SPY Car Act of 2015
Latest action (21 Jul 2015): Introduced
What this bill does
**S. 1806 — SPY Car Act of 2015**
This bill would direct federal regulators to establish new cybersecurity and privacy rules for motor vehicles. It would require the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in consultation with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), to issue regulations requiring new vehicles to have reasonable safeguards against hacking, including isolating critical driving-control systems from other software, testing for vulnerabilities, securing collected driving data, and equipping vehicles with capabilities to detect and stop attempted intrusions. It would also require a standardized "cyber dashboard" label informing buyers how well a vehicle protects their cybersecurity and privacy, and would set FTC-enforced privacy standards requiring manufacturers to disclose data collection practices, let owners opt out of data collection (with exceptions for safety and regulatory systems), and obtain explicit consent before using vehicle data for marketing.
The bill would affect vehicle manufacturers, who would need to meet these new technical and disclosure standards, and consumers, who would gain new information and control over vehicle data collection. Violations of the cybersecurity standards could result in civil penalties, and privacy violations would be treated as unfair or deceptive practices under FTC law.
The bill was introduced in the Senate on July 21, 2015, by Senator Edward Markey (D-MA), with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) as a cosponsor, and referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. It did not receive a committee vote or further action before the end of the 114th Congress.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
Security and Privacy in Your Car Act of 2015 or the SPY Car Act of 2015
This bill directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to conduct a rulemaking to issue motor vehicle cybersecurity regulations that require motor vehicles manufactured for sale in the United States to protect against unauthorized access to: (1) electronic controls or driving data, including information about the vehicle's location, speed, owner, driver, or passengers; or (2) driving data collected by electronic systems built into a vehicle while that data is stored onboard the vehicle, in transit from the vehicle to another location, or subsequently stored or used off-board the vehicle. The regulations must require vehicles with accessible data or control signals to be capable of detecting, reporting, and stopping attempts to intercept such driving data or control the vehicle.
A violator is liable to the U.S. government for a civil penalty of up to $5,000 for each violation.
NHTSA must also conduct a rulemaking to require the fuel economy labeling that manufacturers attach to motor vehicles to display a "cyber dashboard" with a standardized graphic to inform consumers about the extent to which the vehicle protects individuals' cybersecurity and privacy beyond the minimum requirements.
The Federal Trade Commission is required to conduct a rulemaking to: (1) require motor vehicles to notify owners or lessees about the collection, transmission, retention, and use of driving data; (2) provide owners or lessees with the option to terminate such data collection and retention (except onboard safety systems required for post-incident investigations, emissions, crash avoidance, and other regulatory compliance programs) without losing navigation tools or other features; and (3) prohibit manufacturers from using collected information for advertising or marketing purposes without the owner's or lessee's consent. Violations are to be treated as unfair and deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act.
Common questions
- What does S. 1806 do?
- **S. 1806 — SPY Car Act of 2015** This bill would direct federal regulators to establish new cybersecurity and privacy rules for motor vehicles. It would require the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in consultation with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), to issue regulations requiring new vehicles to have reasonable safeguards against hacking, including isolating critical driving-control systems from other software, testing for vulnerabilities, securing collected driving data, and equipping vehicles with capabilities to detect and stop attempted intrusions. It would also require a standardized "cyber dashboard" label informing buyers how well a vehicle protects their cybersecurity and privacy, and would set FTC-enforced privacy standards requiring manufacturers to disclose data collection practices, let owners opt out of data collection (with exceptions for safety and regulatory systems), and obtain explicit consent before using vehicle data for marketing. The bill would affect vehicle manufacturers, who would need to meet these new technical and disclosure standards, and consumers, who would gain new information and control over vehicle data collection. Violations of the cybersecurity standards could result in civil penalties, and privacy violations would be treated as unfair or deceptive practices under FTC law. The bill was introduced in the Senate on July 21, 2015, by Senator Edward Markey (D-MA), with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) as a cosponsor, and referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. It did not receive a committee vote or further action before the end of the 114th Congress.
- Has S. 1806 become law?
- Not yet. As of 21 Jul 2015, S. 1806 is introduced.
- Who sponsored S. 1806?
- S. 1806 was sponsored by Sen. Edward “Ed” Markey [D-MA] (Democrat-MA), with 1 cosponsor.
- What's the latest action on S. 1806?
- Introduced (21 Jul 2015).
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