News

California has passed a bill mandating car manufacturer and vehicle connected services providers to develop software allowing drivers of vehicles to be notified and given the option to disable any person outside the vehicle trying to access their vehicle location. The legislation comes on the heels of news reports about abusers using connected cars to stalk their victims, highlighting victim’s inability to obtain efficient redressal.

The much debated Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act has been passed by the California State Assembly. The Act seeks to guard against proliferation of deepfakes and similar other AI misuses. It requires developers to implement precautions before they train a sophisticated AI model such as implementing the capability to enact a full shutdown promptly, implementing and preserving a written safety and security protocol, etc.

Neural data, i.e., data relating to the activity of the brain, is now classified as sensitive personal information under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). On September 30, 2024, the CCPA was amended to extend the protective umbrella of ‘sensitive personal information’, to information that is generated by measuring the activity of a consumer’s central or peripheral nervous system, and that is not inferred from non-neural information. The amendment is effective immediately.

In a development that preserves childrens’ privacy as to sexual orientation, California governor has signed a bill prohibiting schools from outing transgender and gay students to their parents. The law overrides existing school board policies throughout the State which require staff to inform parents if their child starts using a name or pronoun that doesn’t match their sex assigned at birth.

(Compiled by Student Fellow Nirali Sanghavi)