Connected Vehicle Data Debate Highlights Need for Telematics Right to Repair
Growing public concern over the data collected by connected vehicles has highlighted the need for motorists to have greater control over how that information is used, including who can access the repair and maintenance information generated by their vehicle.
The Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA) is calling on the Australian Government to include access to repair and maintenance telematics data in its proposed reforms to Australia’s Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme (MVIS).
AAAA Chief Executive Officer Stuart Charity said recent reporting had focused attention on the volume of information modern vehicles can collect, including location, driving behaviour, vehicle performance and other connected vehicle information.
“Motorists are rightly asking what information connected vehicles are collecting, where it is going and how it is being used,” Stuart said.
“But there is another important question. If a vehicle is already generating the information needed to diagnose, maintain and repair it, why can’t the owner choose to share that information with the qualified repairer they trust?”
Australia’s right-to-repair legislation requires vehicle manufacturers to provide service and repair information to independent workshops, but it does not cover telematics data increasingly used for diagnostics and vehicle maintenance.
“As vehicle technology evolves, diagnostics are steadily moving beyond the workshop plug and onto manufacturer-controlled telematics platforms,” Stuart said.
“If the law doesn’t evolve as well, manufacturers will increasingly have exclusive access to information about the condition of a customer’s vehicle, while the independent repairer chosen by that customer is locked out.”
The Association said privacy and right to repair should work together, with consumers retaining both strong privacy protections and the right to authorise secure access to the repair and maintenance information needed to keep their vehicles safely on the road.
“This isn’t about unrestricted access to personal information. It is about giving motorists control over who can access the repair information produced by the vehicle they own, through secure and appropriately regulated systems.”
Recent calls for stronger connected vehicle privacy protections, along with investigations into the handling of vehicle data by major manufacturers, have further highlighted the need for Australia’s regulatory framework to keep pace with rapidly evolving technology.
The Association said the Government’s review of the MVIS provides an opportunity to ensure the Scheme continues to support competition and consumer choice by capturing the information needed to diagnose, service and repair increasingly connected vehicles.
“Australia’s independent automotive repair sector gives motorists genuine choice, competitive pricing and convenient access to servicing and repairs,” Stuart said.
“As vehicles become increasingly connected, those benefits should not disappear simply because manufacturers choose to deliver diagnostic information through telematics platforms instead of traditional workshop systems.”
“Minister for Competition, the Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP, has been a longstanding supporter of Australia’s right-to-repair reforms. We are calling on the Government to build on that leadership by ensuring the Scheme evolves alongside connected vehicle technology, giving motorists meaningful choice over who can repair and maintain the vehicles they own.”