Robin Riley (fka Josh)

Have you heard of the right to repair?

Increasingly companies are trying to lock us in and artificially pad their profits (while creating more waste, and dangerous e-waste in particular) by making it "illegal" for us to service the devices we buy.

From John Deere to Apple, it's a common move, and it's bad for people and the planet.

We need to enshrine the #RightToRepair in law here in the United States. We shouldn't rely on nonbinding promises for-profits make. https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/farm-bureau-deere-co-sign-mou-ensuring-farmers-right-repair-equipment-2023-01-08/

Deere & Co. will allow farmers to repair their own equipment

The American Farm Bureau Federation and machinery manufacturer Deere & Co <a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/DE.N" target="_blank">(DE.N)</a> signed a memorandum of understanding on Sunday that ensures farmers have the right to repair their own farm equipment or go to an independent technician.

Reuters
Jan 8, 2023 at 6:49pmWeb
Show threadLes LoreJan 8, 2023

@josh

but will they change their mfg processes so that their equipment is easy to repair?

I had a 4WD 75 HP Deere with cab/over in the 80s. It was a pain to work on

Show threadViolet MadderJan 8, 2023
@josh This issue is absolutely crucial to any environmental concerns and quality of life as well, since the amount of resources, time, and energy being wasted on planned obsolescence is shit we cannot afford.
Show threadDwayne BradleyJan 8, 2023
@josh https://www.repair.org/ This should be the standard
The Repair Association

Fighting for your right to repair your digital products.

The Repair Association
Show threadDwayne BradleyJan 8, 2023

@josh Also, here is an NPR podcast about this topic. It was originally released earlier in 2022

https://www.npr.org/2023/01/05/1147069243/how-we-can-repair-repurpose-and-reimagine-our-junk-instead-of-throwing-it-out

How we can repair, repurpose, and reimagine our junk — instead of throwing it out

Original broadcast date: Friday, May 20, 2022. "Reduce, reuse, recycle." We've heard that for decades - but does it work? This hour, TED speakers reimagine the well-known slogan and reconsider how we think about what we consume and throw away. Guests include right-to-repair advocate Gay Gordon-Byrne, materials scientist Andrew Dent, technologist Jamie Beard and animal scientist Ermias Kebreab.

NPR
Show threadWesDymJan 8, 2023
@josh Tesla's really bad about this, too. They frustrate almost every effort at fixing or restoring their cars. (By anyone except them, of course.) For all their talk about environmentalism, they'd rather trash their cars than see them fixed.
Show threadThe Velvet HammerJan 8, 2023
@josh as a serious mend-and-make do advocate I really resent the corporations doing this.
Show threadQuentin RuyantJan 8, 2023
@josh then could follow the duty to recycle
Show threadAppropriate TributesJan 9, 2023
@josh PROFITS FOR THE PROFITS GOD
Show threadChris T 🌽⚾️Jan 12, 2023
@josh https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/12/opinion/big-tech-right-to-repair.html
Opinion | Why Does Big Tech Make It So Hard to Fix Your Devices?

The C.E.O. of iFixit is fighting for your right to stop shopping and start repairing.

The New York Times
Show threadTristan LouisJan 15, 2023
@josh I find it interesting that John Deere announced this days after New York State became the first state with an official right to repair law on its books.
Show threadRobin Riley (fka Josh)Jan 15, 2023

@TNLNYC Right. No doubt in my mind they're trying to avoid proper regulation.

(Tho I seem to recall MA also has a right to repair law?)

Show threadTristan LouisJan 15, 2023
@josh Absolutely. While New York's regulation was largely defanged, it still represents a threat vector so I suspect we'll see more conciliatory moves by the more obvious bad actors.
Show threadCoach Pāṇini ®Jan 15, 2023
@josh @timjhawthorne #plannedobsolescence