Tech giant Google has come out in favor of the right to repair as Oregon legislators consider a bill similar to the one passed recently in California. What’s more, they’re actively lobbying for it. It’s not so often that we hear good news coming out of the tech world, especially when the word is in favor of consumer rights. Hooray!
Which isn’t to say that Google’s endorsement is without its faults. The company’s whitepaper parrots some of the (baseless) concerns about physical safety risks and repair of personal electronics, and does so as a way to take a swing at a pillar of right to repair laws and advocacy: ready access to replacement parts.
Jack Monahan and Paul Roberts, Fight to Repair
Well, that’s a shame…
Still, Google’s endorsement is seen as a significant shift from it’s less than squeaky clean history with right to repair and it reflects a changing landscape in the tech industry as major manufacturers are increasingly read the “writing on the wall” as state-level right to repair laws take effect and moderate their previously staunch opposition to right to repair laws.
Jack Monahan and Paul Roberts, Fight to Repair
A few years back, Google opted to sell parts for some of its products to the public in partnership with iFixit, spearheading the company’s drastic policy change.
So, that 3 year-old Google Pixel you couldn’t repair for less than buying a new phone? You know, the one that you were planning on throwing in the lake out of protest? Put it down, maybe revise your position, much like Google did, and see if shaking the SIM card around some does anything.
