Regulations like GDPR and the SELF DRIVE Act are an opportunity for progress in the connected and autonomous car ecosystem – here’s why we think so.

One of the obstacles to progress in the world of data, and in the connected car market in particular, has always been legislation. The fact that ‘data rights’ have yet to be cemented despite the mega-exponential super-fast growth of the IoT industry – albeit baffling – has been hindering the evolution of the connected car, but lately, it feels like the tectonic movements that will finally trigger the eruption of the connected promise are sending ripples to the surface.

Regulation is like the much needed “teacher” in the connected car playground

So, what’s causing the movement? For one, the fact that come May 2018 the long-disputed issue of data ownership in the EU will begin to settle as the GDPR takes effect. Then yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a new bipartisan self-driving car bill. The SELF DRIVE (Safely Ensuring Lives Future Deployment and Research In Vehicle Evolution) Act passed by a two-thirds majority (!), is a huge step towards progress in the uber-ecosystem of the connected and autonomous car. Should the Act be approved by the Senate, then it will open the U.S. roads to as many as 100,000 annual autonomous test cars.

Our CEO Ben recently published a comment piece for Automotive World about how regulation should be approached as an opportunity rather than a “consequence” to be dealt with. It doesn’t have to a thorn in anyone’s side because regulation and legislation are stepping up to facilitate growth in our industry because of its undeniable potential to drastically change and improve the way we live. Regulations, legislations, standardizations are all key functions that will enable auto OEMs Telematics and additional data providers to mobilize and commercialize the data they accumulate so that the ecosystem can build on it and flourish. Mobility service providers and application developers are leveraging vehicle data to transform the road into a safer, smarter and more convenient place to be.

Things are moving and we are excited about it.

Architected for security and privacy by design, Otonomo’s platform complies with even the most stringent data privacy regulations including GDPR and CCPA, ensuring all parties are protected and companies remain compliant across multiple geographies.

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