Oregon is coming soon Becomes the newest state to pass a Right to Repair law. Last month, Google announced its support in an open letter, calling Senate Bill 1596 “a compelling model for other states to follow.” The bill, sponsored by a group of six state senators and representatives, is inspired in part by California's SB 244, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law in October.
Apple publicly supported the bill. This is rare support from the tech giants, who love to push through this bill at the last minute. However, Cupertino is less than enthusiastic about Oregon's law including certain things that were not included in California's law.
“Apple agrees with the majority of Senate Bill 1596,” John Perry, Apple's senior manager of secure system design, said in testimony to state lawmakers this week. “I met with the senator [Janeen] Solman has visited her many times and appreciates her willingness to engage in frank dialogue. Senate Bill 1596 is a step toward making it easier and more cost-effective for Oregonians, including myself, to repair our devices. ”
Apple's main focus on the bill centers on a policy known as “part pairing.” Both iFixit and PIRG (Public Interest Research Group) have criticized this policy, which mandates the use of first-party components during the repair process. PIRG, which petitioned the FTC late last year to ban the practice, calls it “one of the most egregious obstacles to the right to repair.”
Apple, on the other hand, staunchly defended this practice, claiming that the use of third-party components could pose security issues for users.
“The current language of the bill regarding component pairing undermines the security, safety, and privacy of Oregonians by forcing device manufacturers to allow the use of components of unknown origin in consumer devices.” We think it will,” Perry said. “It's important to understand why Apple and other smartphone manufacturers use part pairing. It's not to make repairs more difficult. In fact, it's about ensuring the safety of your device and the data stored on it. Parts pairing also helps ensure optimal performance of the device and safe operation of critical components such as the battery after repair. .”
Shortly after California's bill was passed, iFixit highlighted in a New York Times article that “7 iPhone parts can cause problems during repairs.” This figure is more than double the three identified in 2017 and represents an increase of “approximately 20% each year since 2016, when only one repair caused a problem.”
The paper goes on to say, “Using a new battery may display a warning message, a replacement screen may override your phone's brightness settings, and an alternative selfie camera may malfunction.” There is a gender,” he continues.
Some of the elements of the bill that Apple addressed include:
The OEM manufacturer shall provide the owner or independent repair provider, on fair and reasonable terms, with any electronic security locks or other security features on the consumer electronic device that have been or should be disabled. We shall provide you with the documentation, tools, or parts necessary to disable and reset. It must be reset during diagnosis, maintenance and repair of household electronic devices.
. . .OEM manufacturers may not use part pairing to: (A) an independent repair provider or owner to install or enable a replacement part or component of a consumer electronic device, including a replacement part or component that was used by the original device; To prevent or prohibit. Not approved by manufacturer. (B) impair the functionality or performance of any consumer electronic device; (C) cause a consumer electronic device to display unnecessary or misleading alerts or warnings regarding unidentified parts, especially if the alert or warning cannot be dismissed;
In a recent conversation with TechCrunch, co-sponsor Sen. Solman described a closed-door meeting in which Apple discussed its concerns with the part-pairing provisions, saying that the hardware giant had been “very unprofessional” in its response to the bill. “It's open to the public,” he said, expressing his dissatisfaction.
“People came to me with potential for change, but I felt like I was playing operator. I felt like I had to drive the change, not Apple itself. ,” says Sollman. “It's very frustrating. We accepted many of the changes that Apple proposed in the California bill. There were only two left that were of concern to them. It added ambiguity to the bill. And I think part of it is… They're going to be on top of the hill because of the combination of parts.”
In his testimony, Perry raised specific concerns about biometric sensors, a category that includes fingerprint readers and Face ID cameras.
“Based on the current part pairing language in SB 1596, Apple could be required to allow third-party biometric sensors to work on our devices without any authentication. This could lead to unauthorized access to individuals' personal data,” the Apple employee said. “This would be an incredible disadvantage not only to consumers in Oregon but around the world, as we do not have the ability to limit such provisions locally.”
Indeed, the concerns Perry raised could also apply to the “alternative selfie cameras” hinted at in the Times article.
Senator Solman calls the combination of parts “anti-consumer.”
“I’m not trying to stick to that.” [Apple] Or whatever,” she says. “I'm trying to make this consumer-friendly and have effective policy. I think we've reached that goal with Google, and others will follow soon. I believe it will happen [go public], in the same way. I think Apple will probably take a strong position on part pairing. Because this is the only policy in the United States that does not eliminate it. ”