A Massachusetts ballot question asks voters if they would like to impose requirements on vehicle telematics systems.
“Ballot Question 1 in Massachusetts, if passed in November, would require car manufacturers that sell cars equipped with telematics systems to install a standardized, open data platform beginning with model year 2022.
Such a system would allow the cars’ owners to access their telematics system data through a mobile app and give their consent for independent repair facilities to access those data and send commands to the system for repair, maintenance, and diagnostic testing”.
Telematics are a method of monitoring a vehicle by combining a GPS system with on-board diagnostics to record – and map – exactly where a car is and how fast it’s traveling, etc.
“Currently, Massachusetts’ Right to Repair law (signed into law in 2013), exempts telematics systems from accessibility by car owners and independent repair facilities. This means that the car’s telematics system may only be accessed by the brand manufacturer, which may limit a car owner’s ability to choose where the system can be updated or repaired.”