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The world is becoming more software-driven, and manufacturers areincreasingly controlling access to the software on theirdevices. That makes it almost impossible to do some repairs, orto assert ownership.
You can't even begin to repair something if you can't open it upand look at it. You can't do the repair if you aren't allowed tomove the parts around or add your own new parts. When the"something" is software, this means you need to be able to lookinside that software and at its source code, and you need to be able-- and allowed -- to change it. If you don't like to do repairsyourself, you need to be able to chooseanyrepair person youtrust to do them.
In aWIRED opinion piece, Kyle Wiens, founder ofthe popular electronic repair company iFixit, and one of thespear headers of the right to repair movement, said, "As long aswe’re limited in our ability to modify and repair things,copyright -- for all objects -- will discourage creativity. Itwill cost us money. It will cost us jobs. And it’s alreadycosting us our freedom."
Nathan Proctor, who leads theUS Public Interest ResearchGroup (PIRG)’sRight to Repair campaign,spoke toGristsaying, "If you like democracy and freedom, then you should likeright to repair. I believe average citizens should have the powerto fix things... We should make it easier for them to takematters into their own hands, for the sake of our collectivefuture."
For a more elaborate introduction to the Right to Repair fromNathan, you can watch hispresentationat the FSF'sLibrePlanet conferencein 2019.
The right to repair and free software
Cars are accelerating their transition from purely mechanicaltechnology to relying on software. This means that any meaningfulnotion of repair has to include user rights over that software.Without the freedom to run, modify, distribute, and share thesoftware ourselves, we are now putting our lives at the mercy ofmanufacturers.
One example is Tesla, who have introduced asubscriptioncontrolled byDigital RestrictionsManagement(DRM) for their (not your) car to keep it active andupdated while it is with you. They also obstruct access forgeneral repairs, and used or recycled structural parts are notallowed. Nonfree software is making it impossible to see whatthe software does, or whether it is safe and up to date, or to make itsafe when you know it is not. The right to repairwould give more control to owners and make us less dependent onthe manufacturer and their intentions; in this case, Tesla, whowon't let anyone elserepair the bugsin their code, even thesecurity researchers who can steal the car in seconds.
Tesla's developments are an indication of where the future ofelectronics is taking us, which is a future that is dangerouslydependent on proprietary software. But they are far from the onlyexample here. Farmers suffer a similar fate, withmanufacturers of tractors insisting farmers do not own theirtractors, but they merely receivea license to operatethevehicle. This makes it nearly impossible to repair certain oldermodels when manufacturers decide to no longer maintain thesoftware, which forces farmers into purchasing newequipment. Freedom to share, study, and modify the software wouldguarantee a more sustainable business model for farmers, as wellas protect their freedom.
It is this example of automated vehicles that served asinspiration for the FSF's animated videoFight to Repair.
However,anytechnology we use could potentially be co-opted bythe proprietary, DRM-controlled subscription model Tesla and thetractor manufacturers are proposing. Imagine your "smart home"having a broken lock, or worse,being broken into, and nothaving the control, or the simple right to repair thebug. Countless other examples can be found showing us that thekey to a free future is the right to repair. We need to fight fora future in which the software used is free in order to maintainownership and control not only over our technology, but over ourlives.
Resources
Thankfully, there are many organizations, advocates andinnovators who are driving the right to repair movement globally. There are always ways you can help.
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Help the community collect related information, news, andresources on ourLibrePlanet wikipage.
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Share the FSF'sFight to Repairvideoand the reasons you thinkwe need to #FightToRepair.
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Sign up to the FSF's newsletter theFree Software Supporterwhere we keep you up to date on free software news, includingwhat happens in the right to repair movement.
Advocacy around the world
We join with other organizations who have been doing excellentwork on the issue of Right to Repair, including:
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IFixit; repair guides for every thing, written byeveryone, activists, and major resource
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Repair.org; the leading US advocacy group for right to repair
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Repair.eu; the EU focused advocacy group for right to repair
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Restart Project; a founding member of the right to repaircampaign in Europe
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SecureRepairs; led by Paul Roberts, where you'll find updatedresources and ablogon why the right to repair is at thecore of advancement of the technology industry
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US PIRG; led by Nathan Proctor, the U.S. PIRG Right toRepair campaign drives legislation at the state level
If you have any questions or information to share directly withthe team, you can contact us atcampaigns@fsf.org.
Quotes from the community
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Far from posing a risk to security, repair fosters security inour homes, communities, governments and businesses. Byerecting barriers – whether monetary or logistic – to ownersbeing able to repair or service their property, manufacturerscreate the conditions by which needed repairs or maintenancewill be delayed or put off entirely. This, in turn, createsthe environment in which malicious actors thrive.--SecureRepairs Statement of Principles
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Just let us fix our stuff.-- Nathan Proctor, US PIRG
Related work by the FSF
