AFCAR NL, a partnership of the ANWB, Bovag and Focwa, among others, believes that consumers should be able to decide for themselves whether they want to share the data that their cars collect and with whom. That is why the organizations are calling for legislation to regulate the accessibility of car data.
According to the parties, European research shows that more than 75 percent of motorists say they have not given permission to share data when they buy their new car. In addition, many drivers believe that they have no control over the data their car transmits. More and more cars are recording data about the condition of the car and the driving behavior of the driver. This data is forwarded to the car manufacturer via a data connection, often without the car owner’s knowledge.
Passing on vehicle data can have advantages for motorists, for example in terms of assistance in the event of a breakdown, but there is also an important downside. Not only can consumers now often not block the sharing of privacy-sensitive data such as driving behavior and GPS data, but according to AFCAR, car owners could also be obliged to carry out maintenance only at possibly more expensive garages designated by the manufacturer. This can jeopardize the consumer’s freedom of choice. In addition, garages have to pay for the use of the data collected by the manufacturer. Those costs will then be passed on to the consumer. From 2030, it will then reportedly amount to 65 billion euros in additional costs for consumers and the market in Europe.
In a letter to the Ministers of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure & Water Management, AFCAR NL makes an urgent appeal to create legislation for the car industry that supervises the sharing of data by vehicles. This month, the European Commission is considering a bill that will formulate the principles and general rules for the sharing of data between private parties.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl