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Samsung’s right-to-repair issues deepen with new revelations

Samsung is under fire for right-to-repair practices, requiring shops to share data and remove aftermarket parts, a leaked contract shows.

Samsungโ€™s commitment to the right to repair has recently come under scrutiny, and the situation appears to be worse than initially thought. Reports suggest that Samsung is compelling independent repair shops to provide your personal information and report you for using aftermarket parts.

A leaked contract reveals personal data requirements

404 Media has obtained a leaked contract between Samsung and an independent service provider. According to this contract, independent repair shops must send Samsung your name, address, telephone number, phone serial number and IMEI, your โ€œcustomer complaint,โ€ and detailed repair information for every service conducted.

Moreover, the contract mandates repair shops to remove any aftermarket parts from your phone. This is despite it being legal to use third-party parts, and companies are facing penalties for suggesting otherwise.

404 Media has verified the authenticity of the contract, and I have independently reviewed a copy as well. Samsung did not respond to 404 Mediaโ€™s request for comment, and has not provided any statements despite being contacted over the past two hours.

Data-sharing concerns extend to official parts

The issue is not limited to independent repair shops. Samsung may also be adding you to a database every time you purchase an official replacement part. iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens confirmed that his company shared some customer information with Samsung. If you bought a genuine Samsung part from iFixit, you would have had to agree to let Samsung access your email and a list of every genuine part you purchased.

โ€œWe do not require this information for any other partnerships and do not share customer information with any other OEM,โ€ says Wiens.

Wiens stated he could not verify if the current contract is the same one Samsung makes independent repair shops sign, as Samsung has never provided him with a copy. The contract I reviewed had the year redacted, though a source indicated it was from 2023. It is possible Samsung has already changed its contract language or will do so before July 1, when right-to-repair laws in California and Minnesota take effect.

Right-to-repair laws and their impact

Minnesotaโ€™s law might prevent Samsung from enforcing such contracts, as it requires manufacturers to provide parts under โ€œfair and reasonable termsโ€ and bans parts registration, pairing, or approval by the manufacturer. The law also prohibits imposing substantial obligations or unnecessary costs and burdens on part-time usage.

Californiaโ€™s law, however, is less clear about what โ€œfair and reasonableโ€ means. Not every repair shop is aware of its rights or willing to challenge Samsung, which controls 25% of the US smartphone market and is the leading Android provider in the United States.

Nathan Proctor, senior campaign director for right-to-repair at the US Public Interest Research Group, doubts independent repair shops are stripping aftermarket parts from phones, as it would be labour-intensive. However, he believes shops are likely to share customer information because Samsung can track the purchase and installation of its genuine parts, ensuring compliance from repair shops.

It remains unclear whether independent shops inform customers that Samsung will receive their personal information, as 404 Media did not specify this detail.

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