Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law a bill that requires drivers to be notified when their in-car cameras capture images.
Senate Bill 296, introduced by Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, also prohibits the sale of these images or visual materials to third parties or for advertising purposes.
“It seems that everywhere we go these days, we’re being recorded or surveilled without knowing how the images are being used,” Dodd said in a statement Monday. “This erosion of our privacy is now happening in our own cars. With Governor Newsom’s signature on this new law, we can prevent the unwanted recording of video by in-car cameras and give consumers more control over their personal information.”
Dodd’s office stressed that there has been growing concern that despite the safety benefits of in-car cameras, they can also be exploited by data brokers and other third parties who would sell such images without regard to consumer privacy.
Under the newly signed legislation, “consumers will not have to take any steps to prevent their in-car video recordings from being collected without their permission or knowledge,” Dodd’s office said.
The senator clarified that the legislation will not prevent the use of cameras for traffic safety.