An auto industry trade group called on Congress to introduce curbs on connected-vehicle technology being used for harassment.
The effort follows news of incidents involving abusers tormenting victims via such technology. Last month, the California state legislature passed a law allowing drivers to cut off abusers' access to a vehicle's connected services.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents many U.S.-based automakers, sent a letter to congressional leaders calling for a national measure to prevent misuse of the technology for the purposes of stalking or otherwise harassing survivors of domestic abuse.
The request to committees of both congressional houses came during National Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. It asks for “vehicle-specific” protections not included in the 2022 Safe Connections Act regulating cellphone service.
The alliance said it incorporated input from three groups focused on domestic violence prevention and survivor advocacy. If acted upon, the legislation would allow survivors to end or disable abusers’ access to vehicle connected services, whether or not the perpetrator is an account holder of the services.
The group said the Federal Communications Commission is already studying how to leverage existing regulations to help automakers and cellular service providers enable abuse survivors to protect themselves.
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