Last week, President Biden issued an executive order relating to the Right to Repair, although it excluded medical devices. But what will Biden’s order really do? And why is the Right to Repair so contentious? The New York Times investigates.
The industry trade group TechNet issued a statement in response to Biden’s executive order, stating, “Allowing unvetted third parties with access to sensitive diagnostic information, software, tools, and parts would jeopardize the safety of consumers’ computers, tablets, and devices and put them at risk for fraud and data theft.”
We haven’t seen examples of security risks in practice, and some cybersecurity experts disagree with the claims manufacturers are making. Paul F. Roberts, founder of SecuRepairs.org, an organization of information security professionals who support the right to repair, says, “I think there are real issues with connected device security, but the right to repair is not really a part of that conversation.” Roberts continues, “There’s a lot to be done to make connected device ecosystems more secure, but the price of having connected devices can’t be a monopoly on aftermarket service parts and repair.”
Read the full article on The New York Times.
