Ford Backed Group Wants Congress To Address Digital Stalking

While connected vehicle technology brings with it many benefits for owners, there are also some obvious downsides to it as well. Aside from the fact that hackers can gain access to vehicle data more easily, there are many that have expressed concerns about the possibility that domestic abuse survivors can also be impacted by the misuse of connected vehicle tools by abusers. That’s precisely why Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has asked automakers and wireless service carriers to help, but she isn’t alone in that mission.

Rather, the Ford backed lobby group known as the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (AAI) has written a letter to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, containing a legislative proposal that intends to prevent the misuse of connected vehicle technology to stalk or harass the survivors of domestic violence. The legislation specifically covers connected vehicle services that aren’t currently included in the Safe Connections Act of 2022, which regulates mobile and cellular phone plans.

The letter states that this legislation was “developed by industry with the input and guidance of three influential domestic violence advocacy organizations [and] would enable survivors to quickly terminate or disable an abuser’s access to a vehicle’s connected services, even if the abuser is the account holder.” AAI added that “The Safe Connections Act (SCA) does not currently apply” to connected vehicle services in [domestic abuse] circumstances because automakers “…do not maintain call records, nor do they provide customer-facing call logs” adding “…in-vehicle connectivity offerings fall outside… the purview of the SCA and the problems associated with shared mobile service contracts that the SCA seeks to address.”

This legislation was developing in partnership with organizations that are dedicated to supporting the victims of domestic violence, with AAI urging Congress to take action swiftly and implement a “vehicle-specific law” to protect individuals from stalking and harassment through the intentional misuse of connected vehicle technology.