No other topic entails such a variety of in practice, technically legally complex questions. The question of data ownership alone (“Who ‘owns” the data?”) is legally unsettled and can only be solved through robust contractual agreements. The entire eco-system of a data driven economy depends on this, in order to enable market participants with very different objective to participate and put their business models into effect.
Thus the creation of user profiles is closely connected with this - not always, but mostly – and hence linked to the issue of data protection. The “Basic principles of data protection for connected vehicles” developed by the VDA, including a definition of data categories and graded levels of data protection relevance, illustrates in an impressive manner how, inter alia, the requirements of “privacy by design” can be put into practice. Cloud-based services in related international data transfers increase the need for developing legally reliable solutions.
Furthermore, the success and the introduction of autonomous driving are crucially dependent a sound and reliable framework addressing liability. Next to the regulatory framework regarding the driver’s- and vehicle owner’s liability, the questions and solutions based in contract and with view to product liability are of fundamental concern.
In the real world, several applications are already in a testing phase, even in field tests. Some of them are shown in more detail below:

1. Detecting traffic signs

• Speed limits
• Time-dependent traffic signs
• Speeding in restricted areas

        2. Dangerous driving conditions

• Areas with frequent traffic jams
• High acceleration or heavy braking
• Critical values from vehicle sensors (lateral accelerations)

        3. Detection of driving „sessions“

• Possible and technically feasible
• Problematic as this can be related to individuals
• Technically interesting for evaluating certain parameters (average speed, curve detection, traffic jams, stop times etc.)

The joint presentation of the international law firm Bird & Bird together with the technology consulting company mgm technology partners discusses and demonstrates real life use-cases combined with possible (technical and legal) solutions.