The California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) is probing the data privacy practices of connected vehicle manufacturers and their technologies as part of its first enforcement review.

The review is “critical because these vehicles often automatically gather consumers’ locations, personal preferences, and details about their daily lives,” the CPPA said in a press release Monday.

“[Modern vehicles are] able to collect a wealth of information via built-in apps, sensors, and cameras, which can monitor people both inside and near the vehicle,” said CPPA Executive Director Ashkan Soltani in the release. “Our enforcement division is making inquiries into the connected vehicle space to understand how these companies are complying with California law when they collect and use consumers’ data.”

The agency launched the review under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The CPPA began enforcing the landmark legislation that took effect in 2020 earlier this month.

The review comes as electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla faces a class-action lawsuit, filed in April in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging Tesla employees shared “highly invasive videos and images” of drivers “for the tasteless and tortious entertainment of Tesla employees.”

The CCPA’s private right of action allows California consumers to bring a legal case against a business for privacy violations.

Jeff Dale is Managing Editor, Editorial Projects and Analytics, at Compliance Week. He previously served as Compliance Week's Digital Editor and has worked as a copy editor at the Boston Herald and city editor at The Hour Publishing Co. in Norwalk, Conn.View full Profile

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