Privacy proponents point to problems with connected cars

Connected cars “raise significant privacy concerns,” Vincent Gogolek, executive director of the B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association, told a Senate committee Tuesday. “The same technologies that allow for safer, more convenient and entertaining vehicles are also capable of amassing vast databases of information,” he said. “This information can be used not only to improve vehicle systems and features, but also to track and profile customers for targeted marketing and for other purposes. Customer data generated by the connected cars is now seen as a major new source of revenue for automakers and for their many partners,” he added. The standing committee on transport and communications is studying the regulatory and technical challenges related to the deployment of connected and autonomous vehicles. The federal privacy commissioner told the committee during his appearance his office would be working with stakeholders to develop a “code of practice” to help address privacy concerns around such vehicles. Gogolek said that while his group hadn’t seen the progress it was hoping for since it released a report on the issue in 2015, it was encouraged by the commissioner’s announcement. He added that, as a starting point, there should be “hard limits on the collection of personal data.” Philippa Lawson, a lawyer for the association, said current laws aren’t rigorous enough to address some of the concerns, and that “the Canadian legislation provides very broad principles, without the specificity that particular industries, such as the automotive industry, right now.” She said it’s necessary to begin developing a code of practice “that the industry players can agree upon,” and those rules can be shored up by regulations later. Kevin LaRoche, an intellectual property lawyer at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, told the same committee last month that while Canada should quickly harmonize connected car standards with the United States, it must at the same time ensure that there are safeguards for private information.

Privacy proponents point to problems with connected cars

Brief | May 2, 2017

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Privacy proponents point to problems with connected cars

Brief | May 2, 2017

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