Jail, activists, and old laptops: Welcome to Microsoft’s nightmare

In the wake of the first iPhone, personal devices became sleeker, slimmer, and more powerful. 

They also became more difficult to repair, as companies locked them down with glue and proprietary screws. And so, instead of getting their stuff fixed, people got used to buying new devices and throwing old ones away. As the piles of e-waste grew, the "right to repair" movement was born. 

Right-to-repair activists want legislation to remove the manufacturing and legal barriers that make it harder for consumers to fix their stuff. It's an environmental movement, too. When people buy used devices and keep those devices working longer, fewer natural resources are needed for manufacturing and less e-waste ends up in landfills. Read more...