By Steven Symes 
Perhaps most troubling about the federal kill switch is the fundamental invasion of personal privacy introduced by the original bill. It says the so-called safety device must “passively monitor the performance of a driver of a motor vehicle to accurately identify whether that driver may be impaired.” In other words you will be under government surveillance every moment you’re behind the wheel. If the system decides you’re acting impaired, for whatever reason, your car won’t turn on. This could leave you stranded, which really doesn’t sound so safe in certain situations.
Supposedly, the federal kill switch is all about keeping you and everyone else safe. It’s been portrayed as something which would only impact drunk or otherwise impaired drivers, although many have expressed concerns over its potential abuse.
Police and other law enforcement agencies apparently can use a backdoor in the system to stop any vehicle that’s fleeing. That might sound great, but the potential for abuse is definitely there.
Not only could government officials use this kill switch to punish those they want to persecute for political or social reasons, hackers could possibly gain access. The possibility your car would be locked down as someone demands a ransom is paid through an untraceable means, something which has been happening even to big businesses lately, could be in your future.
Follow The Auto Wire on Google News.🚨 The federal government has mandated that all vehicles sold after 2026 must have a kill switch that can disable your vehicle based on your driving performance.
My amendment to defund that unconstitutional mandate failed tonight. Here is the roll call:https://t.co/YWufj9BuMv — Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) November 8, 2023
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