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What is the Right to Repair?

The “Right to Repair” is the idea that we should have the right to repair tech that we buy. Pretty simple. However, Big Tech is dead set against it, because when they’re able to monopolize repair, they make more money. The Right to Repair movement aims to force tech companies to release repair information to consumers and third-party repair shops and to put repair back into the hands of the people.

As of now, tech manufacturers can — and do — make it difficult to repair devices on purpose, so consumers don’t have access to information, parts, and tools needed to fix devices when they break. And when something breaks or your phone needs a new battery, you put money back into their pocket by buying new. In effect, this means we don't fully own our own devices.

The Right to Repair in the US

It’s intimidating to think about repairing your own smartphone. And that’s by design. In the US, manufacturers are increasingly limiting access to critical parts, tools, and documentation needed to fix our tech products they make from laptops to smartphones to farm equipment.

In many cases, manufacturers are not just restricting access to original parts, but they’re actively blocking third-party parts from being used in repairs. Apple even designed specific pop-ups to scare users when a non-Apple manufactured part was used to refurbish their tech. The only difference between these parts and the ones manufactured by Apple is they don’t make Apple money. 

As a result, people are forced into buying new products because these tools and parts are not available to them. As of now, right-to-repair laws are only in effect in California, Colorado, Minnesota, New York, Oregon and Massachusetts. In many states across the US, there has been an effort to pass a “Fair Repair Act” but as of this article, this has not been successful.