Each year, more connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) enter the road, yet the governing legal framework seems to lag behind. This is particularly true for cybersecurity and privacy. While several jurisdictions have recently released voluntary guidelines or draft bills on cybersecurity, binding privacy regulation remains overdue. This article compares privacy regime in Germany, United States, and China, and purports to inform global CAV players, users, and others what to anticipate in this hot yet gray space.

The Unique Nature of Intelligent Vehicles

Thanks to rapid innovations in Internet of Things, sensor technologies, and data analytics, traditional automakers have allied with technology leaders in a manic race to build intelligence into driving machines from connected cars to autonomous vehicles (AVs). Intelligent vehicles are only starting to evolve, yet already they generate a complex array of cybersecurity and privacy issues.