Apple killed Right to Repair
- Details
- Published on Saturday, 02 November 2019 06:56
- Written by editor
Paov,
When an Ontario MPP introduced a Right to Repair bill earlier this year, Apple and other Big Tech lobbies swooped in to kill it.1
Tech companies want to make sure they can keep charging you hundreds of dollars to fix your phone, laptop, or tablet—and stop you from going anywhere but their stores.2
So OpenMedia launched a campaign advocating for our right to... fix our own devices, and we found that 75% of Canadians support Right to Repair legislation. Now that a new government is forming, we are preparing a renewed push to introduce new laws, and momentum is building.
Here's the deal: Canada has a Right to Repair agreement with automobile manufacturers, because you should be able to take your car to the most reliable and cost-effective repair shop to fix it.3
But Apple, Samsung, and other technology developers put software locks and other barriers in place to stop outside repairs. They control trade of parts, and they mark up the parts they do sell to outside shops.
They want to make repairing our electronics so expensive that we just give up and buy new ones.4
And their scheme is working. Our poll found that 76% of Canadians have thrown away a device with a fixable issue because the repairs were too expensive or inaccessible. More than 40% discarded their phones because of a weak battery alone.
We've been highlighting these numbers to our representatives, and it's working. Quebec, Ontario, PEI, and New Brunswick all have new energy behind Right to Repair legislation.
This isn't just about cost—it's environmentally hazardous to keep piling up discarded devices in landfills, and keeping repair prices sky-high increases Canada's digital divide. We need a Right to Repair law immediately.5 OpenMedia is pushing thousands of comments to Parliament, and we're helping to support provincial Right to Repair laws. Will you donate to help this important cause?
Yes, I'll chip in to help pass Right to Repair in Canada.
DONATE NOWFor our digital rights,
Rodrigo, and the whole team at OpenMedia
Footnotes:
[1] Right to Repair Bill Killed After Big Tech Lobbying In Ontario: Motherboard
[2] iPhone Repair and Service: Apple
[3] Is the “Right to Repair” agreement in Canada working?: Auto Service World
[4] Why Apple and other tech companies are fighting to keep devices hard to repair: The Verge
[5] Right to Repair Legislation Is Officially Being Considered In Canada: Motherboard
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