The attached article was recently posted. The premise is that Massachusetts created a right to repair law for cars, but the federal government suggests this is a bad idea and aims to block such laws.
My reaction was “can’t anyone repair a car? It’s just mechanical parts…right?”
But the issue is much deeper. Cars have computers on board. At some point in time, the rudimentary computer would generate a code that a mechanic could download via a tool in order to find the problem. This ability to use a “scan tool” was originally only used by the car dealerships. But through legislation, and an agreement with the manufacturers, consumers (and independent car repair shops) wound up getting the right to use these tools themselves.
But in the last few-ish years, car companies have been doing away with these simple systems, in favor of a more sophisticated system - one which wirelessly sends data back to the auto manufacturer.
As an aside: you probably are unaware of the data that is transmitted, and surely there would be privacy concerns if you did know: it tracks the usual diagnostics. But it also notes braking, speeding, location, and other bits of data about your driving habits. And oh sure, I knew this was the case when I got my Tesla, but I had no idea other car companies did this too!
The auto manufacturers see this as a means to build better cars. And to steer you (pun intended) to the dealerships for repairs. They don’t want you going anywhere else. But you, as a consumer, no longer have a choice (or won’t soon), and independent repair shops will be driven (again?!) out of business.
So Massachusetts saw this and created a law that gives you the right to repair. The auto makers hate it. And what of the federal government? Well, their concerns are about privacy and safety. All of this data is being transmitted back to the auto companies, rather than staying “in the car” - and with the amount of data they are collecting, and how the connection to the car works, it’s possible there could be a data breach that could impact millions of drivers. Or there is a small possibility that someone could send data back to the car to do something nefarious, like preventing the brakes from engaging.
And that’s where technology puts us. The larger issue is, as I’ve noted before, car companies are not much good at software. Somehow, that needs to change.
I am a bit bewildered by the current stance on immigrants. Our country was built by immigrants, and honestly they make the country stronger, more diverse, and much more interesting.
But following how the state of Florida is behaving is somewhat astonishing. The state - in particular the governor - has decided to violate state law, and runs right up against federal law by hiring private contractors to move immigrants who are here legally from one state that is not Florida to another state that is also not Florida. Using our Florida tax dollars.
California's governor suggests its kidnapping, and he may be right. According to the story that various media outlets are reporting, people posing as officials are telling immigrants that they have work and housing for them, if they will just go with them. But of course its a ruse to create political theater. There is no job. No housing. There is some nonsense with fraudulent documents, and using language barriers to their advantage.
The issues I have here are many, but let's start with these being human beings who are simply looking for a better life, who are here in accordance with the law. And they're being used as pawns in some insipid game, being derided, and who are afraid to say much because they don't want to be deported.
Bear in mind that unless you are native American, we are ALL immigrants to this country. Sure, some people have been here for many generations, but what gives any of us the right to tell someone else they can't be here?
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