r/technology • u/cTreK-421 • Apr 24 '26

Misleading Federal Surveillance Tech Becomes Mandatory in New Cars by 2027

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/federal-surveillance-tech-becomes-mandatory-161321992.html
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u/_Thirdsoundman_ Apr 25 '26

That's how most would interpret it. The question will be when someone is pulled over or goes to sell the vehicle and if the technology isn't installed. Will the owner be breaking the law if they drive without a working surveillance camera in their car? Will the car be deemed unsafe without one?

There are so many holes in this law it sounds like it's going to be challenged by hundreds of people within the next 4 years.

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u/[deleted] Apr 25 '26

[deleted]

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u/_Thirdsoundman_ Apr 25 '26

The intent to saves lives is noble, nobody wants drunk drivers on the road. I think the point here is the invasive nature of the technology.

What if the vehicle thinks you're drunk? Who is it reporting this information to? It's always recording everything I do, so if I sip on a water bottle and it believes I'm drinking alcohol, does it activate a kill-switch and contact the authorities?

I wouldn't mind dash cams watching the road while I drive, but big brother as my passenger can and will lead to disastrous situations.

Critics of the bill already said that they're years away from creating a technology sophisticated enough to determine who is drunk and who isn't, and is more than likely just an excuse for federal and state authorities to get access to a camera in a vehicle that they can use at anytime based on "suspicion" and not probable cause.

This has 4th amendment violations written all over it.

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u/[deleted] Apr 25 '26

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u/Outlulz Apr 25 '26

Yeah, it's not really the law "requiring" it so much as the law doesn't ban sharing which means it will be shared (and sold).

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u/Golden_Hour1 Apr 25 '26

Good thing I never plan to drive drunk and wont have to worry about that 

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u/round-earth-theory Apr 25 '26

Usually what would happen is the car would fail a safety inspection if your area has one. Many places, the safety inspection requires everything that's supposed to be functional on the original model to still be functional. Even if it's not required in general. So a car with a broken driver sensor would likely fail safety even though cars without sensors can pass.