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.

Related Content

  • February 3, 2012
    Commercial vehicle cross-border enforcement needs muscle
    A look at the current status of cross-border enforcement of commercial vehicle operation in the European Union and a look at what still needs to happen to realise a coherent working system
    Read More
  • December 14, 2012
    Preparing for connected vehicle technology challenge
    A decision on mandating connected vehicle technology is expected in 2013, when associated political issues such as privacy are likely to come to the fore. Pete Goldin investigates industry’s preparations for the challenge. Once in a while new technology comes along with the power to revolutionise the way we live our lives. Connected vehicle technology could be such a game changer. If mandated in the United States, it could quickly become the status quo for transportation in the US, and such a disruptive cha
    Read More
  • May 22, 2012
    Vehicle ownership - a thing of the past?
    Convergence of electron-powered vehicles with connected vehicle technologies could mean that only a few decades from now the idea of owning a vehicle will be entirely alien to the road user. By Technolution chief scientist Dave Marples with Jason Barnes Even when taken individually, many of the developments going on and around vehiclebased mobility will bring about major changes in transportation. Taken collectively, the transformations we might expect are nothing short of profound. Enumeration of the influ
    Read More
  • March 25, 2020
    Tech giants could herald loss of MaaS policy control
    With tech giants targeting the transport sector, could local authorities lose control of their means of delivering policy?
    Read More

Highlighted Content