Nov 05, 2020 15:00:00

A new law on 'repair rights' that allows you to repair your own car has been enacted in the United States, what is the innovation?

Referendum on November 3,

2020 in Massachusetts, USA , on the success or failure of the ' 2020 Massachusetts Repair Rights Initiative, ' commonly known as the 'Repair Rights Act,' which stipulates consumers' right to repair their own vehicles. Was implemented, and the majority of the votes were approved, accounting for 74.9% of the valid votes. Several media outlets have reported that the enactment of the bill, which expands the scope of similar laws enacted in the state in 2012, was 'an important vote.'

Massachusetts passes'right to repair' law to open up car data --The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/4/21549129/massachusetts-right-to-repair-question-1-wireless-car-data-passes

Massachusetts Just Passed the World's Most Advanced Right to Repair Law --iFixit
https://www.ifixit.com/News/46235/massachusetts-just-passed-the-worlds-most-advanced-right-to-repair-law

Massachusetts Voters Overwhelmingly Pass Car Right-to-Repair Ballot Initiative
https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvxxq3/massachusetts-voters-overwhelmingly-pass-car-right-to-repair-ballot-initiative

Massachusetts Voters Score Huge Car Tech Win With Expansion Of Right-To-Repair Law | HotHardware
https://hothardware.com/news/massachusetts-voters-diy-smart-car-right-repair-law

The 'Repair Rights Act' enacted in Massachusetts in 2012 'provides car owners and independent car repair shops with the same repair information and tools as those owned by manufacturers and dealers.' Is a law that obliges automobile manufacturers. The law allows car owners to repair their cars in their own hands or at a repair shop of their choice, without resorting to the manufacturer or the manufacturer's designated dealer.

However, there was a loophole that the 2012 Repair Rights Act did not cover high-tech cars that were not very popular at the time. As a result, with the widespread use of smart cars equipped with advanced high-tech technology and computers, these cars 'cannot repair cars by owners and repair shops because they send diagnostic information and telematics data directly to the manufacturer.' The problem has come to the surface.

Therefore, consumer groups such as the Repair Union , which aims to promote repair rights, have requested automobile manufacturers to disclose data, but the manufacturers did not hear that 'security risk will increase'. However, security experts that 'even in the open diagnostic data and repair data, or open the shutter of the garage without permission, there is no such thing as or are tracked the car to the cyber stalker' opinion announced , We are taking a stance of supporting consumer groups.

In a Massachusetts referendum on November 3, 'Should car owners be able to access the data generated by driving a vehicle and share it with an independent repair shop?' An amendment to the Repair Rights Act, commonly known as ' Question 1 ', was proposed and passed with a majority of 2,481,625 votes in favor and 831,415 votes against. This will require telematics-enabled vehicles to be sold in Massachusetts after 2022 to be equipped with a standardized open access data platform.

Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit , which handles repair information for electronic devices, said in a referendum, 'Current cars have eliminated local mechanics by sending maintenance information directly to the manufacturer. The new Repair Rights Act will allow consumers to repair their cars themselves or have them repaired at their favorite repair shop. '

The IT news site The Verge also said, 'The passage of Question 1 will allow car owners to access car telematics with a smartphone app. Also, although Massachusetts law is state-specific, companies By adhering to this, we can effectively promote national standards, 'he said, expressing his hope for the spread to areas other than Massachusetts.