‘Right to repair’ legislation proposed by both the EU and the US government is yet another shot across the bows of big tech firms. The reforms would force device manufacturers to build their products in a way that allows consumers to fix and replace parts themselves, while also requiring companies to make spare parts more readily available.
A number of large vendors have unsurprisingly come out against these proposals, citing device security concerns as one of the major risks. But are these issues real, or is this just big tech trying to retain its current control over the lifecycles of its products?
The concerns raised – that independent repair could affect the security and safety of devices – are understandable. Manufacturers argue that spare parts and third-party vendors may not live up to their own security standards, for example. Others claim that sharing information will violate their intellectual property.
While there is merit to these arguments...