Maureen Ohlhausen, a Republican FTC commissioner who’s now leading the agency, said regulators would need to exercise “humility,” understanding the benefits and the risks of connected cars. Citing the National Safety Council’s estimate that as many as 40,000 people died last year in vehicle crashes, Ohlhausen said connected cars “promise to significantly reduce such fatalities.” Regulators, she added, need to be careful not to take steps that would hinder that outcome.
Referring to the NHTSA, she said, “It means we must continue to work with our sister agency to avoid unnecessary or duplicative regulations that could stop or slow innovation.”
While their life-saving potential is clear, connected cars raise significant cybersecurity concerns. In October, the NHTSA released best practices to protect connected vehicles from cyberattacks and unauthorized access that could compromise consumers’ personal data. The NHTSA guidance pushed for vehicles to be able to quickly detect and respond “in the field” to a cybersecurity breach.
“It’s not a question of if our industry will see a serious cyber incident but when,” Massimilla said.
“We recognize the importance of cybersecurity, not just as a company but as an industry,” he said. “It affects us all. We support and are fully committed to implementing the NHTSA best practices published last year.”
