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Google claims to ‘reaffirm’ Right to Repair support three years after lobbying against it

Google has officially voiced support for Right to Repair (R2R) legislation. Although Google’s motives could be less about newfound altruism and more about shaping regulatory action that seems increasingly inevitable, “A win’s a win,” as they say in sports.

But Google suggesting its announcement today is merely “reaffirming” a value it’s always stood behind (while ignoring documented evidence to the contrary) appears disingenuous. “Well-intentioned regulations that set specific design requirements and standards in an effort to improve repairability may have unintended consequences that inhibit innovation and inadvertently lead to bad outcomes, such as more e-waste,” Google wrote in its white paper. Another item in the policy section, “reasonable implementation period,” calls for regulations that won’t disrupt existing manufacturing schedules.

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