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RandomFactor writes:

Last year dozens of 'Right to Repair' bills were introduced throughout the US, but defeated. Maybe this time its time has come.

Right to Repair bills, designed to foster competition in the repair industry, require manufacturers to allow repair, and even provide manuals, diagnosic software, and parts. Manufacturers oppose these laws as it can cost them more to address devices repaired by third parties, because repairs are a source of revenue, and because repaired items are less likely to be replaced with new ones.

[O]ne of the most effective anti-repair tactics is to spread FUD about the supposed security risks of independent repairs.

Without a concerted and coordinated effort to counteract this tactic, legislators receive primarily well-heeled opposing views, and vote accordingly.

Last year, a newly formed lobbying group called the Security Innovation Center began placing op-eds in local newspapers like the Minnesota St. Cloud Times and the Illinois State Journal-Register advocating against right-to-repair bills in those states. The articles often argued, without much evidence, that the proposed laws would allow hackers to steal people's personal information and sow chaos.

Now, Right to Repair is again gaining traction with more than a dozen states, including California, considering bills, and even one presidential candidate calling for a national Right to Repair law. This time Right to Repair has its own lobbying organization to speak before legislatures considering these laws.

Enter Securerepairs.org, a new nonprofit founded by Paul Roberts, whose experts (including "Harvard University's Bruce Schneier, bug bounty expert Katie Moussouris, and ACLU technologist Jon Callas") will attend Right to Repair hearings to counter this industry [FUD] and explain how "Fixable stuff is secure stuff."

Roberts and his organization are up against an industry with deep pockets, and it's hard to know how well they will succeed in persuading lawmakers to enact right-to-repair initiatives. So far, only one repair law, targeting the auto industry, has passed in the US, in Roberts' home state of Massachusetts in 2012. But the bill had an outsize impact: After it was put in place, major car manufacturers agreed to share repair information with independent mechanics across the entire country.

The hope now is that Securepairs.org could help bring similar legislation to other places, starting with California. It's an enormous state and the home of many of America's largest technology companies. This is the second time California has tried introducing a right-to-repair bill; a previous effort failed last year. A representative from the Security Innovation Center is set to testify at the hearing, but so are experts who believe the right to repair won't pose any security risks to be worried about.

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