Senators Markey and Blumenthal Reintroduce Legislation to Protect Cybersecurity on Aircrafts and in Cars

Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) reintroduced two pieces of legislation to address cybersecurity in cars and on airplanes in the age of the Internet of Things.

The first bill – the Security and Privacy in Your Car (SPY Car) Act – directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish federal standards to ensure cybersecurity in increasingly computerized vehicles and to protect drivers’ privacy. The bill additionally establishes a rating system – or a “cyber dashboard” – that informs consumers about how well the vehicle protects drivers’ security and privacy beyond those minimum standards. Finally, the SPY Car Act instructs the Federal Highway Administration to create a “cybersecurity tool” and appoint a “cyber coordinator” that will help transportation authorities identify, detect, protect against, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents.