Mass. Begins Enforcing New ‘Right To Repair’ Law After Automakers Lied It Would Aid Sexual Predators

In late 2020, Massachusetts lawmakers (with overwhelming public support) passed an expansion of the state’s “right to repair” law. The original law was the first in the nation to be passed in 2013. The update dramatically improved it, requiring that all new vehicles be accessible via a standardized, transparent platform that allows owners and third-party repair shops to access vehicle data via a mobile device.

The goal: reduce repair monopolies, and make it cheaper and easier to get your vehicle repaired (with the added bonus of less environmental harm).

Mass. automakers immediately got to work trying to scare the press, public, and legislators away from the improvements by running ads claiming that the updated legislation would be a boon to sexual predators. They also filed suit under the banner of the inaccurately named Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which stalled the bill from taking effect.

And while that lawsuit still hasn’t been resolved, Massachusetts Attorney general Andrea Campbell has started issuing warnings that the state will finally begin enforcing the bill whether giant car manufacturers like it or not:

“The people of Massachusetts deserve the benefit of the law they approved more than two years ago,” Campbell said. “Consumers and independent repair shops deserve to know whether they will receive access to vehicle repair data in the manner provided by the law. Auto manufacturers and dealers need to understand their obligations under the law and take action to achieve compliance.” 

Automakers aren’t alone in their efforts to try and demonize popular, bipartisan reforms. Giants like Apple and John Deere have also spent years trying to defend their profitable repair monopolies by claiming that making access to less expensive options will result in an absolute parade of security and privacy problems for consumers. A bipartisan 2021 FTC study found the complaints to be empty, self-serving bluster.