EU’s eCall Regulation Sacrifices Safety for Privacy

Beginning in October, new EU regulations will require manufacturers to fit all cars produced for sale in the European Economic Area with a device that, when it detects a crash, automatically requests emergency services and transmits data about the location of the vehicle, the direction it had been travelling in, and the time of the crash, writes Nick Wallace in EurActiv. This system—referred to as “eCall”—is a praiseworthy measure that demonstrates how technology and data can help make people safer. However, due to unwarranted concerns about privacy, policymakers restricted the data vehicles will share with emergency services even though additional information could further improve safety without impacting privacy or raising costs.