The Privacy Nightmare Nobody’s Talking About
It’s a camera — pointed directly at your face — that uses AI and eye-tracking to detect drowsiness and distraction. Automakers have been quietly rolling these out for years. Now the EU’s General Safety Regulation (GSR) has made driver monitoring systems in cars mandatory for all new vehicles sold in Europe. NHTSA is watching closely — and the U.S. is next.
Here’s what a driver monitoring system tracks:
• Your eye movement and blink rate
• Where you’re looking — and for how long
• Head position and facial expressions
• Whether you’re alert enough to drive
Sounds like safety. But who owns that data? Can it be used by insurers, law enforcement, or advertisers? These are questions every car buyer deserves honest answers to — and most dealerships won’t give them.