Senate Bill Introduced To Secure Connected Cars, Protect Driver Privacy

Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., introduced legislation Tuesday that would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the FTC to “establish federal standards to secure our cars and protect drivers’ privacy,” a joint news release said. The Security and Privacy in Your Car (SPY Car) Act also establishes a rating system known as a “cyber dashboard” that “informs consumers about how well the vehicles protects drivers’ security and privacy beyond those minimum standards,” the release said. “Rushing to roll out the next big thing, automakers have left cars unlocked to hackers and data-trackers,” Blumenthal said. “This legislation will set minimum standards and transparency rules to protect the data, security and privacy of drivers in the modern age of increasingly connected vehicles,” Markey said. As cars become more connected, the importance of software security increases, as does a need for technology to monitor, log, detect and possibly stop attacks, said Director-Vehicle Security Research Chris Valasek and Security Researcher Charlie Miller of security consultant IOActive. Consumer Federation of America Public Affairs Director Jack Gillis said the legislation will “help prevent hacking attacks and insure personal privacy.”