Apple Counters Nebraska’s ‘Right To Repair’ Bill With Hacking Claim; Samsung Reportedly Agrees

Apple is still strongly against Nebraska’s proposed “Right to Repair” bill. A representative for the Cupertino giant even pointed out recently how this proposed piece of legislation could open the doors for more shenanigans if passed.

This Friday, BuzzFeed learned of what Apple rep Steve Kester said about the proposal in a recent meeting with State Senator Lydia Brasch. Kester had apparently warned Brasch that the passage of the bill will very likely make Nebraska the “Mecca for bad actors” — his way of saying hackers will flood the state should the bill be approved.

Interestingly, the Apple rep divulged that the tech giant is more concerned with its famous smartphone line, the iPhone, than the other products. In fact, Kester told Brasch that Apple is not opposing the bill if it were not include phones in its scope. By the way, the “Right to Repair” bill encompasses a variety of electronic devices aside from smartphones, namely: tablets, computers, printers and even computerized farming equipment and tractors.

It is not surprising why Apple is against the proposal, which is also dubbed as LB67. The Cupertino-headquartered tech company has, after all, blocked previous attempts of the government to make its products serviceable or available for repair through third-party repair shops. Apple has already insisted that the devices it makes should only be serviced by its qualified technicians.

Moreover, bills such as the LB67 require manufacturers to provide manuals and diagnostic tools to third-party shops. Perhaps Apple is not pleased with this as well as it could expose its clients to more issues. And Apple is not the sole company to think like this. Even its biggest rival Samsung, as well as John Deere, also agree that such repair laws could open the door for more security and safety concerns, as per Apple Insider.

At Thursday’s hearing about the “Right to Repair” bill, the Judiciary Committee in Nebraska’s legislature concluded that the bill will not likely be considered this year. Thus far, a total of eight states are pushing for this legislation, and they are Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Tennessee, Wyoming, Massachusetts, New York and Illinois.