Right to repair or digital repair directives are spreading across the country. To date, seven states have enacted legislation, including California, Colorado, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Texas (takes effect in 2026) and Washington. The legislation, which doesn’t always include security devices, has been introduced in all 50 states, and 20 state legislatures are debating bills.
Right to repair sounds innocuous, but for the physical security industry, those three words necessitated a grassroots effort that began in 2021. Right-to-repair advocates seek to protect consumers and expand their resources for repairs, tools and system documentation. However, the nature of many of these policies could create risks, eroding the critical protections in place to ensure and protect the core principals of security and life safety. Working alongside manufacturers, allied organizations and policymakers, the industry continues to achieve success in its efforts to exempt physical security and connected products.
Protecting systems and data
The industry argues that these laws could open the repair of security equipment, smart home appliances, computers and other connected devices, to unauthorized service providers who don’t carry the same certifications, training, or the contractual, liability and warranty protections inherent in professionally installed and serviced systems. Technical information could be used by bad actors in cyberattacks and hacking, compromising data security. Proprietary information is also at risk, as the industry seeks to protect trade secrets or personally identifiable information.
According to the Security Industry Association (SIA), Silver Spring, Md., “The integrity of security and life safety systems and the lives of those who depend on them would be unnecessarily put at risk if manufacturers are forced to make sensitive technical information and other means of compromising security systems broadly available. If such requirements become applicable in just one state, such information will eventually circulate globally. SIA was instrumental in securing such security and life safety exemptions in the first state right to repair measures enacted, in California and New York. This trend now continues across the six states with such laws in place.”
The industry continues its pledge to shield security and life safety devices, keeping a close watch on activity at the state level. Most recently, laws passed in Oregon and Washington specifically excluded physical security. In Oregon, SB 959’s right-to-repair provision exempts “an alarm system that consists of an assembly of software, equipment, wiring or devices that is installed and arranged for the purpose of detecting and signaling a physical hazard or a condition or situation that differs substantially from a specified norm.”
In Washington, HB 1483 was signed into law in May, also excluding physical security systems. It does not apply to a “life safety system, fire alarm system, or intrusion detection device, including its components, that is provided or configured to be provided with a security monitoring service; and physical access control equipment, including electronic keypads and similar building access control electronics.”
SIA is also keeping tabs on pending federal right-to-repair legislation, specifically, the REPAIR Act (Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair Act), which was reintroduced in February.
