Bipartisan bills to protect car owners’ privacy introduced in House and Senate

A bipartisan and bicameral coalition of congressmen on Wednesday introduced bills designed to give car owners more control over their personal information following backlash over the amount of data automakers gather, store and sell from connected cars.

The Senate bill, the Auto Data Privacy and Autonomy Act, would require automakers to create opt-in mechanisms for vehicle data collection and would bar manufacturers from sharing, selling or leasing customer data without explicit consent. It also would empower car owners to delete their data after connecting to their car and would direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to report to Congress on how car companies are collecting data.

Additionally, the bill would prohibit data sharing with adversarial countries and give car owners access to their vehicle’s data through a system set up by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the Senate bill.

Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) introduced a very similar companion bill in the House.

NAFA, an association of fleet managers, and the American Car Rental Association are supporting the legislation.

“You shouldn’t be worried about billionaire corporations invading your privacy and stealing your data every time you start your car,” Sen. Merkley said in a statement. “Our bipartisan bill is a common-sense solution to ensure every American has control over their vehicle data and the freedom to choose how it is used.”

It is unclear why the congressmen introduced the legislation now, just two weeks before the closing of this congressional session when all bills that have not passed will die.