Over 60 years ago, The Jetsons imagined a future filled with flying cars. While we may not be soaring through the skies just yet, today’s vehicles are smarter, safer, and more connected than ever before. These advances promise efficiency and consumer comfort. But as vehicles become increasingly connected, a pressing question has emerged: who owns the data they generate?
The answer may surprise most Americans. Purchasing a vehicle does not automatically give you ownership over its data. Car manufacturers have asserted control over this information, meaning they could know where you work, where you worship, who your best friends are, and how fast you drive. In some cases, manufacturers have been heavily penalized by the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly selling that data to third parties without disclosing it to owners. That practice flies in the face of core American values of privacy, autonomy, and property rights.
Congress is moving to take action. Last year, Reps. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), Randy Weber (R-TX), and Scott Perry (R-PA) introduced the Data Rights to Information and Vehicle Electronic Records Act, and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) reintroduced the Auto Data Privacy and Autonomy Act. This legislation is designed to ensure that when you own the keys to a vehicle, you own the data, too. Both of these bills are crucial as they would codify that vehicle owners can access their data in real time without paying additional fees and that only the vehicle owner, not the manufacturer, can consent to sharing that data.
And this should be the norm. For decades, vehicle owners directly controlled the basic data their cars produced, from mileage to tire pressure. Today’s connected vehicles, however, funnel vast amounts of data directly back to manufacturers, leaving owners locked out of information generated by their own property.
My organization, the American Vehicle Owners Alliance, firmly believes that both of these bills put Americans back in the driver’s seat by enshrining vehicle owners’ rightful control over their data.
With access to this data, American families, small businesses, and our transportation system as a whole will reap enormous benefits. Consumers have more options for car maintenance. Trucking and delivery companies can plan more efficient routes, lowering costs across supply chains. Rental car fleets can better anticipate maintenance needs, increase reliability, and reduce drivers’ risk. By opening data access, we will bolster competition and unleash innovation.
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America’s automotive leadership has always depended on balancing fairness and opportunity for consumers, with industry innovations and new technologies. It’s time to get American consumers back in the driver’s seat — literally and figuratively. Owning a vehicle should mean owning all of it, including the data.
To protect privacy, strengthen competition, and secure our transportation future, Congress must act.