Security Products Exemption in California Right to Repair Legislation a Key Trend Nationally

Following final passage of Senate Bill 244 by the state legislature on Sept. 13, 2023, California will become the third and largest U.S. state to adopt “right to repair” legislation broadly applicable to manufacturers of electronic devices. The bill now heads to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for signature.

Due to efforts led by the Security Industry Association (SIA) with support from industry partners, the California bill’s measures specifically exclude alarm and fire protection systems, which cover electronic products provided by security and life safety manufacturers. While such products were not intended to be targeted, the lack of specific exclusions in the measure originally introduced would have put the functional integrity and cybersecurity of security and life safety systems, and the lives of those who depend on them, at risk by forcing manufacturers to make sensitive technical information and other means of compromising systems broadly available. SIA applauds the bill’s author, state Sen. Susan Eggman (D-Stockton), and the California state legislature for acknowledging these concerns and adding provisions early in the legislative process to clearly and thoroughly protect the integrity of these products and the obligations of the industry to its customers.

“Reasonable public policy prevailed in California due to the leadership of Sen. Eggman and the SIA government relations team and industry partners. The message has been clear for some time – right to repair legislation has the potential to create real risks to consumers if applied too broadly,” said SIA CEO Don Erickson. “With careful deliberation and thoughtful policymaking by California leaders, we hope these concerns will continue to be taken seriously in any jurisdiction considering similar legislation.”

Notably, all states enacting right to repair legislation so far – New York, Minnesota and, with the governor’s potential signature, California – have included provisions that exclude security products.

While SIA is supportive of finding effective ways to extend the life of consumer electronics and reduce electronic waste, the association will continue to work with industry leaders, allied organizations and policymakers across the country to address risks to public safety posed by legislation that does not adequately protect security and life safety systems.

Featured

New Products

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.