ask and ye shall receive: GPT summary of vice article
The Biden administration has advised car manufacturers not to comply with a Massachusetts law that grants consumers and independent auto shops easier access to repair cars, citing concerns about hacking. This move contradicts President Biden’s previous support for the right to repair and his belief that such laws do not pose cybersecurity risks. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sent a letter to car manufacturers, asserting that the Data Access Law conflicts with federal safety obligations and, therefore, should not be followed.
The Massachusetts law, passed in 2020, aimed to update the 2013 law by requiring car manufacturers to provide wireless access to diagnostic data and tools to consumers and independent repair technicians. However, the NHTSA claims that compliance with this law would compromise existing cybersecurity controls and increase the risk of cyber attacks. This decision by the Biden administration goes against the overwhelming support the law received from voters and raises concerns about favoring corporate interests over consumer rights. Critics argue that the NHTSA’s stance contradicts expert opinions and the Biden administration’s previous statements supporting the right to repair. They also highlight the existing vulnerabilities in car security, which hackers have exploited in the past, making the NHTSA’s claims about cybersecurity risks seem questionable.
“Just don’t you worry yore purty little haid, darlin’; Big Brother™, in partership with the Manufacturer’s Cartel will keep you safe from the nasty States-Righters who want you raped and red-lined.”
– The Big Guy, on the way to deposit his latest “campaign-contribution”
Can someone do a TL;DW?
I don’t understand the downvotes on this. I would’ve thought the lemmy community would be pro right to repair.
It’s because this is a bad take. It’s the wireless access … That’s a step too far, and it posses a risk to consumer safety, which is why the Biden administration is breaking from its normal support for right to repair bills in this narrow case.
Now, according to Reuters, NHTSA has written to automakers to advise them not to comply with the Massachusetts law. Among its problems are the fact that someone “could utilize such open access to remotely command vehicles to operate dangerously, including attacking multiple vehicles concurrently,” and that “open access to vehicle manufacturers’ telematics offerings with the ability to remotely send commands allows for manipulation of systems on a vehicle, including safety-critical functions such as steering, acceleration, or braking.”
