IOT/Right to repair extensions

Energy & Infrastructure
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Here are three policies that are somewhat interlinked but will be crucial when tech makes its way into every aspect of daily living.

Policy 1:
All home appliances that connect to the internet should be required to have compatibility with the Matter protocol if sold in the USA. The Matter protocol in specific allows appliances to communicate with each other and other devices like phones and screens, even when Internet access (but not the router) is down. This prevents ALL companies selling IOT-class devices from monopolizing and creating ecosystem lock-in, which not just includes Apple, but also smaller companies (originating in China but cheaper alternatives in the US) that use the Tuya app/firmware.

Furthermore, if these devices have even one stable version of an open-source version of software that replaces the manufacturer’s software like Tasmota (which would allow more granular control and guaranteed privacy), the manufacturer should allow customers to EASILY (and create a guide) allow the customer to switch over to that firmware, giving more power to the individual.

Policy 2:
In the event that a company that sells products that PRIMARILY operate on software goes bankrupt, that company should be forced to release all of their source code and bootloader to the public (e.g. a Github repository) immediately following their file for bankruptcy. This would not just include smart light bulbs or washing machines, but also heavy equipment or automakers. For EV automakers like Fisker that dissolve and leave the customer with a car that has no guaranteed software updates is unacceptable (and is prone to exploits/bugs). The SFC is a good organization that lays out clearer action steps for an issue like this.

Policy 3:
all mobile computing devices should have expandable storage slots, and any computers should have a socketed CPU and RAM (NOT soldered). Companies like Apple have forced customers to buy computers that are not upgradable WHATSOEVER excluding the battery, which even then is held in with adhesives and requires external tools like alcohol to remove. To add to this, most phones do not have expandable storage, and now are progressing to soldered SIM cards (e-SIM). This not only limits file transfer speeds, it also imposes on privacy risks if consumers are forcefully software-restricted to use carriers that support E-SIM, thus further restricting Right to Repair.

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Just want to preface that I’m an advocate of Right to Repair as well! I just don’t think forcing a company to do things a certain way will work. I believe supply and demand will do it.

Policy 1 - I think this sounds great, and I hate having to download a sketchy Chinese app for each smart appliance I use - but why not go up a level to MQTT communication - MQTT is a general-purpose messaging protocol suited for scalable and real-time communication across IoT devices and systems. Please correct me if I’m wrong but it sounds like Matter is a subset of MQTT.

Policy 2 - As a tech enthusiast/hobbyist/modder I completely agree! If you’re going to sell me something and then stop supporting it, then at least let me be able to improve upon it myself with the code! Progress! How about redefining the process of bankruptcy for software companies to open source their code (so long as personal info is scrubbed)?

Policy 3 - I watch Louis Rossmann often, and I also would love the idea of expandable storage, but, I don’t believe in giving the government so much say in a company’s choices like that. This economy thrives on supply and demand, and for the gov to step in and force SD card slots on phones would create a precedent for the future for governments to perhaps control other parts of a company’s manufacturing process. I think that unfortunately, most people don’t appreciate a microSD card slot, and are gamed at by Google to constantly buy cloud storage for their ever increasing data needs. If enough people demanded SD cards, it would happen. That’s supply and demand. Regulations aren’t the way to this in my opinion. I’m aware that cell phones have become a huge recycling problem, and would also love socketed chips (kinda like Google Ara before it was abandoned), but regulation isn’t the way. Apple isn’t forcing anyone to buy their phones. Its the uneducated/not savvy people that buy them for their basic needs. e-SIM: I do not have any opinions on, as I never used it before, but if you could provide sources for it being slow I would like to read more on that (a quick Google search says they’re the same speeds).