Apple Lobbies Against 'Right to Repair' Bill Over Privacy Concerns of Third Party Repair Shops Accessing User Data

Apple, HP, and Honeywell are lobbying against a bill in the Nevada statehouse that would require electronic hardware manufacturers to provide device schematics, device parts, and instructions to third-party repair shops for device repairs, according to the Associated Press.

apple independent repair program
The bill being contemplated in Nevada is one of many bills that states across the US are considering to put into law. The global health crisis has placed a higher emphasis on work and learning from home, requiring increased reliance on laptops and tablets, which sometimes need repairs.

Specifically, the bill would require Apple and others to directly provide independent third-party repair shops with the parts, instructions, and schematics to repair devices less than $5,000. With that price threshold, most Apple products such as iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and many Macs would be subject to the bill.

The bill aims to remove the requirement for customers to go to authorized dealers for repairs by allowing them to use smaller independent repair shops as well. Apple has long faced pressure to expand accessibility to device parts and schematics, and it's previously put up battles to maintain its tight control over device repairs.

Cameron Demetre, the regional executive director of TechNet, a trading group representing Apple, HP, and Honeywell in committee hearings on the bill, says that his clients are concerned about the potential exposure that third-party repair shops will have to personal users' data when repairing devices. Demetre warns that opening up repair access and freedom could lead to "unintended consequences."

Cameron Demetre, the organization's regional executive director, said manufacturers worried about "unvetted third parties" having access to the personal information stored in consumer electronics. He said the bill had "the potential for troubling unintended consequences, including serious adverse security, privacy, and safety risks."

In a bid to ease the pressure, in 2019, Apple introduced its Independent Repair Provider program, which provides repair shops with direct access to device parts, tools, manuals, and diagnostic information for out-of-warranty devices. The program initially started in the United States and Canada, but yesterday Apple announced it would be expanding the program internationally.

The significant expansion of the program opens the door for thousands of repair shops to obtain direct resources from Apple instead of relying on other providers, which can sometimes provide non-genuine parts or incorrect device information. Given the close timing of the Nevada bill and the expansion of the independent repair provider program, it's unclear whether the international expansion will have an impact on state legislature stances.

Popular Stories

apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Wednesday June 18, 2025 10:24 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a few days after Apple provided the betas to developers. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. When the...
General Spotify Feature

Spotify Preparing to Launch Long-Awaited Lossless Audio Tier on iPhone

Thursday June 19, 2025 1:46 pm PDT by
Spotify appears to be gearing up to launch its long-awaited lossless music tier. Chris Messina (via TechCrunch) and Spicetify (via The Verge) spotted new lossless references within the code for Spotify's desktop app and web player. With assistance from Aaron Perris, MacRumors has confirmed that the latest beta of the Spotify app for the iPhone also contains new lossless-related code....
new iphone lockscreen ios 26

iOS 26: Five Changes Coming to Your iPhone Lock Screen

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:46 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has made some additions to the iPhone Lock Screen that aim to make it more customizable than ever. Of course, things can always change before the software makes its way to the general iPhone-owning public, but here are five new things iOS 26 can do on the Lock Screen as of the current developer beta. Widgets Top or Bottom In iOS 18, the row of widgets on your Lock...
Craig Federighi No

John Gruber Reacts to Apple Declining His Interview After His Criticism

Wednesday June 18, 2025 8:10 pm PDT by
Every year between 2015 and 2024, at least one Apple executive agreed to be interviewed by Daring Fireball's John Gruber for a special WWDC episode of his podcast, The Talk Show. Last year, for example, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi, marketing chief Greg Joswiak, and top AI researcher John Giannandrea joined Gruber on stage at the California Theatre in San Jose to discuss...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Apple Says iOS 26 Won't Be Available on These iPhone Models

Tuesday June 10, 2025 6:58 am PDT by
Apple this week revealed that iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. That means that iOS 18 is the end of the road for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, which were all released in 2018. However, those devices will continue to receive security updates for at least a few more years. iOS 26 is compatible with the following iPhone models: iPhone 16e iPhone...

Top Rated Comments

Wanted797 Avatar
55 months ago
""unvetted third parties" having access to the personal information stored in consumer electronics"

What a weak ass excuse, that is completely and entirely the customers decision, NOT the device manufacturer.
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NightFox Avatar
55 months ago
I think Apple's beginning to overplay that "because privacy" card.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tcgjeukens Avatar
55 months ago
I can see that an OEM has a 'right' to define conditions when a device owner wants to claim Warranty.
Beyond warranty any owner should have the right to make their own choice.
You own the device, don't you?
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iF34R Avatar
55 months ago
It's my data, my security, don't make my decisions for me. Heck, I literally just bought a dang M1 Macbook Pro, and now I read this lol. Do they want me to return it?
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
swingerofbirch Avatar
55 months ago
What b-o-l-o-g-n-a.

When you send your device for repair to Apple, it does not go to Apple.

It goes to whichever contractor is currently giving Apple the best deal.

Your data is safer, if that's your concern, with a local store you know than the actual unvetted, third party contractors Apple uses for repairs.

Even if you bring it to an Apple Store, for a lot of repairs Apple is going to send it out. And when they send it out, they are not sending it to a pristine laboratory of "geniuses." Not even to Apple employees.

It's beyond bologna.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleGuy RL Avatar
55 months ago
Hypocrites. When handing in my MacBook or iPhone at an Apple Premium Reseller that allows for "repairs" they always REQUIRE me to give them my passcode or set up an admin account without a password. With independent repair you explicitly have to give the repairs people this information before they can access anything, unless those secure encryption methods that Apple always boasts about aren't true. Not to mention Apple's independent repair program which REQUIRES the independent repair shop to gather name, address and other information from the customer and hand it over to Apple before they'll send in any parts.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)