On Tuesday Massachusetts will vote on expanding the state’s right-to-repair law to include more access to car data, in an initiated state statute known as “Question 1.”
Wired reports:
The measure is meant to address how data sharing will work as cars start to suck in and share more wireless data. The Coalition for Safe and Secure Data, backed by giant automakers, is urging state residents to vote No, arguing that easier access to this data poses security risks.
At the core of the issue is the not-insignificant question of what expanded access to wireless car data might look like and how secure that is. It’s not just a question of who can repair a car and access the data, but who owns the data in the first place. The answer could ripple across the industry for years to come, which is why both sides of Question 1 have poured millions of dollars into the fight. And because the U.S. has been slower to address these issues in federal legislation, Question 1 could have impact beyond Massachusetts state lines. Ultimately, the measure “could set the national standard for cars,” according to Kyle Wiens, the founder of California-based iFixit and a vocal right-to-repair advocate…
If a majority of Massachusetts residents vote Yes on Question 1 this fall, carmakers would have to install standardized, open data-sharing platforms on any cars with telematics systems starting with model year 2022. “Owners of motor vehicles with telematics systems would get access to mechanical data through a mobile device application,” the ballot summary reads…
Early polling suggests the state of Massachusetts will vote overwhelmingly in favor Question 1…
“Hopefully this means we have an open-standard development process,” Wiens tells Wired, “with all cars in the U.S. using the same standard, and a new world of innovation around mobile apps.”
of this story at Slashdot.
Source:: Slashdot