As Massachusetts amended a repair rights law that is extremely unpopular among global automakers, Subaru will cancel the Starlink telematics subscription for all new cars sold in Massachusetts in 2022. If you have been following our reports, Massachusetts has become a zero foundation for consumer rights protection groups, independent repair shops and car buyers, who are increasingly concerned about the industry’s growing interest in data hoarding.

The point of contention is that automakers are now creating vehicles that violate customer privacy — by wirelessly transmitting information back to the manufacturer’s data farm — while also setting them up to be nearly impossible for independent repairs. This led to a protracted legal battle, and the Automotive Innovation Alliance (AAI) began working to ensure that the industry retained this lucrative enterprise. But it was hindered by the grassroots movement against it. The latest Massachusetts law currently requires all vehicles sold in the state (from the 2022 model year) that use telematics to be equipped with a standardized open access data platform, allowing customers and non-affiliated mechanics to gain access. 

The problem with Subaru is that there is no such standardized system yet, forcing it (and eventually other brands) to cancel its Starlink telematics products and related data collection. AAI represents most major manufacturers, including Subaru, and has initiated a federal lawsuit on the grounds that Massachusetts rules conflict with national laws. It is expected that US District Court Judge Douglas Woodlock will make a formal ruling on this situation this month. However, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey (Editor’s Note-I don’t know of any connection.) filed a motion in October to try to introduce Subaru’s cancellation as evidence in the case, arguing that it contradicted the AAI’s statement. That is, disabling telematics (such as Subaru's Starlink or General Motors' OnStar) is practically impossible and will destroy their ability to sell cars in the state. According to reports, this slowed things down and gave Woodlock more consideration.

Frankly speaking, your author has been on the side of the maintenance rights movement since day one. I am not in this corner of the Auto Innovation Alliance, and I cannot even pretend that I am an unrelated party. But if the federal case ultimately supports Massachusetts, I do see some negative effects on the industry.

First, the automotive industry has invested heavily in the establishment of data centers, as well as vehicles to transmit consumer and driving data back to these information centers. Many automakers (such as General Motors) also demonstrated that data collection will soon become an important source of revenue for the industry. The Right to Maintenance Movement is exerting a huge influence on these plans, which will undoubtedly limit their scope. Combined with the data privacy laws that are establishing new legal precedents in California, they may even have to cancel data collection altogether.

Although this is indeed no problem for you, it does create unique problems for the types of data that companies currently use to develop advanced driver assistance devices and future autonomous vehicles. But these programs seem to be far behind the standard, and honestly a little hard to care about. The real impact will be the financial obstacles caused by the inability to collect customer data and sell it to business partners. But we can't even guess what the final result will be. It seems that vehicles in at least one state will have to lose some functions so that customers can retain some privacy and eventually work on their vehicles without the manufacturer peeping at them or telling them that it is impossible.

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"Although this is really no problem for you, it does create unique problems for the types of data that companies currently use to develop advanced driver assistance devices and future autonomous vehicles. But these procedures seem to be far behind the standard. , To be honest, it’s a bit difficult to care about. The real impact will be the financial hurdles caused by the inability to collect customer data and sell it to business partners."

This basically sums up everything, Matt. I don't want those driving assistance devices (they are not easy to use anyway), and I don't want self-driving cars. And I really don’t want automakers to collect and sell information about where and how I drive.

Automakers think this will be the next big thing in revenue generation. This is not my problem. Perhaps, when they have similar ideas in the future, the financial sting will punish them.

This is not about what you want, but about what the government and big companies want. If you want free content, you must share information.

You pay for content when you buy a car. I don’t know why so many people think they have no choice but to accept the data collection/sales plan (oh wait, yes, I do this. This is because they live in fear of the strong and believe in The biggest bully behind will provide protection...maga)

Ultimately, Americans will not have privacy because large companies have invested too much money in infrastructure and politicians to not allow it.

Interestingly, SoCiAlIST Massachusetts is the only state with this kind of consumer protection...but don't be fooled. This must be a communist trick!

"Interestingly, Massachusetts is the only state with this type of consumer protection..."

In fact, this makes sense. Capitalists will say that companies should be allowed to do what they want, and the government should not tell them that they cannot track customers.

People might think of it as "free content" on Facebook or Twitter because you haven't officially paid them for the service. For a car worth $35,000, you will pay it off in the next six or seven years (with interest), which is not true.

I know almost nothing about Subaru, its vehicles or its leaders. I have no opinion on the company or its products. I remember the last time I read from Subaru that anything related to the flying vagina grill.

"The real impact will be the financial obstacles caused by the inability to collect customer data and sell it to business partners."

The topic of repair rights is obviously much bigger than replacing the screen of a mobile phone or buying parts for a broken dishwasher. When I buy or rent a car, it is mine. If you want the data collected from my activities using that car, ask me and pay me. If you don't want to do this, get out. Or tell me that I will buy a different car.

I'll say it again... When I buy or rent a car, it is mine.

It's like buying a house and allowing the previous owner to put Amazon Alexa devices in every room, sell my data to the highest bidder, and then exclude me from the transaction. This is a privacy issue, a "who owns what" issue. It must even be stated that this is incredible.

"They" don't need to know that I drive to and from get off work, and they are usually out of the range of my mobile phone every day.

I don’t buy a refrigerator or toaster that tracks my movements, so why should I buy a trackable car — a car that I can’t twist? I think that custom tools and fasteners are just the beginning.

Volvo fasteners with pentagonal grooves containing the posts are easily broken: knock the posts flat with a punch, and then Dremel has some grooves that the Phillips drill bit can hold.

I mentioned the genius technique of disabling Onstar: literally cutting the cable. Works fine.

Data can help you in emergencies, accidents, crimes, or reduced car insurance premiums.

I carry two mobile phones and my current commute time is 9 miles. I am 51 years old, and I have had a speeding ticket in my life-but this is terrible. Of the five cars I own, none of them have "connectivity", which I am satisfied with. It's great to return to carbohydrates in some of the products I buy next time.

Trackers allow insurance companies to charge higher fees for those who actively drive and refuse to be tracked. It will never result in a discount.

Don't worry... you put the device into the diagnostic port of the vehicle and allow access to your car control system and allow the device to talk over the Internet. The security is fully considered, instead of producing those that are never considered at the lowest possible cost in China Safe people.

"Volvo fasteners with pentagonal grooves containing uprights are easily damaged:"

They sell drivers on Amazon and cargo ports. Easier. https://www.harborfreight.com/7-pc-star-tamper-proof-key-set-97471.html

On my spouse’s lifetime iPhone, which was sealed a few years ago, the camera went out (buzzing mosquito failure mode). She looked around and decided she didn't want a new phone yet. So we pooled a hundred dollars and ordered an obviously inferior Chinese camera to replace the phone’s original American hand-made camera that might be made by Amish cameras. There is also a battery because I will not turn on the phone without changing the battery (the battery life is very poor).

[It’s kind of like I replaced the fuel pump on my nephew’s truck while replacing the rear spring, because you have to lower the fuel tank to properly contact one of the leaf spring bolts. If I lower the fuel tank, it will get a new pump—because Mileage (and laziness). ]

In any case, 23 hours after returning the iPhone to its original place, it burned down our house and 37 other houses near us (because we are all connected). 38 families are now homeless (and smoky) because I don't trust experts.

Please don't try to repair your own things. Think about the children. (Cut to the American flag waving on the Apple logo. The camera zooms out to show the superyacht Venus.)

Matt Posky is in favor of the right to repair.

TTAC's so-called "B&B" is totally opposed to maintenance rights.

I voted for our Right to Repair Act and Expansion Act. The opposition actually has ads showing masked hackers randomly killing people by taking over their cars. It was ridiculous, but voters saw through their BS. Never knew we would get the additional benefit of eliminating tracking. If people realize this, it will get more votes.

I haven't heard of masked hacker ads, haha. Ironically, the only time a fully advertised fully remote vehicle has been widely advertised is because FCA believes that it is a good idea to have an infotainment kit that can access the vehicle's CAN bus internet without the need for real segmentation. I like that organizations that cannot even provide the level of security in the 1990s are so worried about my car being hacked.

In Australia, we already have the "right to repair" in the Consumer Law, which clearly stipulates that if you use any qualified and certified mechanic/auto repair service, and then use OEM or equivalent parts, etc., your car warranty is not Will fail. In fact, my new car has a similar statement in the warranty manual. What they did not explain is that to reset any service/failure indicators, a specific scanning tool is required. The final calculated amount is about US$4000.00. Very few independent companies will invest in providing services for orphan brands. Therefore, the data can be used for non-OEM repairs free of charge, but it will cost me to reset the service indicators. Maybe the automaker will resort to this, resetting the $100.00 indicator.

This is basically the Mass now. Automakers must sell their proprietary tools to independent mechanics. Most automakers have already done this, but as you said, the price increase is huge. (I know that a local foreign car shop pays several dollars a year to maintain Volvo and Volkswagen Tools, and I also know that a body shop does the same with MB Tools.) Among the Volkswagen, Tesla is a bit of a stimulus to the law. Because they refuse to sell their proprietary tools to independents, even if they pay a lot for them. Some things are as crazy as BMW needs a scanning tool to install a 12v battery.

In Australia, we already have the "right to repair" in the Consumer Law, which clearly stipulates that if you use any qualified and certified mechanic/auto repair service, and then use OEM or equivalent parts, etc., your car warranty is not Will fail. In fact, my new car has a similar statement in the warranty manual. What they did not explain is that to reset any service/failure indicators, a specific scanning tool is required. The final calculated amount is about US$4000.00. Very few independent companies will invest in providing services for orphan brands. Therefore, the data can be used for non-OEM repairs free of charge, but it will cost me to reset the service indicators. Maybe the automaker will resort to this, resetting the $100.00 indicator.

If I had ever thought about buying a Subaru, this would be the one thing that prevented me from buying. I pay for my vehicle and I don’t want to rely solely on the manufacturer. I have the same feeling about John Deere. I know that some farmers will only buy old equipment because it is not too complicated and they are not subject to maintenance rights. This is similar to Monsanto’s Round Up Ready seeds, and their full ownership and control of any seeds, which may accidentally spread to other farms that do not purchase seeds.

To be fair to Subaru, these things are not limited to them. Most major manufacturers have now launched similar plans, including domestic manufacturers. General Motors was one of the first automakers to openly talk about its customer data plans and how to start testing new revenue streams/business partnerships. Ford is not far behind, and I will not assume that almost every manufacturer will follow suit.

Things with John Deere are a mess. Many people still buy them as the last American tractor manufacturer, but to be honest, my local dealer seems to mainly sell smaller products to owners and then to farmers. I have a few friends on the farm, they have some older Deere, but their new equipment is obviously not John Deer Green (New Holland Kubota etc.). The truth is that most of these people repaired at least a certain percentage of things by themselves. Although they really prefer to buy American products, if they can’t fix it, they won’t.

"First of all, the automotive industry has invested a lot of money in building data centers, and at the same time setting up vehicles to transmit consumer and driving data back to these information centers."

If they can't reap what doesn't belong to them from the beginning, I will be heartbroken. It doesn't matter what I do after sales, as long as I don't carelessly break things and expect them to pay to fix it.

The right to repair is what needed to happen yesterday.

I can only see one situation where they can collect data from you and your car. After the owners sign a contract with the terms and conditions, they must pay a monthly fee to each owner. According to the data obtained, a good starting cost is US$800-1000 per month.

The general maintenance rights are obvious. Data collection (that is, beyond what is needed to troubleshoot the car) is the problem, isn't it?

If automakers are collecting personal information data (such as location tracking), are they doing so legally through the small print in the purchase/warranty document or are they just doing what they can.

If it is the former, the problem with r2r is that a third party (such as a local garage) does not have a legal permission to access personal data, so if r2r occurs, the collection must be cancelled. If it is the latter, then the car manufacturer’s problem is the loss of exclusivity, r2r just reduces the value of the data, but the customer loses more than before (that is, there are now more parties accessing the data).

My daughter's 2018 Rogue asks you to turn off data transmission (I am skeptical about the "off" thing) and reminds you to make a choice every time you start it.

I didn't realize that Starlink of my 13 Outback has been collecting information about me. I am looking for a close button this afternoon.

I want to know what mental gymnastics they are doing to show that it is any good for the client.

With Alexa/Google, you can ask about the height of Mount Everest in exchange for 24/7 monitoring, analysis, and advertising for you and your family. With this, what will you get, the average GPS speed exceeds the speed that can be calculated directly from the wheel speed sensor?

Everyone can wring their hands and gnash their teeth. I have an Allstate OBD reader, but my rates have dropped. Now I have the Allstate application on my phone.

Now suck some air between your teeth. Your mobile phone is legally a radio, not a landline phone, it is a radio. You are being followed on the phone. Your GPS? Yes, you are being tracked. You paid the price for being monitored.

Regarding your wireless OBD reader is not safe, Zero Art is correct. I drove Lexus and all my maintenance information was handed over to Carfax and Toyota/Lexus. I don’t know if you can opt out, don’t care; never asked. I also agree that any vehicle may have "Road to Oregon" level of cyber security.

This will hurt some feelings. There is no evil cabal between GPS tracking, cell phone tracking, and credit/debit card. However. Imagine this evil cabal working together: your debit card knows that you bought a lot of groceries on Sunday. It's Thursday, and you drive past the local strip mall. You receive a text message on your phone saying that milk is discounted at the grocery store. You bought a gallon of milk on Sunday, and you may be running out. This has not happened yet. This is not yet a profitable business venture. The job of coders in Mumbai is very cheap.

agree. People are afraid of car data, but most people have mobile phones. "They" have adjusted the traffic lights based on cell phone signals. The computing power is not enough to monitor all our vehicles.

I like you to raise this question. you are right. Did 60 Minutes or Dateline expose the mobile tracking data? They let a person walk in New York or some other huge metropolis with an iphone in one pocket and a robot (Samsung IIRC) in the other pocket. For several hours, this person has been using the phone in different modes to lead his daily life. Turn on the power and track normal activities, turn off the power completely, in flight mode, turn on the GPS, turn off the GPS, etc. Then they brought these phones to some tech masters, who plug them into their laptops, and then... WHODATHUNKIT Both phones even went out of power at the recording location. Hell, once the phone exits airplane mode, the iPhone IIRC transmits about 60 stored data points. Samsung was transferring data when the power was off. Even if they are told to close, they are collecting your information.

We have satisfied ourselves. People need to stop complaining selectively about which form this agriculture takes, and choose to love a form that is arguably more destructive.

General Motors put forward this exact concept a few years ago: thetruthaboutcars.com/2017/12/gm-adds-digital-marketplace-autos-onboard-purchasing/

Since then, other brands have followed suit: thetruthaboutcars.com/2019/01/honda-dream-drive-in-car-shopping-marketing-gamification/

Great, first of all I have to pay extra to use the existing functions of my car, and now I can only shop with OEM approved retail partners. what! !

The problem is that we, automakers are just doing what they should do. The industry has stagnated or declined in the past few years, and it has not risen.

More and more of us are cultivating a couple and telling them where to stick it! In irrelevant news, the automotive aftermarket has grown exponentially.

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