Driver Privacy Act, which includes black box privacy, moves ahead in Senate

Driver Privacy Act, which includes –black box” privacy, moves ahead in Senate

The Driver Privacy Act, which states that a vehicle owner owns the information collected by the vehicleês Event Data Recorder, has passed the Senate Commerce Committee and moved to the full Senate. Although little is moving in Congress these days, the bill does have 23 co-sponsors from both parties.

The EDR or –black box,” can collect at least 45 pieces of information about a vehicleês operation that can be retrieved at any time. The information includes direction, speed, seat belt usage and other data. The legislation would ensure that the vehicle owner controls the data to protect personal privacy.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that more than 96 percent of new models are equipped with EDR. In December 2012, the agency proposed rules that would mandate installation of EDRs in all light-duty vehicles. The proposal raised questions about ownership of the data.

Virginia and 13 other states have passed laws protecting vehicle owner privacy of EDR data.