S.T.O.P. Expresses Concerns Re Federal Driver Surveillance Mandate

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View this email in your browser For Immediate Release   S.T.O.P. Expresses Concerns Re Federal Driver Surveillance Mandate (New York, NY, 11/10/2021) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a privacy and civil rights group, expresses concerns over a federal law requiring carmakers to install driver surveillance devices in all new vehicles as of 2026, monitoring for signs that a driver is inebriated. The group expressed concern that the technology could be biased, particularly against drivers with physical disabilities, and that it would be easy for drunk drivers to circumvent.  The provision is part of the recently-passed federal infrastructure legislation that President Biden is expected to sign in the coming days. SEE: Gizmodo -  Infrastructure Bill's Drunk Driving Tech Mandate Leaves Some Privacy Advocates Nervous https://gizmodo.com/infrastructure-bills-drunk-driving-tech-mandate-leaves-1848026588   AP News -  Congress mandates new car technology to stop drunken driving https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-technology-business-health-068ee87392b0cca1444053b854a514dd   “Once again, we’re being told that if we spend billions on surveillance, it will fix everything, and once again the technology will come up short,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “Attention tracking technology is error-prone and biased. We’ve seen this sort of technology discriminate against individuals with disabilities when it’s used for remote proctoring, and it will be just as biased on the road. Not only will it be easy for drunk drivers to circumvent the technology, but many drivers with disabilities will lose access their vehicles. At the same time, there’s a very real risk that these technologies could replicate the same racial bias we see in tools like facial recognition.”   SEE: The New Yorker -  Is Online Test-Monitoring Here to Stay? https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/is-online-test-monitoring-here-to-stay CBS News -  Why face-recognition technology has a bias problem https://www.cbsnews.com/news/facial-recognition-systems-racism-protests-police-bias/   The civil rights group called on Congress to instead invest in evidence-based measures to combat drunk driving.   Cahn continued, “we know from other countries that there are ways to reduce drunk driving, such as investing in public transportation. We should invest in evidence-based measures, not turn our cars into government surveillance tools.” The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color. -- END -- CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn; ; .   Copyright © 2021 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.