The legal changes to bring autonomous vehicles to global roads

The laws surrounding the global shift towards autonomous vehicles and if they should be legally allowed to operate on global roads have always been complicated. In the relatively short time that these types of laws have gone into their draft stages, the world of autonomous vehicles has experienced leaps and bounds in terms of progression – and not all those leaps and bounds have been overly positive. The rise of autonomous vehicles has brought with it much excitement and controversy, and it is important to take a step back and consider this issue from all angles.

First, it is important to note that autonomous vehicles are, as of yet, not a reality. Currently what we are working with are semi-autonomous vehicles. These are cars that can detect movement around them and take some of the driver’s responsibilities from their hands. Think reverse parking or sensor detection (i.e. vehicles that have light detections on side mirrors to let drivers know when it is safe to merge into the next lane over, or vehicles that detect the sides of the road and stop the vehicle from veering into them). But what is the single largest issue with the laws surrounding semi-autonomous vehicles, and what do they mean for the future of autonomous vehicles on the world’s roads?

The current issues with semi-autonomous vehicles

The legal implications currently surrounding on-road incidents involving semi-autonomous vehicles have everything to do with the problematic history of such vehicles in their introductory stages. In as little as two to three years, there have been up to five fatalities involving semi-autonomous vehicles around the world. While of course a period of trial and error is to be expected with any form of technology, there is something to be said about the harrowing impact that “trial and error” have when it comes to something as life-changing as autonomous vehicles being brought to the market, and to the roads around the world.

Why the law changes are so extraordinarily important

In addition to the standard or extraordinary legal implications of injuries or fatalities involving autonomous vehicles, comes the inevitable hiring of injury lawyers from law firms like Olympia Injury Lawyers. The issue of morality and legal accountability is one that is still pulled into question daily; in the case of a semi-autonomous vehicle striking and injuring or killing a person, is the individual behind the wheel responsible, since the vehicle was operating without the individual in the front seat physically controlling it? This is exactly it. The core underlying issue that speaks volumes of why specific laws surrounding road incidents involving semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles, is so crucial.

The legal move for change continues to rage on

It is no secret that the laws surrounding this particular issue (and so many others, for that matter) are currently undergoing a massive remodelling. Road incidents involving semi-autonomous vehicles and the like are more complex in nature than those that involve standard vehicles, because of the role that tech plays in controlling and driving the vehicle. This is a global movement that is raging on everywhere, and that will continue to do so until a core agreement has been reached on how to handle such road incidents going into the future.

4 New Technologies That Will Disrupt the Legal Industry

Law is one of the world’s oldest and most well-respected professions. Its legacy extends back hundreds of years and due to the enormous amount of education, work, and dedication required to become an effective practitioner, a position at a tried-and-tested legal firm is one of modern society’s most stereotypical status symbols. But new technologies are coming – or have come already – that aim to change the world, and the legal industry will be forced to adapt. The conversation about the changes underway in the world of law is already underway, but some technologies look to be more significant than others.

Self-driving cars

Inevitably, the first industry on people’s lips when self-driving cars come up is transportation. Full-time truck drivers and package and post delivery drivers are alleged to be particularly vulnerable, but somewhat less frequently mentioned is how automated cars will affect the way traffic violations and accidents are litigated. Car accidents are a major subset of personal injury law, a broad canopy under which many lawyers make a living. It’s tempting to think that without drivers to hold accountable, there can be no lawsuits or paychecks, but that’s not necessarily true, although the landscape will change. Forward-thinking firms like Seattle’s Davis Law Group are optimistic about their ability to help their clients navigate an unfamiliar landscape, where many of the defendants will likely be larger tech companies.

DNA databases

The use of genetics in the legal system is a relatively new phenomenon; even the forensic science of fingerprinting is surprisingly recent. Non-profit groups like the Innocence Project make headlines by lobbying for the application of new DNA evidence to exonerate criminals believed to have been wrongly convicted. But the newest development is a sort of Facebook of genetic data, a growing collection of information submitted by people for ancestry tests and entertainment value that police are now accessing in order to try and incriminate family members who may be suspects in a criminal investigation.

Automation

Automation won’t replace lawyers, but it will replace a lot of the work that they – and especially paralegals and assistants – do on a regular basis. Two things are likely: First, the adoption of software that automates the more menial and mechanical aspects of legal work will become necessary for success in a competitive marketplace, and it will significantly change how legal professionals bill their hours and what kind of work they focus on. Second, the firms that truly excel will be the ones who use advanced technology creatively, to help predict odds in trial cases and parse relevant case information.

Home Assistants and the internet of things

This is a technology that’s already here, but as the biggest technology companies engage in mortal combat for custody of our personal data, the portable and in-home devices they use to collect it will become a new variable lawyers will have to contend with as they work to protect their clients’ confidentiality and manage control over their cases. The possibility that the unassuming little robot might suddenly decide to send privileged conversations to randomly-selected third parties is an unfortunate reality that tomorrow’s attorneys will have to deal with.

Internet Privacy in the Age of Facebook

Instant connectivity has transformed our lives for the better, but this comes at a perennial cost: personal privacy. Internet privacy, also known as online privacy, is the privacy and security of personal data that is published on the internet. Internet privacy is a fundamental human right today. But it is also a growing concern as traditional notions of privacy are being challenged by advancements in digital technology. Companies track online behavior for targeted advertising, governments monitor online behavior to control the citizens and cybercriminals steal data for their nefarious activities.

The common issues surrounding online privacy are tracking, surveillance and theft. Tracking refers to the tracking of online movement by websites and advertisers through cookie profiling and other techniques. Governments are conducting surveillance on the internet usage of their citizens, with the help of internet service providers, for the ostensible purpose of maintaining law and order. And almost a staggering 20 million Americans were affected by identity theft in 2017 as cybercriminals used malware and other phishing techniques to break into online accounts and steal personal information.

Internet behavior has a huge impact on personal privacy. Using the same credentials for multiple accounts can leave a person totally vulnerable to cybercrime, as access into one account can lead the cybercriminals into other accounts. Remaining logged into websites may sound convenient, but can leave the online accounts susceptible to hacking. Opening suspicious attachments and downloading malicious files is wrought with danger as these can contain malware and viruses.

Thankfully, there are ways to ensure internet privacy and security. The browser is the main program that is used for going online and securing it would be the first step to pre-empt an invasion of privacy. Using a VPN service would go a long way in protecting internet privacy as a VPN changes the IP address and protects both incoming and outgoing traffic with military-grade encryption. Constant software updating is crucial to internet security as software vulnerabilities can be easily exploited by the bad guys. An anti-virus program is a handy tool in the fight against online attacks as it keeps the digital devices free from malware. One should look out for a padlock in the web browser address window as it is an indicator of safety. A two-factor authentication can also go a long way in preventing hacking.

Some words of caution: Many social media sites and search engines may be free to use, but do carry an immense cost in terms of internet privacy. Private browsing prevents the browser from recording private information, but does not protect privacy as an individual’s online activities can still be monitored. The ISP saves and archives every online activity for posterity.

It is a fallacy to suggest that the Facebook generation is indifferent about privacy. If there is one issue that unites everyone who goes online, it is privacy. We need to do our best to protect online privacy and ensure that personal information does not fall into the wrong hands.