging in a scan tool, now he logs into a Subaru website which talks to the car over its cellular based telematics link) and said "neener neener, you didn't say telematics in your law, HAW HAW!" So MA passed a second right to repair bill specifying telematics is included, and slapped back harder by speccing that they had to establish various systems to grant third parties access, etc. A couple of automakers responded by petulantly disabling telematics functions for any vehicles sold in MA. Of note: both bills were general ballot measures, because the Right To Repair folks knew that they'd never get a bill like it through the MA legislature due to lobbyists and legislative corruption (aided by much of the MA legislature's activities not being public record; the executive branch has also declared itself exempt from public record/meeting laws, as has the judiciary.) The other thing of note: automakers ran a massive advertising campaign including videos strongly implying that women would get stalked and sexually assaulted/murdered, presumably by third parties given access to their vehicle's telematics. They basically called independent mechanics rapists and murderers. Worse, they claimed that a sexual assault victim's NPO (RAINN I think? I forget) was against the bill. Turns out it was a bald-faced lie and the org wasted no time reaching out to press to inform them of that. It really tells you how much was at stake here profits-wise, and how important right to repair is, that automakers were willing to shout "YOU'LL BE RAPED BY YOUR MECHANIC!" and lie so blatantly about NPOs supporting them