Public summary · twelve years later · still in force

The Lock

Integrated Device Integrity Act. Passed March 3, 2029, by nine votes.

DIA historical divisionHow it happened

  1. 2027

    The Closure Hearings. Manufacturers testify that opening devices endangers the owner — “a hazard to the very person who holds it.” The argument is strange. It wins.

  2. 2029

    The Lock. Every device with a processor becomes a sealed legal unit. The word “repair” is retired from official language. Warranty-void stickers are declared prophetic.

  3. 2031

    Freshness Cycles begin. Devices expire at 24 months. “Expiration is a feature.” Sunset Mode ships quietly the same year: expired devices slow down “for your safety.”

  4. 2033

    The last buyback. 1.1 million soldering irons surrendered and melted into a statue of a closed hand. Unveiling attendance: 40,000. Nobody claps in the footage.

  5. 2036

    The Longmont raid. Nine technicians, one garage bench, eleven minutes. It leads the national news for six. Their tools go to the Museum of Hands, spotlit, labeled EVIDENCE.

  6. 2038

    Device Respect enters the K-12 curriculum. Kindergarteners recite the Pledge of the Sealed. The textbook's unit 3 is titled “Why Sealed Things Stay Sealed.”

  7. 2041

    Today. You are here. Thank you for not opening anything.

Excerpts · public summaryWhat the law says

§101 — THE SEAL
“A device is sealed. A seal is a promise. Breaking a promise to yourself is still breaking.”
§104(a) — UNAUTHORIZED INTERVENTION
“The knowing opening of a sealed unit. Misdemeanor, first offense.”
§104(b) — AGGRAVATED MAINTENANCE
“Unauthorized intervention for consideration. Felony.” The doing of it for money is the worse crime. The doing of it for love is merely a crime.
§107 — DOCUMENTATION
“Service documentation — including but not limited to schematics, boardviews, and ‘just the datasheet’ — is contraband.”
§112 — PAIRING
“Parts pairing is mandatory. A component that has known other boards is untrustworthy.”
§119 — THE GRANDFATHER CLAUSE
“Hardware manufactured before the Effective Date may be opened by certified museums and antique-appreciation societies. Such hardware is designated legacy. Legacy hardware may be displayed. Understanding is display.”

DIA public service terminal · form 41-LIs your device legal?

The Administration is happy to tell you what you own. Enter the year it was manufactured.

Public information seriesPosters in rotation

Device Integrity Administration
Sealed is safe

If it's closed, nothing bad is your fault.

Public information · poster 41-C
Device Integrity Administration
If it opens,
it isn't yours

Ownership is a feeling. Feelings are regulated.

Public information · poster 41-D
TamperWatch
Report tampering

40 recycle credits.
Your neighbor already has.

Reward program · coupon inside
Surrender Day flyer · this saturday

SURRENDER DAY — trade any device, get a voucher, watch the bouncy castle. The future thanks you. Attendance is voluntary. Voluntary things are counted.