SIA Takes Action on Right to Repair

right to repair

On Feb. 5, the Security Industry Association (SIA) provided testimony in Concord, New Hampshire, on proposed legislation New Hampshire HB 462, joining several industry coalitions in efforts to oppose overly broad and burdensome “Right to Repair” bills (view SIA’s written testimony and coalition letters).

Washington (WA HB 1342), S, Hawaii (HI SB 425), New Hampshire (NH HB 462), Minnesota (MN SF 64), Oregon (OR HB 2688), West Virginia (WV HB 2357), Indiana (IN HB 1413), New York (NY S 710), New Jersey (NJ A. 589/S. 1638) and Massachusetts (MA SD 1818) are all states that have introduced “digital electronic equipment repair” legislation in 2019.

So far, right to repair legislation in North Dakota (ND HB 1305), South Dakota (SD HB 1102) and Virginia (VA HB 1754) has failed to advance due to defeat in committee votes.

The Negative Consequences of Right to Repair

If such legislation were enacted, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and the local small to medium-sized enterprises who benefit from having contractual agreements regarding proprietary source code, diagnostic and repair information on security equipment could see the erosion of a stable revenue source and certification opportunities, as unauthorized service providers would be given free access to such information.

This could result in serious consequences for the integrity and functionality of complex residential and commercial security and life safety systems. Liability issues are not addressed in any current right to repair legislation, potentially resulting in unanticipated monetary and physical risks to residential and commercial properties that rely on security solutions to prevent burglaries, fires or carbon monoxide leaks, for example.

Lastly, such legislation would place the security – and cybersecurity – condition of certain equipment into a precarious state. Requiring the publishing of software updates, source code and encryption keys would not only impact OEMs, but it would also put consumers at risk of future malicious cyberattacks.

Track Legislation That Matters to You

SIA’s Security Policy Brief is an online, interactive tracking tool helps you follow legislation and its progress at both federal and state levels. You can search for and follow topics (e.g., biometrics) or track legislation by state. All bills listed have been identified by SIA’s government relations team as having potential impact on the security industry.

All employees of SIA member companies can access this tracking tool. (Don’t have an account? Create one here.)

Access the Security Policy Brief.