‘Right to Repair’ Laws gain momentum as lifespans of major household appliances decline
(InvestigateTV) — “They don’t make them like they used to.”
It is a commonly heard cliche that our parents and grandparents would often say. Data gathered by Statista shows that when it comes to household appliances, the saying is true.
All of us old people know that appliances don't last anywhere near as long as they used to. I actually took an appliance repair class when I was probably 22 or 23, from an appliance repair friend, who taught it a night at our local vocational school. The usefulness of that class has long passed. I don't think that I would even try and replace an igniter on a gas dryer. They are just too much of a pain. I think that a huge reason that the appliances don't last as long as they used to is due to the federal government rules on efficiency. In order to make your refrigerator more efficient is to use a lighter weight motor and compressor. And of course if you make them lighter, you make them more susceptible to overheating, which reduces the life of the component. I would much rather pay an extra hundred bucks a year to run a less efficient appliance than have to replace my refrigerator every 7 -9 years. But that is our federal government looking out for us.
One of the biggest problems is firmware updates. All this "smart" crap sounds great, if it wasn't for handing the keys to everything over to some unaccountable company running buggy software.
But even then, there's a bigger problem: The firmware in that internet connected front door lock (or whatever) will get progressively out of date, and the company behind it WILL stop pushing security updates out to it. Which means ten years down the line, 90% of thirteen year olds will have full access to it, it will be part of a botnet abusing your internet service to attack random people, etc.
And cars are worse. Who the hell though building an android tablet into your dashboard was a good idea? It's at least POSSIBLE to get rid of your outdated doorbell camera. Try replacing the tablet that's built into your car!
And YOU can't fix the problem, because you don't have the encryption/signing/security keys required to update the firmware on them. Even if other people have made updated firmware, (Which for popular products is fairly likely) it's impossible and illegal (thanks, DMCA!) for you to install it.
So yeah, some major right-to-repair and right-to-the-keys-needed-to-repair laws are absolutely overdue.
In 1975 bought a used, small dorm fridge. Used it continually. Sadly, it finally died in 2017.
ReplyDeleteAll of us old people know that appliances don't last anywhere near as long as they used to. I actually took an appliance repair class when I was probably 22 or 23, from an appliance repair friend, who taught it a night at our local vocational school.
ReplyDeleteThe usefulness of that class has long passed. I don't think that I would even try and replace an igniter on a gas dryer. They are just too much of a pain.
I think that a huge reason that the appliances don't last as long as they used to is due to the federal government rules on efficiency. In order to make your refrigerator more efficient is to use a lighter weight motor and compressor. And of course if you make them lighter, you make them more susceptible to overheating, which reduces the life of the component.
I would much rather pay an extra hundred bucks a year to run a less efficient appliance than have to replace my refrigerator every 7 -9 years. But that is our federal government looking out for us.
One of the biggest problems is firmware updates. All this "smart" crap sounds great, if it wasn't for handing the keys to everything over to some unaccountable company running buggy software.
ReplyDeleteBut even then, there's a bigger problem: The firmware in that internet connected front door lock (or whatever) will get progressively out of date, and the company behind it WILL stop pushing security updates out to it. Which means ten years down the line, 90% of thirteen year olds will have full access to it, it will be part of a botnet abusing your internet service to attack random people, etc.
And cars are worse. Who the hell though building an android tablet into your dashboard was a good idea? It's at least POSSIBLE to get rid of your outdated doorbell camera. Try replacing the tablet that's built into your car!
And YOU can't fix the problem, because you don't have the encryption/signing/security keys required to update the firmware on them. Even if other people have made updated firmware, (Which for popular products is fairly likely) it's impossible and illegal (thanks, DMCA!) for you to install it.
So yeah, some major right-to-repair and right-to-the-keys-needed-to-repair laws are absolutely overdue.
John G.