President Trump’s openness to Chinese-owned auto plants makes comprehensive vehicle-data legislation more urgent.
By Richard Ward, Executive Director, American Vehicle Owners Alliance
President Donald Trump is hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington this week. The agenda has not been publicly detailed, but the visit follows Trump’s recent distinction between Chinese vehicles imported into the United States and those built here.
Trump opposes Chinese vehicle imports, yet he would accept Chinese automakers manufacturing here if they employ Americans. “If China wanted to come in and open a plant to build their cars here, I’d be okay with that,” he said in a recent Fox News interview.
Trump has not announced a policy change. As Reuters reported, however, his comments raise the prospect of Chinese-owned automakers manufacturing connected vehicles here. AVOA anticipated this route into the American market in our June blog post, “Chinese Expansion to U.S. Auto Market Raises the Stakes for Vehicle Data Ownership.”
AVOA believes that when one buys a car, one should have access to and control of the data generated by it: “My Car. My data.” As such, we strongly support congressional legislation that would require vehicle manufacturers to provide vehicle owners with real-time access to and control of their vehicle-generated data (at no cost beyond the purchase price of the vehicle), such as the DRIVER Act (H.R. 6687) and the “Auto Data Privacy and Autonomy Act” (H.R. 6734 and S. 3494).
The need to protect vehicle owners’ access to and control of their vehicle data already has hit federal and state regulators’ radar screens. Recall that, in January, the Federal Trade Commission finalized an order against General Motors and OnStar resolving allegations that they collected and sold vehicle owners’ vehicle-generated data without informed consent.
And this issue is particularly acute when contemplating Chinese automotive market access.
Both the DRIVER Act and the Auto Data Privacy and Autonomy Act would not only provide vehicle owners with secure, real-time access and joint control to their vehicles’ data, but also restrict access by foreign-adversary-controlled third parties, including China.
As Washington hosts Xi’s visit, and as policymakers contemplate providing Chinese-owned automakers with market access, we urge Congress to protect Americans’ access to and control over their vehicle data.
AVOA’s position is clear: My Car. My Data. And Congress should enact legislation to protect vehicle owners’ access to and control of it.