Comment by tptacek

Infowars. Right. Also:

    (b) Limitations on Information Retrieval-
    
    (1) OWNERSHIP OF DATA- Any data in an event data recorder required
    under part 563 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, regardless of
    when the passenger motor vehicle in which it is installed was
    manufactured, is the property of the owner, or in the case of a leased
    vehicle, the lessee of the passenger motor vehicle in which the data
    recorder is installed.
    
    (2) PRIVACY- Data recorded or transmitted by such a data recorder may
    not be retrieved by a person other than the owner or lessee of the
    motor vehicle in which the recorder is installed unless--
    
    (A) a court authorizes retrieval of the information in furtherance of
    a legal proceeding;
    
    (B) the owner or lessee consents to the retrieval of the information
    for any purpose, including the purpose of diagnosing, servicing, or
    repairing the motor vehicle;
    
    (C) the information is retrieved pursuant to an investigation or
    inspection authorized under section 1131(a) or 30166 of title 49,
    United States Code, and the personally identifiable information of the
    owner, lessee, or driver of the vehicle and the vehicle identification
    number is not disclosed in connection with the retrieved information;
    or
    
    (D) the information is retrieved for the purpose of determining the
    need for, or facilitating, emergency medical response in response to a
    motor vehicle crash.

You're wondering, "section 1131(a) or 30166 of title 49"? That's the NTSB. Highway safety investigations.

For perspective: had this standard not been pushed federally, the private sector could probably do far worse; your (mandated, and reasonably so!) car insurance influences all sorts of standards on the vehicles we drive.