The right to repair is important for many reasons: freedom first and
foremost, but repairability is also vital if we want to reduce the
tons of e-waste we produce and take care of the earth that
nurtures us. In addition, a long life-cycle for our tools helps to
make life more affordable on the subsistence level.
We need more than repairability, sustainability, and affordability.
If we want to effectively fight for the right to repair, it's
important to realize that unrepairability is just a symptom; in
today's technological culture, the root of the problem almost always
comes down to a lack of software freedom. When software isn't free, it
deprives us of our right to study and modify a device, and thereby
prevents us from repairing it. Even if we can modify the nonfree
software, we aren't allowed to share these improvements with others to
help them upgrade or repair their appliance as well.
If a device has proprietary software, you don't own it, no matter how
vast the sum of money you paid for your new or used iPhone,
Xbox, Amazon Kindle, or car. With proprietary software,
the manufacturer dictates how, where, and for how long you may
use it. This is why we insist that free software is an ethical
imperative and why the Free Software Foundation (FSF) targets nonfree
software first and foremost -- because it's the root cause of
unrepairability and many other serious issues in today's digital
culture.
A very unfortunate and recent example of a serious infringement on the
right to repair is the Windows 10 "cliff": Microsoft will stop support
for Windows 10 in October 2025 and will leave thousands, if not
millions, of people and organizations at a loss for how to continue
with their computing post-Windows 10. Instead of offering its users a
way to continue with their existing computer, Microsoft is pushing
Windows 10 users to trash their existing device and buy a Copilot Plus
PC. This manufactured disaster has many facets, one of which is
the issue of Digital Restriction Management (DRM), which we targeted
during the 2024 International Day against DRM (IDAD).
We call on you to help Windows 10 users to upgrade to GNU/Linux
instead of trashing their computers! To find users and organizations
in your area who need help with upgrading, or if you yourself are
looking for help with switching to GNU/Linux, check out the
LibrePlanet wiki.
The Windows 10 cliff is but another reminder that if you really want
to own a device, you need to make sure it runs free software,
ideally on hardware that respects your freedom. You may find
that it's getting harder and harder to come by fully free hardware.
This is why it's more important than ever that we advocate for it.
Watch and share the *Right to Repair* video.
The FSF stands firmly behind the Right to Repair movement. The
right to modify software (or repair a device) is one of the four
freedoms the free software community has been fighting for for forty
years. If we imagine software freedom as a building, then the right
to repair is one pillar holding up the roof. From the perspective of
the free software movement, it needs then to be accompanied by the
right to run, study, and share the software, or else the structure will
crumble. It is the FSF's mission to ensure that software freedom is
supported and protected forever.
We stand in solidarity with the Right to Repair movement, those
fighting for the environment, and all the initiatives working towards
a better future. Together with thousands of free software supporters
like you, we rise up against proprietary injustices for the vision of
a free world that includes, but ultimately goes beyond, the right to
repair. Spread the word about the crucial need for the right to repair
the technology we depend on by sharing our Fight to Repair
video on Peertube.
