Why Our Right to Repair Is Critical To Securing The Internet Of Things – Paul Roberts – ESW #287
From its origins a decade ago, the grassroots movement to enshrine in law the right to repair our stuff (read: cell phones, laptops, home appliances, cars, machinery) has morphed into a potent, global movement. Today, much of the debate over right to repair laws has focused on issues like concentrations of market power by large corporations and anti-competitive behavior with regard to service and repair of "smart," connected products. However, there is a less-discussed but equally potent argument in favor of repair: cybersecurity and data privacy. In this conversation, Paul Roberts, the founder of SecuRepairs.org (pron: Secure Repairs), talks about the dire state of device security on the Internet of Things and how efforts by manufacturers to limit access to software updates, diagnostic tools and parts exacerbates IoT cyber risk, even as it burdens consumers and the environment.
Segment Resources: Securepairs.org: https://securepairs.org Fight to Repair Newsletter: https://fighttorepair.substack.com The Security Ledger: https://securityledger.com
Announcements
Security Weekly is proud to partner with Hack Red Con for their first annual in-person event! Hack Red Con is happening at the Hyatt Regency in Louisville, KY from September 7th-11th. As a part of our partnership, Security Weekly listeners receive a 10% discount on registration! Visit https://securityweekly.com/hackredcon to register now! We hope to see you there!
Guest
Paul Roberts is the founder of SecuRepairs (pron: Secure Repairs)(securepairs.org), a volunteer group of more than 200 information technology and information security professionals who support a legal right to repair. He is also the Publisher and Editor in Chief of The Security Ledger (securityledger.com), an independent security news website that explores the intersection of cyber security with the Internet of Things.
Paul is a seasoned reporter, editor and industry analyst with more than a decade of experience covering the information technology security space. His writing about cyber security has appeared in publications including Mother Jones; The Christian Science Monitor; MIT Technology Review; The Economist Intelligence Unit; CIO Magazine; ZDNet and Fortune Small Business. He has appeared on NPR’s Marketplace Tech Report and The Oprah Show.
Prior to launching The Security Ledger, Paul worked as a Senior Analyst in The 451 Group’s Enterprise Security Practice and held positions as a senior writer and editor at noted industry publications including Threatpost, Infoworld and eWeek and The IDG News Service.
Hosts
