Lawmakers raise driver privacy concerns on Capitol Hill

May 19, 2021 at 08:55 AM CST
Stakeholders debated at a congressional hearing Tuesday the extent to which the government should be involved in protecting the workforce against potential negative consequences of vehicle automation. As the trucking industry advances from semi-automation to driverless trucks, one concern drivers have raised is their eroding privacy as autonomous systems make increasing use of in-cab video monitoring. “Heavy-duty truck driving is already a highly surveilled occupation; can you speak to the impact this has on workers, and ways that Congress can create policies that can balance a worker’s right to privacy with the fact that automated vehicle [AV] technology needs large quantities of image data to work effectively?” Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., asked witnesses at the hearing before the Consumer Protection subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

May 19, 2021 at 08:55 AM CST

Stakeholders debated at a congressional hearing Tuesday the extent to which the government should be involved in protecting the workforce against potential negative consequences of vehicle automation. As the trucking industry advances from semi-automation to driverless trucks, one concern drivers have raised is their eroding privacy as autonomous systems make increasing use of in-cab video monitoring. “Heavy-duty truck driving is already a highly surveilled occupation; can you speak to the impact this has on workers, and ways that Congress can create policies that can balance a worker’s right to privacy with the fact that automated vehicle [AV] technology needs large quantities of image data to work effectively?” Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., asked witnesses at the hearing before the Consumer Protection subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.