# Examples of FAANG obstructing the Right to Repair General - Electronics used to come with schematics and documentation, but most modern electronics don't have any guidance for working with the [hardware components](computers-hardware.md) or bare-metal [OS](computers-os.md). - Most modern smartphones have the OS configured to prevent completely wiping and repurposing the phone as a small computer. - Replacement parts are sometimes impossible to get because of various proprietary features that the company will arbitrarily change for each product they distribute. - Many times, the hardware can only be accessed directly by the vendor (e.g., Apple iPhones, CAT equipment). - Other times, the hardware requires very specialized, expensive tools that the vendor sells (e.g., [cars](autos.md)). - [2021-03 Farm equipment manufacturers require their equipment to need constant maintenance, and they'll sell the sensor data while they're servicing the tractors](https://web.archive.org/web/20210325232418/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/03/the-fairphone-2-hits-five-years-of-updates-with-some-help-from-lineageos/). - [2021-06 Microcode updates can silently change the performance of computer CPUs](https://web.archive.org/web/20210621225042/https://travisdowns.github.io/blog/2021/06/17/rip-zero-opt.html). - [2022-08 Consumer devices are designed to die within 3-4 years](https://web.archive.org/web/20220807083948/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/08/02/why-gadgets-die/). - [2023-06 Air quality monitors add in many hidden costs that make them arbitrarily non-functioning or obsolete](https://web.archive.org/web/20230629013251/https://www.airgradient.com/blog/hidden-costs-of-air-quality-monitoring/). Acer - [2021-07 Acer disables the BIOS on Amazon-bought laptops if the user tries replacing the hard drive](https://web.archive.org/web/20210701204650/https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RKILN7HFLF4CS/). Canon - [2022-01 Canon was forced to tell customers how to bypass their own DRM because of a microchip supply chain shortage](https://web.archive.org/web/20220114025845/https://boingboing.net/2022/01/08/forced-by-shortages-to-sell-chipless-cartridges-canon-tells-customers-how-to-bypass-drm-warnings.html). GE - [2022-04 GE ovens won't let users use convection roast without connecting to Wi-Fi and give precise location access](https://web.archive.org/web/20220415193052/https://twitter.com/drbarnard/status/1500145131894231046). Google/Alphabet - [2023-05 Pixel phones are sold with the ability to unlock the bootloader (and install an alternative operating system) disabled](https://web.archive.org/web/20230505110809/https://www.fitzsim.org/blog/?p=545). HP - [2020-11 HP's printer hardware is a constant battle for digital freedom through legal bullying](https://web.archive.org/web/20201105190133/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/11/ink-stained-wretches-battle-soul-digital-freedom-taking-place-inside-your-printer). - [2021-09 HP's Instant Ink is "ink as a service"](https://web.archive.org/web/20210908165116/https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03760650). - [2023-05 HP disables printers that use competitors' ink cartridges](https://web.archive.org/web/20230511182842/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-affairs/hp-printers-computers-ink-cartridges-rivals/). Qualcomm - [2021-03 Fairphone's public communication of their process shows that long-term Android support is impossible because of the Qualcomm corporation](https://web.archive.org/web/20210325232418/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/03/the-fairphone-2-hits-five-years-of-updates-with-some-help-from-lineageos/). Samsung - [2021-03 Samsung can remotely disable their TVs](https://web.archive.org/web/20210325232418/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/03/the-fairphone-2-hits-five-years-of-updates-with-some-help-from-lineageos/). - [2022-06 New Samsung fridges require Wi-Fi access to operate](https://web.archive.org/web/20220608033509/https://eattherich.club/@swaggboi/108382897807037127). Tesla - [2021-07 Tesla charges extortionate rates for simple fixes](https://web.archive.org/web/20210712202723/https://www.thedrive.com/news/41493/teslas-16000-quote-for-a-700-fix-is-why-right-to-repair-matters). Toyota - [2021-12 Toyota owners must pay $8/month to keep using their key fob for remote start](https://web.archive.org/web/20211213172123/https://arstechnica.com/cars/2021/12/toyota-owners-have-to-pay-8-mo-to-keep-using-their-key-fob-for-remote-start/). Other - [2022-01 Dishwashers now sometimes require updating their firmware over their Wi-Fi before starting](https://web.archive.org/web/20220131003821/https://twitter.com/isislovecruft/status/1487947074901463040). - [2022-05 To prevent a downgrade, Nintendo permanently blows the fuses of its Switch gaming consoles](https://web.archive.org/web/20220504201800/https://blog.jonlu.ca/posts/nintendo-switch). - [2022-06 Brother printers are now locking out non-Brother-approved printer cartridges](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31860131). ## Political action taken - [2022-06 California's Right to Repair bill died in the Senate](https://web.archive.org/web/20220612160541/https://calpirg.org/news/cap/california-right-repair-bill-dies-senate-committee). - [2023-02 Language from Big Tech lobbyists made its way into the final bill passed by New York](https://web.archive.org/web/20230216162147/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/02/report-reveals-the-influence-big-tech-lobbyists-had-on-new-yorks-repair-bill/). - [2023-09 California is now requiring vendors, not distributors, to provide up to 3 or 7 years' worth of parts, tools, repair manuals, and software](https://web.archive.org/web/20230916123951/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/09/calif-passes-strongest-right-to-repair-bill-yet-requiring-7-years-of-parts/). - [2023-09 Tesla and Rivian are signaling they support the right to repair, but aren't doing anything to prove it](https://web.archive.org/web/20230903200801/https://www.techdirt.com/2023/09/01/tesla-rivian-put-on-fake-show-of-support-for-right-to-repair/). ## Deception about their support for the Right to Repair - [2022-01 Apple is now providing self-service repair parts, tools, and manuals](https://web.archive.org/web/20220104114020/https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/11/apple-announces-self-service-repair/). - [2022-08 Apple now permits Mac notebooks to be self-repaired](https://web.archive.org/web/20220822125820/https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/08/apple-expands-self-service-repair-to-mac-notebooks/). - [2022-09 Apple designed the iPho](https://web.archive.org/web/20220917020044/https://www.ifixit.com/News/64865/iphone-14-teardown)[ne 14](https://web.archive.org/web/20230928235324/https://www.ifixit.com/News/82493/we-are-retroactively-dropping-the-iphones-repairability-score-en) [to be much more accessible for self-repair](https://web.archive.org/web/20220917020044/https://www.ifixit.com/News/64865/iphone-14-teardown), but [it still requires an Apple-approved software handshake that makes recycling parts impossible](https://web.archive.org/web/20230928235324/https://www.ifixit.com/News/82493/we-are-retroactively-dropping-the-iphones-repairability-score-en). - [2023-02 Nokia's G22 is a fully repairable budget-priced Android phone](https://web.archive.org/web/20230225141450/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/feb/25/nokia-launches-diy-repairable-budget-android-phone). - [2023-04 Microsoft is quietly supporting laws that make it easier to fix devices](https://web.archive.org/web/20230428104528/https://grist.org/technology/microsoft-right-to-repair-quietly-supported-legislation-to-make-it-easier-to-fix-devices-heres-why-thats-a-big-deal/). - [2023-06 While Apple promised sideloading for iOS 17, it hasn't delivered on that promise](https://web.archive.org/web/20230606124812/https://www.imore.com/ios/ios-17/ios-17-sideloading-and-third-party-app-stores-nowhere-to-be-seen-despite-rumors). - [2023-09 Google's Chromebooks will now receive 10 years of automatic updates](https://web.archive.org/web/20230918190527/https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/automatic-update-extension-chromebook/).