Maine Representative Opposes Right to Repair Referendum, Cites Security Risk
Maine state representative and House co-chair of the Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business, Tiffany D. Roberts, has come out in opposition to an upcoming right-to-repair referendum, Central Maine reports.
Though Roberts supports the idea behind the right-to-repair movement, she has argued that shops are already offered the data they need for repairs and that the agreement between the Automotive Service Association, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists, and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation has effectively addressed any issues with data access.
One of the issues Roberts has with the upcoming referendum–Question 4–is cybersecurity. The legislation suggests, according to her, creating an independent entity within state government and a standardized access platform with remote access for third parties to access information.
Additionally, Roberts voiced concerns over liability being transferred from manufacturers over to the state of Maine and that it would violate the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s cybersecurity best practices.
Roberts concludes by suggesting that alternatives that could help the right-to-repair movement should be explored and urged others to oppose Question 4 this coming November.
