Car data is personal data, says report

Early results from a new study commissioned by FIA Region I indicates that most car data can be linked to a user and therefore should be treated as personal data.
June 7, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

Early results from a new study commissioned by 8054 FIA Region I indicates that most car data can be linked to a user and therefore should be treated as personal data. The study examined how existing and upcoming EU legislation on data protection and liability could apply to vehicle data. It clearly dismisses the attempts to categorise data according to its technical or non-technical nature, as currently proposed by vehicle manufacturers. Data does not automatically lose relevance in terms of privacy because of its technical nature. For instance, technical information regarding a low oil gauge of a specific vehicle is linked to an identifiable customer, it directly relates to this person.

The General Data Protection Regulation, expected to come into force from May 2018, introduces the concept of data portability, intended to allow users to transfer their personal data to a third party upon request. This provision was drafted to ensure competition. However, data protection legislation alone may not be sufficient to ensure competition as there remain concerns over the latency and quality of the data to be provided.

"This study shows, without ambiguity, that most of the data generated by car users should be treated as personal data. It dismisses claims that exclusive access could be granted to vehicle manufacturers based on the nature of the data or liability obligations. While data protection legislation will provide some rights to users, it cannot replace sound technical and competition legislation to guarantee free choice and innovation." said Laurianne Krid, director general of FIA Region I.

The study also explores whether liability obligations grant a right to access data to manufacturers. Neither the product liability directive nor the produce safety directive obliges manufacturers to permanently monitor data once the vehicles are on the road. If such processing of data was needed, it must be based on consumer consent. Data should also be equally shared with component manufacturers.

The full study will be published in the coming weeks.

For more information on companies in this article

FIA

Related Content

  • Integrating traffic management and tolling technologies
    April 25, 2013
    Jamie Surkont, head of road safety enforcement with Kapsch, outlines the company’s efforts to set up and align new traffic management business units with its more widely recognised tolling expertise The blurring of ITS applications’ edges brought about by systems’ increasing functionalities will ensure that many of the technologies which we have come to rely on for road and traffic management will find it increasingly difficult to exist or operate within tight market verticals. At the same time, systems man
    Read More
  • UK prime minister criticises 'hare-brained' 20mph limit
    October 2, 2023
    15-minute city concept also under attack as ruling Conservative party seeks poll boost
    Read More
  • Oregon tests new mileage-base charging scheme
    August 5, 2013
    Jack Opiola from D’Artagnan Consulting LLP explains Oregon’s latest moves which mandated a trial of mileage-based road use charging. In 1919, Oregon made the 20th century’s most significant contribution to transportation funding policy, becoming the first state in America to implement a gas tax to pay for roads. This summer Oregon’s Legislature passed, and Governor John Kitzhaber signed into law, Senate Bill 810 which requires a distance-based road usage charge for 5,000 volunteer vehicles by 1 July 2015. T
    Read More
  • Progress of ICT transport research projects
    February 3, 2012
    Juhani Jääskeläinen, head of the ICT for Transport Unit, DG Information Society and Media, European Commission, details the results of Call 4 for research projects in ICT for transport. Since the closure of the call and evaluation process during the summer of last year the European Commission (EC) has been negotiating and signing contracts with projects which were selected from proposals submitted to Call 4 of the 7th Framework Programme (FP7) in the area of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) fo
    Read More

Highlighted Content