New Delhi, February 10 (IANS). Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) President Shailesh Chandra on Tuesday said innovation in the automotive industry must be done within the boundaries of privacy and security of customer data.
In electric vehicles and even in conventional ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicles, a lot of data flows from the customer to multiple stakeholders in the ecosystem, he said at an event in the national capital.
This could include the video feed from your dashcam or the phone numbers linked into your infotainment system. So much customer information is exposed and we, as professionals, care about their privacy.
“We need to be very sensitive about privacy and security at the OEM level and have some clear principles for the same,” said Chandra, who holds the post of CEO of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd along with being the chairman of SIAM.
“The first principle is that you must clearly explain to the customer and obtain their consent what data is being used and how it will be used. The second aspect is that we must classify the data,” he said.
The third and very important aspect is how you handle the data—that is, which information needs to be kept for a long time and which needs to be destroyed quickly.
According to Chandra, implementation of these principles is possible only if “you design your system with privacy in mind, design your system with security in mind, and that means you classify data properly.
Additionally, the Indian automobile industry recorded its best ever sales in November last year. According to SIAM data, passenger vehicle (PV) sales increased by nearly 19 per cent to 4,12,405 units compared to the same month last year. At the same time, sales of three-wheelers increased by 21.3 percent to 71,999 units, while sales of two-wheelers jumped by 21.2 percent to 19,44,475 units.
The industry expects continued supportive policy reforms and improved market sentiment to sustain this growth momentum through 2026.
–IANS
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