cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/tech/p/1247209/all-cars-sold-in-the-eu-now-require-a-camera-aimed-at-your-face-its-still-not-clear-wher
Starting July 7, 2026, every new car sold in the European Union must include a driver monitoring camera aimed at your face. Glance at your phone, your kids in the back seat, or the radio for too long, and the car will flash a warning light and sound an alert.
Automakers have known this was coming for years. What they, and EU regulators, have never spelled out is what happens to that footage after the alert goes off.
While the intention behind the new system is difficult to dispute, its implementation has raised several concerns. Early real-world testing suggests the distraction warnings can be overly sensitive and potentially distracting.
The logical assumption would be that such a system would need to detect a face for the car to start.
If it is enabled for theft protection. But, that would need to be disabled for fleet or rental cars.
This entire thread is assumption.
It’s supposedly meant to be a safety feature. It is unsafe for a car to have a driver who does not have a face. (insert Billy Idol earworm here).
Not necessarily a particular face. They just need a warm body to collect data from.
What if I’m ugly.
Or in clown costume.
Or going to a Kiss tribute concert
Etc.