The battle for BER renewal and the right to repair in face of VMs locking down systems on-board vehicles were a key theme of the IAAF Conference held on December 3.

By necessity, the event was held online and speakers included David Smith, Economics Editor of The Sunday Times who rated the chances of a Brexit deal by the end of the year as ’60-40′, and concluded that what ever is eventually worked out would likely be a ‘very thin deal’. He also shared predictions about how the world’s economy would recover from coronavirus.
READ: IAAF’s BLEASDALE WARNS INDUSTRY OVER BLOCK EXEMPTION REVIEW
Ronan McDonagh, Technical Director of FIGIEFA spoke about how VMs may use cyber security as a way of absolving responsibility for providing open access to data. “It’s a very significant threat and it’s one as independent operators we can’t ignore” he told conference chair Wendy Williamson. “Once there is encryption, reverse engineering becomes very difficult if not impossible from a software perspective”
Other speakers included Quentin LeHetet from GiPA who also warned about the threats from VMs, but concluded that the aftermarket will be strong for a while yet, as the market for secondhand vehicles remains buoyant. A panel of recruitment consultants were also ‘on stage’ to discuss the job market through the current situation, while Ben’s Rachel Clift was on hand to talk about the challenges that both the charity and people who have used its services have faced throughout 2020.
The event was also combined with the Federation’s annual awards. Schaeffler picked up the coveted ‘Outstanding Supplier’ award.
Go to comments