California’s newly-empowered state agency designated to oversee and guarantee citizens’ privacy rights in the digital world is taking on its first major investigation into how automobile manufacturers use and exploit the plethora of data they collect from so-called “smart” vehicles, the Washington Post reports.
The California Privacy Protection Agency will look at how manufacturers collect data; whether the consumer understands what data is collected; and what the manufacturers do with that data. Created by the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, the CPPA gained the ability to direct its own investigations on July 1st.
The Agency is requesting information from manufacturers on what data is collected regarding the drivers and passengers, not just about where and when they travel, but any information collected from entertainment consoles and mobile phones that are collected to the onboard system.