OPINION
Congress could soon make it easier for domestic abusers to stalk, harass, and assault their victims.
That's obviously not lawmakers' intent. In fact, at first glance, the bill that lawmakers are considering has nothing to do with domestic abuse.
The REPAIR Act is supposed to make it easier for Americans to intelligently shop for auto parts and service their vehicles.
Modern vehicles are essentially computers on wheels — they already track and collect data and transmit it to manufacturers in real time.
The REPAIR Act would simply allow owners to access that data as needed, for example when shopping for auto repairs.
But despite lawmakers' good intentions, the bill would open a Pandora's box of unintended consequences.
By creating a "standardized access platform" for vehicle owners to obtain their data, lawmakers would inadvertently allow anyone with login credentials to obtain not just information about oil pressure and tire wear, but also accurate real-time location information, as well as a GPS record of everywhere the car has been.
Imagine a woman who has just escaped an abusive boyfriend or husband. She grabbed her kids and drove off in her car. If this bill passes, her abuser could track her every move.
This isn't a theoretical concern.
Just recently, in San Francisco, a woman's abusive ex-husband used her Tesla to track her movements and intimidate her, despite a court injunction against him.
According to a Reuters summary of the police report, the woman was "visibly shaken" after she "discovered a metal baseball bat in the back seat — the same bat the husband had previously used to threaten her."
Another expose in The New York Times report recounted the story of a woman who left her husband after he became violent, only to find he was monitoring her movements and stalking her via the internal tracking system of her Mercedes-Benz C300.
One evening, while she was visiting the home of a friend, her abuser texted that friend out of the blue — a not-so-subtle warning that he knew exactly what his ex was up to.
Unrestricted access to vehicle data, including real-time location tracking, offers abusers a potent tool.
Being privy to the precise whereabouts of their victims enables abusers to intrude more effectively into their lives — whether surreptitiously, in moments of horror-movie terror, or actual physical violence.
The REPAIR Act aims to empower consumers with control over their vehicle data, and no doubt most vehicle owners using the platform would do so for convenience, not for nefarious purposes.
But there's no question that domestic abusers would twist this system.
Those bent on power and control will use every tool they can lay hands on.
That's why the REPAIR Act is in serious need of repairs of its own.
The legislation needs to be set aside until this very real security concern can be eliminated.
Stacy Washington is the host of "Stacy on the Right," which airs nightly from 9 pm to midnight ET on SiriusXM Patriot Channel 125. She is a decorated Air Force veteran, an Emmy-nominated TV personality, and the author of "Eternally Cancel Proof -- A Guide for Courageous Christians Navigating the Political Battlefront."
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