The fronts that the European Union has open with the automobile industry are increasing. As if the ones it already has were not few, now another one is added: connectivity and data protection. The International Automobile Federation has already asked Europe to regulate this matter.
The European Union has a new open front, and one of the most important that fully affects data protection. The most modern cars, from the smallest and cheapest to the largest and most expensive, have sophisticated multimedia platforms with connectivity applications that offer different information, based on the data they collect.
These have been designed to capture driving style, mileage, refueling or the number of times hybrid and electric batteries are recharged, navigation routes, last parking. Endless information that the German Goslar Institute has analyzed in depth, including through surveys, and which yields some interesting conclusions: 91% believe they have all their data under control, while 85% are convinced of the opposite. The FIA -International Automobile Federation- has already asked Europe to establish a regulation on this data to which, for now, manufacturers do have full access, announcing the special campaign “My car, my data”.
The FIA’s “My car, my data” campaign seeks more user protection in data transmission
In fact, some of the brands like Volkswagen no longer send alerts to owners if the vehicle leaves a compound where it was parked or if it exceeds a specific speed limit. One of the obligations of the data protection law. The big problem is that what was thought to stay in the car is not. Manufacturers have access to a trail of information that is not well known for what they are actually used.
Although it is true that connectivity allows us to be informed of various matters and access certain types of services by granting our consent, researchers are not at all clear who can access certain data. An example is the case of a Tesla owner who was recorded in Berlin at full speed, overturning and fleeing from the accident site, being hunted because the video was recorded on the on-board computer. The fact that the police have accessed this data may have incurred a data protection crime, since these devices are not regulated, only the famous black box that will be implemented in July 2022.
Logically, manufacturers will be forced to abide by decisions and regulations but will not share information that is more than valuable to them. It means knowing more about the lifestyle of its customers, those who have not communicated it in internal surveys. What is sought is that the owners of the cars are the ones who have greater control and decide what can be shared and what cannot. Because everything leaves a trace, and the new equipment on demand makes it necessary to introduce an electronic payment system to enjoy certain elements. A great challenge for the European Union.