{"id":3286,"date":"2022-11-11T11:04:15","date_gmt":"2022-11-11T16:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.pirg-test.com\/newjersey\/articles\/software-lockouts-shouldnt-be-the-reason-i-cant-use-my-car\/"},"modified":"2022-11-11T11:04:15","modified_gmt":"2022-11-11T16:04:15","slug":"software-lockouts-shouldnt-be-the-reason-i-cant-use-my-car","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/dev.pirg-test.com\/newjersey\/articles\/software-lockouts-shouldnt-be-the-reason-i-cant-use-my-car\/","title":{"rendered":"Software lockouts shouldn\u2019t be the reason I can\u2019t use my car"},"featured_media":44954,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":false,"_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":""},"campaign_tax":[171],"display_option":[],"issue_tax":[],"person_tax":[251],"region_tax":[],"state":[2],"topic_tax":[154,138,157,146],"class_list":["post-3286","article","type-article","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"details":{"helper_taxonomies":{"topics":[138,146,154,157],"collection":false,"press_type":false,"person_type":false,"resource_type":false,"event_type":false,"campaigns":171,"department":false,"level":false,"states":[2],"act_option":false,"display_option":false,"primary":{"topic":146}},"featured_image":44954,"caption_override":"","excerpt":"Tethering customers to the manufacturer violates consumer rights and drives the electronic waste crisis.","updated_on":null,"sidebar_action":"","hide_hero_image":false,"sidebar_action_query_string":""},"helper_people_group":{"title":"Authors","entities":[{"type":"dynamic","dynamic_person":{"site":4,"people":"10725"},"information":{"name":"","image":null,"role":"","biography":"","contact":{"twitter":"","facebook":"","email":"","phone":""}}},{"type":"dynamic","dynamic_person":{"site":4,"people":"197"},"information":{"name":"","image":null,"role":"","biography":"","contact":{"twitter":"","facebook":"","email":"","phone":""}}}]},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) <\/span>announced Thursday<\/span><\/a> that it will expand its enforcement against unfair methods of squelching competition. For Americans looking to save a buck\u2014or a few hundred\u2014the FTC\u2019s action comes not a moment too soon.<\/span>\r\n\r\nFor example, once Scott Helme finished installing a new tow hitch on his Tesla Model Y, he reported hitting a snag with the car\u2019s software. <\/span>He tweeted<\/span><\/a>: \u201cIf you buy a Tesla, you\u2019re not allowed to tow anything unless you buy their towing kit. [Yet]They don\u2019t have any towing kits available for sale.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>","":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_embed","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_embed":{"width":"narrow","type":"oembed","title":"","code":"","media":"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Scott_Helme\/status\/1585687067421450240","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"The <\/span>Tesla Model Y manual<\/span><\/a> states that drivers \u201cmust use the Model Y trailer hitch when towing a trailer.\u201d However, even if Scott wanted to buy Tesla\u2019s official $1,300 hitch, the company has been <\/span>out of stock since at least June<\/span><\/a>, with no restocking timeline available.<\/span>\r\n\r\nScott asserts that the third-party tow hitch he installed was fully functional and from a reputable dealer, but the preinstalled Tesla software wouldn\u2019t allow him to use the \u201c<\/span>Trailer Mode<\/span><\/a>\u201d setting on his car. This mode includes important safety features that ensure the car\u2019s assisted driving functions properly with a trailer attached.<\/span>\r\n\r\nWhen I buy a car, I expect to be able to install basic add-ons such as a roof rack or a trailer hitch. Using software to limit customers to only brand-authorized products seems to violate the basic idea that I bought the car, and it's mine.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nTesla's conduct is hardly unique, and raises questions about which software lockouts are really about safety, and which are about forcing customers to take out their wallet for additional purchases, a practice known as \u201ctying.\u201d Companies are not supposed to <\/span>tie<\/span><\/i> the use of one product to the purchase of additional items or services. The <\/span>Federal Trade Commission\u2019s (FTC\u2019s) guidelines<\/span><\/a> explain, \u201cthe general rule is that tying products raises antitrust questions when it restricts competition without providing benefits to consumers.\u201d<\/span>","":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_large_image","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_large_image":{"width":"wide","image":44957,"caption_override":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"

Tethering customers to the manufacturer has long been restricted<\/h4>\r\nFortunately, the FTC has recently been enforcing its longstanding anti-tying protections more stringently, perhaps most notably in a recent case against Harley-Davidson. When the motorcycle manufacturer <\/span>used the threat of a voided warranty<\/span><\/a> to dissuade customers from installing third-party trailer hitches, and to push its own add-on sales, the <\/span>FTC took action<\/span><\/a> against Harley\u2019s tying violation. Looking the other way could create a slippery slope. What if instead of voiding warranties, Harley-Davidson wrote software to deactivate its motorcycles if it detected the new hitch? Would the motorcycle giant have been able to get away with it? That would be absurd. If voiding warranties due to attaching third-party products is illegal, then software lockouts should be illegal as well.<\/span>\r\n\r\nSoftware enables new ways to control customers that historically would have been viewed as deceptive or unfair. Tesla leads the passenger vehicle industry in the <\/span>amount of software features in their cars<\/span><\/a>. However, more software is not a plus if it restricts use, threatens the rights that owners have over their vehicles and could stymie competition and increase costs.<\/span>\r\n\r\nNot being able to attach safe, basic, accessories to the car I own\u2014because of software or not\u2014is outrageous. Yet the real damage is when we are led to believe that manufacturers have secret rights over our devices, and that our tinkering or fixing is a violation of that hidden agreement.<\/span>\r\n\r\nBeing able to fix, tinker, and reuse the products we own is the core principle behind the <\/span>Right to Repair movement.<\/span><\/a> When manufacturers prevent repair, they can coerce us into buying new products we don\u2019t need. The companies that make our cars, phones, and computers (not to mention internet-connected light bulbs, refrigerators and dog feeders) cannot be allowed to use software lockouts to prevent repair or other usage.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nCompanies restricting how we use our stuff isn\u2019t only a headache for consumers who expect to own the things they pay for, it\u2019s a disaster for our planet, which is flooded with disposable products that could have been repaired or repurposed. Not being able to replace, fix or reuse parts from the devices we buy makes everything from: laptops and phones to smart home gadgets disposable. I can\u2019t stand by while software lockouts fuel the e-waste crisis in which <\/span>we trash 59 million tons of used electronics<\/span><\/a> (the weight of 161 Empire State Buildings) each year.<\/span>","":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_large_image","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_large_image":{"width":"narrow","image":44958,"caption_override":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"

Products should be designed to last<\/h4>\r\nAll of this explains why U.S. PIRG Is launching a new campaign around consumer rights, planned obsolescence and the software in our products. I\u2019m investigating the crisis of our disposable technology because I believe that in the same way the FTC reaffirmed that voiding warranties to restrict use is illegal, software lockouts should be as well.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nUnreasonable software restrictions and obsolescence are against the spirit of the law, restrict competition, and leave us with less money in our pockets and more trash strewn across our planet. Join us in fighting for a reusable, repairable future, in which our products are designed to last.<\/span>","":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_email_signup","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_email_signup":{"helper_salsa_overrides":{"title":"Follow our Work to Stop E-Waste","subtitle":"","button_text":"Signup"}}}]},"yoast_head":"\nSoftware lockouts shouldn\u2019t be the reason I can\u2019t use my car<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Tethering customers to the manufacturer violates consumer rights and drives the electronic waste crisis.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dev.pirg-test.com\/newjersey\/articles\/software-lockouts-shouldnt-be-the-reason-i-cant-use-my-car\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Software lockouts 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