Page 27 - Cyber Warnings

c. Sensor data
Autonomous cars in use today (and again many existing human-driven vehicles) contain various
sensors that collect data relating to the operation of the autonomous vehicle as well as its
surroundings. By constantly collecting data about its surroundings, however, the vehicle is
continuously capturing information about the people and things it encounters, creating a
potential privacy concern in the same way that a different Google project, Google Street View,
drew the interest of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

There, the FCC imposed sanctions on Google for its conduct in gathering Wi-Fi network and
“payload” data during the Street View project. One can imagine that autonomous vehicles could
collect driving habits, destinations and other revealing information about other drivers without
their knowledge or consent. Additional concerns could arise based on the use of imagery
captured by the vehicle, including ownership disputes and potential invasion of privacy claims,
depending upon the circumstances in which the images are captured.

One specific type of “sensor” that deserves particular attention is the voice-recognition and
control system of the autonomous car. Many consumer devices currently on the market
integrate voice control functionality, including smart phones and televisions. The addition of
these features to consumer products has led to public concern and complaints about the
collection and transmission of private communications.

In October 2015, California enacted legislation regulating voice-recognition technology in smart
televisions. These laws require manufacturers of smart televisions to inform customers about
the voice-recognition features during initial setup or installation and bar the sale or use of any
speech captured by voice-recognition technology for advertising purposes andprohibits the
manufacturer or entity providing these features from being compelled to build specific features
for allowing an investigative or law enforcement officer to monitor communications through that
feature.

II. Security issues
In addition to individual privacy concerns, autonomous vehicles also present issues relating to
personal safety and security. The potential security risks come from a variety of sources, both
internal and external to the automated vehicle itself, which are discussed in further detail below.

a. Hacking
In a 2014 Harris Interactive survey about the use of autonomous cars, more than 50 percent of
respondents raised concerns about the prospect of having a hacker gain control of the vehicle.
In 2015, researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek were able to exploit a vulnerability in
certain Chrysler vehicles to gain control of the vehicle’s internal computer network. Miller and
Valasek discovered the vulnerability in the entertainment system, which allowed remote access
through an open port in the system. With access to the entertainment system and the CAN bus,
Miller and Valasek were able to remotely manipulate various systems, including the air
conditioning controls, stereo, windshield wipers, transmission, steering, and were able to both
kill the engine and engage or disable the brakes. Although these vulnerabilities occurred in
27 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine October 2016 Edition
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