FIA: EU data protection rules mean drivers control who accesses their car data

FIA Region I has just released a legal study exploring how the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will apply to connected car data.
June 28, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

8054 FIA Region I has just released a legal study exploring how the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will apply to connected car data.

Since most car data can be associated to the registered owner of the vehicle, it qualifies as personal data. According to a recent ruling from the European Court of Justice, data qualifies as personal if it is in the hand of any party that can obtain sufficient information to identify the user. Vehicle manufacturers, who can easily identify vehicle owners, should therefore treat most vehicle data as personal data.

The GDPR protects the portability of data, meaning that citizens may change service providers. This principle applies to car data as well, which means that there should be a choice about who accesses car data and for what purpose. However, without clear legislation on the latency (or delay of delivery) and format, data portability could be compromised as, realistically, third-party service providers may struggle due to delays and unreadable data to provide equivalent services with vehicle manufacturers.

The European product liability and product safety legislation do not justify extensive monitoring of real time car data for vehicle manufacturers.

FIA Region I director general, Laurianne Krid, said “This legal memorandum shows us what the European Data Protection Regulation can and cannot do, when it comes to car data. While it grants users certain rights, we still feel that specific legislation is needed to ensure innovation, choice and ultimately create value for connected vehicle users.”

The study findings were disclosed during a debate in the European Parliament hosted by MEP Ismail Ertug on ‘Autonomous Driving and Data: Access, Ownership, Security’. The legal observations complement the My Car My Data campaign run by FIA Region I, which aims at raising awareness regarding connected vehicles and the use of data.

For more information on companies in this article

FIA

Related Content

  • EC launches sustainable urban mobility campaign
    July 4, 2012
    The European Commission yesterday launched its Sustainable Urban Mobility campaign, a three-year initiative aiming to support sustainable urban mobility campaigners in 31 countries, with the opening of a registration system to support outstanding actions for fostering positive change in attitudes and behaviour.
    Read More
  • ITF Corporate Partnership Board projects highlight ways forward
    October 29, 2014
    The findings of the first four projects launched by the ITF Corporate Partnership Board (CPB), the organisation's platform for engaging with the private sector, have been announced. CPB projects are designed to enrich policy discussion with a business perspective. They are launched in areas where CPB member companies identify an emerging issue in transport policy or an innovation challenge to the transport system. Led by ITF, work is carried out in collaborative fashion in working groups consisting of CP
    Read More
  • US DOT proposes broader use of event data recorders
    December 10, 2012
    In an effort to help improve vehicle safety, the US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed a new standard that would capture valuable safety-related data in the seconds before and during a motor vehicle crash. The proposed rule would require automakers to install event data recorders (EDRs), devices that collect specific safety related data, in all light passenger vehicles beginning in September 2014. “By understanding how drivers respond in a cras
    Read More
  • Mega trends will challenge transport technology
    June 5, 2015
    Jon Masters investigates some of the longer term trends that will shape transportation over the next 20 years. Business analysts and investors have already placed their bets on a future of technological smart mobility services. In December last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Uber, the on-demand taxi and lift share smartphone app and start-up business, had been valued at $41.2 billion which, as the Journal reported, is an incredible vote of confidence for a company only five years old.
    Read More

Highlighted Content