California lawmakers on Tuesday pressed for details about how the auto industry is safeguarding data and consumer privacy as cars increasingly become “computers on wheels.”
During the Senate informational hearing, some lawmakers said they are excited by the potential of “connected” cars to improve traffic safety, but are mindful of how the abundance of data could potentially be used or abused.
“In today’s world data is a very valuable commodity, as these telematics technologies generate a huge amount of data, including information about where and how we drive,” said State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson.
“So we have, I think, a real responsibility here in California to recognize and do everything we can to protect that right of privacy while at the same time recognizing that there are opportunities out there to accomplish things through these new technologies that we never would have dreamed possible,” she continued.
Several representatives from the auto industry were on hand to explain how they are protecting data and addressing consumer privacy. They said an industry standard has emerged that gives customers the opportunity to “affirmatively opt-in” when the vehicle or a service within it ask to collect data. The affirmative opt-in can occur at the vehicle point-of-sale, on the in-car navigation screen, or at other points in time.
“I want to make it very clear that most of the data that we collect is not personally identifiable; that is the information is not linkable either to the vehicle from which the information is retrieved or to the vehicle owner,” said Damon Porter, director of state government affairs for Global Automakers.
Lawmakers appeared to take much interest – conversation lasted about an hour – on the topic of opt-in consent and its inner workings.
State Sen. Bob Hertzberg said the data collection in the auto industry is a fascinating topic because it points to larger trends in the new economy. “It really manifests itself across a much broader array of public policy issues,” Hertzberg said.
Samantha Corbin, speaking on behalf of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) said that in the near future, cars will be so connected that that buyers will have no choice but to consent to collecting their data.
“I think consumers need a way to opt out of data collection – not just sharing, but data collection in the first place, potentially at a granular level,” Corbin said. “In the same way that your browser has an ‘incognito’ or private browsing mode, shouldn’t our vehicles have a mode that allows us to drive somewhere without being tracked?”
Dr. Steven Shladover of UC Berkeley’s Partners for Advanced Transportation Technology, said a rulemaking will require every new vehicle sold in the U.S., beginning in about 2020, to be equipped with a radio that will broadcast information periodically which will be useful for collision warning and avoidance.
Those types of vehicle-to-vehicle technologies could allow cars to safely drive closer together, thereby doubling capacity on highways, Shladover said.
