New information is being provided every day regarding the possibility of driverless cars and the potential for autonomous motor vehicles in the future. While that rosy future isn't quite here yet, most cars on the road do rely heavily on computer coding and other advanced technology.
Making sure that that your vehicle is safe from hackers is a concern that many industry experts are talking about in the auto world. Ryan McCauley recently published an article for Government Technology, which addresses the question, who should regulate cybersecurity for connected cars?
The federal government regulates safety standards for vehicles. Should cybersecurity standards be treated differently?
The article quotes, Sam Lauzon, a senior engineer at the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute. Lauzon brings up a fair point when he states that government regulations rarely keep up with technology.
According to a February 2017 study conducted by the University of Michigan, more people are concerned about hacking to obtain control of individual vehicles or the traffic management system than hacking cars for their personal information. The study also found that older respondents had more concern of vehicle hacking than younger respondents.
The FTC released a March 20, 2017 press statement where it was announced that the FTC and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will hold a workshop on June 28, 2017. Up for discussion are topics like motor vehicle consumer privacy, security issues posed by automated motor vehicles, and security issues posed by connected motor vehicles. The workshop will also address issues such as the role of government in regulating auto cybersecurity, pros and cons of data collection from cars, and potential auto industry self-regulatory standards that might apply to privacy and security issues for connected vehicles.
The FTC invites the general public to comment on these issues. The public can submit their comments by clicking on the following link - Connected Cars - Request for Comments Link.
The Michigan Law Firm, PLLC has an auto accident lawyer ready for you to speak with about your Michigan car crash. Our firm offers free consultations and honest and fair representation. Give us a call today at 844.464.3476 to see if our firm can help you get back on your feet after an auto accident.