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Dive Summary:
- The Commerce Department is gathering evidence on a potential regulation of connected vehicles and whether wireless technology from foreign entities poses a national security risk.
- In one advance notice of the proposed rulemaking earlier this monththe department’s Office of Industry and Safety asked stakeholders whether its definition of connected vehicles was broad enough to cover autonomous and electric vehicles.
- The definition could ultimately lead to potential restrictions on some foreign products and manufacturers from the U.S. Comments are due by April 30.
Dive Insight:
Regulators want to protect US national security from foreign threats, reporting potential issues with countries such as China, Iran, North Korea and Russia.
The US is targeting connected vehicles designed, developed or manufactured by entities linked to those countries, citing concerns about security issues that could be exploited.
Among the technology being scrutinized, some trucks have cameras that see the drive, as well as remotes that can take control of AVs and telematics that update route schedules. This means the vehicles can collect sensitive data about people and fleets, collecting biometric information and environmental data, which could be accessed by foreign threats, the statement said.
Creating a definition of connected vehicles would serve as a first step in reviewing and ultimately deciding on potential limitations. The issue comes from a Trump administration executive order in May 2019 which the Biden administration has continued to promote year after year. The orders call for protection of digital networks.
If approved, the department could also create a path for certain businesses to receive exemptions from the ban, provided security risks are mitigated.
“BIS could define a connected vehicle as an automotive vehicle that integrates embedded network hardware with automotive software systems to communicate via dedicated short-range communication, cellular connectivity, satellite communication, or other wireless spectrum connectivity with any other network or device.” says the Office in its announcement.
The bureau said the definition would likely cover vehicles with global satellite navigation systems, remote access or control, wireless software, on-device roadside assistance and more.
The government further noted that the term connected vehicles can have different meanings in industry and in the public sector. In addition, the bureau is considering whether a different term should replace that for connected vehicles, such as networked vehicles, intelligent connected vehicles, software-defined vehicles, or connected autonomous vehicles.