Re:Voters Overwhelmingly Pass Car Right to Repair Law in Maine
by troupo on Thursday November 09, 2023 @01:46AM
(#38201912)
> All functions that a consumer could reasonably expect a car to perform without an internet connection must be operable without an internet connection.
Welcome to "the law is vague and impossible to implement" shouts from HN
Re:Voters Overwhelmingly Pass Car Right to Repair Law in Maine
by m463 on Thursday November 09, 2023 @05:18AM
(#38203191)
a network connection is required for headlights to function.
The car must determine current headlight laws and comply with any city, state or country requirements. Additionally, there may be headlight safety software updates required, and the network connection will be used to download them.
a network connection is required for the windshield wipers to function. (etc)
Re:Voters Overwhelmingly Pass Car Right to Repair Law in Maine
by antasvara on Thursday November 09, 2023 @07:46AM
(#38204305)
We don't even need to use the word "reasonable." We already have a list of things that need to function in order for a car to pass annual inspection, so why not base the regulation off of that?
Re:Voters Overwhelmingly Pass Car Right to Repair Law in Maine
by kube-system on Thursday November 09, 2023 @01:38PM
(#38208983)
Well, there's a lot of those lists and most states don't test anything other than OBD-II emissions readiness. And I don't really think that the primary concern here is that automakers are going to disable your brakes or legally mandated lights.
Re:Voters Overwhelmingly Pass Car Right to Repair Law in Maine
by zerbinxx on Friday November 10, 2023 @12:23AM
(#38215362)
If it’s the difference between them getting your $50 per month network subscription you bet they will disable your headlights if given the legal leeway to do so.
Re:Voters Overwhelmingly Pass Car Right to Repair Law in Maine
by kube-system on Friday November 10, 2023 @10:53AM
(#38220384)
The legal environment for motor vehicle torts likely already makes that a losing game to play.
All functions that a consumer could reasonably expect a car to perform without an internet connection must be operable without an internet connection. All features related to driving the vehicle, including but not limited to steering, braking, using traffic signals, starting/stopping, toggling locks or lights, opening or closing doors or compartments, and other standard features of a non-connected car must not require a network connection.
I think it’s probably OK if automakers want to onboard and support network features like maps or outsourced computation/diagnostics, but bricking everything because the company wants to collect user data and they want to opt out is obviously unethical. It’s important for these regulations to include the fact that they cannot be worked around or stapled on by the auto company post-hoc via firmware upgrades or the like.