Context: The US President signed an executive order calling on the Federal Trade Commission to curb restrictions imposed by manufacturers that limit consumers’ ability to repair their gadgets on their own terms.

• The UK, too, introduced right-to-repair rules that should make it much easier to buy and repair daily-use gadgets such as TVs and washing machines.

What is the right to repair movement?

• Activists and organisations around the world have been advocating for the right of consumers to be able to repair their own electronics and other products as part of the ‘right to repair’ movement.
• The movement traces its roots back to the very dawn of the computer era in the 1950s.
• The goal of the movement is to get companies to make spare parts, tools and information on how to repair devices available to customers and repair shops to increase the lifespan of products and to keep them from ending up in landfills.
• These electronic manufacturers are encouraging a culture of ‘planned obsolescence’ — which means that devices are designed specifically to last a limited amount of time and to be replaced. This, they claim, leads to immense pressure on the environment and wasted natural resources.
• Right to repair advocates also argue that this will help boost business for small repair shops, which are an important part of local economies.
• If a manufacturer has monopoly on repairs, then prices rise exponentially and quality tends to drop.

But why do electronic manufacturers oppose this movement?

• Large tech companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Tesla, have been lobbying against the right to repair.
• Their argument is that opening up their intellectual property to third party repair services or amateur repairers could lead to exploitation and impact the safety and security of their devices.
• Tesla has fought against right to repair advocacy, stating that such initiatives threaten data security and cyber security.
• Interestingly, Apple co-founder has recently voiced his support for the movement.
• These companies are constantly claiming that they are working towards greater durability themselves.