Privacy Concerns raised by Mounted Cameras on Delivery Robots

Sep 20 Blog

What’s the Issue? 

There is growing concern over possible breaches of privacy through the recordings from mounted cameras on autonomous delivery robots. 

Why is it important? 

Recordings done on autonomous vehicles can include location data, biometric data (such as facial imaging), and behavioural data (such as driving), which can be used to identify and profile an individual person. 

What are proposed solutions/laws? 

Currently there are few laws specifically addressing autonomous vehicles, and the ones that do seem inadequate for new developments in autonomous vehicles. Proposals to amend laws include relying on a legitimate business purpose combined, informing users of data collection beforehand to gain informed consent, and practicing good cybersecurity and data retention practices. 

In more detail: 

        In Korea, autonomous delivery robots are raising concerns that their mounted cameras (which record the surroundings and then send the pictures to a control center to enable self-driving) may violate certain privacy laws. Currently, Korea’s Personal Information Protection Act prohibits the recording of an individual’s face without prior consent. 

        An bill amendment proposed by MP Kim Seon Kyo (김선교 의원) is to allow filming for legitimate business purposes in a public environment, under the working presumption that it be made clearly evident that the robot is recording its surroundings. The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairds intends to review whether the related privacy protection laws need amendment depending on the results of ongoing testing of autonomous delivery robots. 

What about Canada? 

        In Canada, Europe, and the US, there are similar privacy protection laws regarding data collection and retention. Identifiable data in particular present a significant risk to privacy protection, and the recordings done by a delivery robot or autonomous vehicles such as location data, biometric data (such as facial images), and driving data would be considered as identifiable data . 

        Additionally, the new Bill C-27 promises to include updated laws regarding automated decision making systems and artificial intelligence . Although regulation of automated vehicles is still developing in Canada, the government’s policy statements indicate that privacy and cybersecurity will remain a significant factor in future regulation. There is also the issue of each province in Canada having their own privacy legislation that applies to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information within those provinces (such as British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act). Existing laws, such as the Quebec’s Bill 64 and EU’s GDPR, generally require that organizations inform individuals of data collection, whether it is done by purely automated means, and that meaningful consent be given for such data collection, so it is likely that new regulations of automated vehicles will follow that trend. 

Written by Simplawfy