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EU's Plan To Ban Sale of User-Moddable RF Devices Draws Widespread Condemnation (theregister.co.uk)

Posted by msmash on from the shape-of-things-to-come dept.

Reader simpz writes: The Register is reporting that the EU is looking to block users from tinkering the firmware/software of their RF devices. This seems to have been very under reported, with a fairly short consultation period that has now expired. It could force manufacturers to lock down phones and routers etc to stop you from installing the likes of Lineage OS or OpenWRT. The way this is written it could stop devices like laptops or Raspberry Pi's having their software changed. From the report: The controversy centres on Article 3(3)(i) of the EU Radio Equipment Directive, which was passed into law back in 2014. However, an EU working group is now about to define precisely which devices will be subject to the directive -- and academics, researchers, individual "makers" and software companies are worried that their activities and business models will be outlawed. Article 3(3)(i) states that RF gear sold in the EU must support "certain features in order to ensure that software can only be loaded into the radio equipment where the compliance of the combination of the radio equipment and software has been demonstrated." If the law is implemented in its most potentially harmful form, no third-party firmware could be installed onto something like a home router, for example.

8 of 142 comments (clear)

  1. Every week by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Every week the EU plans something that draws widespread condemnation (usually because it's tyrannical). Glad I don't live there.

    1. Re:Every week by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If only it was just the EU, but it's the same in USA, same in Russia, same in China, same everywhere. Once again comes the time where even trivial shit is considered to be limited for regular folks, because that's just the next step. The common sense is lost and the goal post keeps on crawlin forward to ban shit from people, because "they need to be protected from themselves" and because power can't be shared.

    2. Re:Every week by jwymanm · · Score: 3, Insightful

      This right here. But parent is correct also since EU is really reallllly tightening the noose. It's like they are combing through every damn freedom one by one and removing it explicitly. The other countries just look and watch and like wow ok you got that passed? wow, um our turn! This is why we need to keep voting for shitheads like orange man because we're forced to if we want stuff like 1:3 law reduction, lower taxes, shrinkage of departments. Unfortunately even he passes more laws against freedom. We're all screwed for now until uprisings like in France happen everywhere.

  2. This sounds like it may just govern radion control by kalpol · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It sounds like it's just meant to not allow users to control the radio tranmissions, similar to how in the US the radio device has to be FCC-approved, and you can't for instance boost your CB power to 50 watts. If software allows you to turn your router radio up to 11 (like DD-WRT) does, perhaps it is just that component of it they want to control?

    --
    12:50 - press return.
  3. Re:Why not by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Then it would not be useful as it could not inter-operate with anything else? Laws like this - and the similar regulation that went through the US about 2 years back are the result of too many a*holes flouting the regulations and either Tim Tayloring (more power) their transmitters or having them transmit on other bands which they are not supposed to. If people wouldn't do that crap, rules like this wouldn't be needed. Just like you wouldn't need "do not touch" signs in museums if people could keep their grimy hands off of things. But they can't. So we can't have nice things. Because people.

  4. Re:This sounds like it may just govern radion cont by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It sounds like it's just meant to not allow users to control the radio tranmissions, similar to how in the US the radio device has to be FCC-approved, and you can't for instance boost your CB power to 50 watts. If software allows you to turn your router radio up to 11 (like DD-WRT) does, perhaps it is just that component of it they want to control?

    There is a difference between "type accepted" and the sort of power I have as an amateur or professional. A Citizens band radio is a low powered unlicensed service. I an allowed to modify or build anything. But hey - if the EU says this is a great thing, the good citizens will comply.

    Sounds like the Volksradio is coming back, as the EU starts to demand and enforce complete conformity, and obedience to their benevolent governance. And sure enough, they are out defending this in the threads.

    So go ahead and mod me down, good compliant citizens. Differing opinions are dangerous.

    --
    The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  5. Correct what now? by SuperKendall · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yes, it's overly dramatic bullshit that has no effect on the elections, where people can prevent this crap,

    That's the difference between the EU and other places - no amount of elections can "correct" what the EU chooses to do.

    It's cruel dictatorship by committee, so no one person is actually responsible for the suffering the machine generates.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  6. US freedom vs EU laws by AHuxley · · Score: 1, Insightful

    In the USA you have some freedom to work with science and share your results.
    That person in the USA gets smarter and can even educate people with their results.
    Innovation spreads all over the US and more people build and share results.

    In the EU laws stop science and nobody smart gets to have the freedom to experiment.
    The EU educates people about laws.
    People buy a product in the EU and are told how it will be used under EU laws.

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    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"