Lytx: Tool lets fleets switch off driver video tools by geography

Amid various legal concerns about the use of in-cab cameras to train and monitor truck drivers, the video telematics provider Lytx has launched a product that allows commercial fleets to automatically turn off digital video cams in certain geographical regions.In one example, San Diego-based Lytx says its new "Dynamic Adjust for Illinois Restrictions" creates a custom geofence around the borders of that state that empowers customers to choose whether to use in-cab machine vision and artificial intelligence (MV+AI) technology.When in use, Lytx says its in-cab MV+AI includes detection of risky driving behaviors such as smoking, distracted driving, cell phone use, inattentiveness, eating and drinking, and not wearing a seat belt. But the new system automatically disables in-cab MV+AI technology when a vehicle enters Illinois and then re-enables it upon exit.The product is one reaction to the state's Biometric Information Privacy Act of 2008 (BIPA), which ensures that individuals are in control of their own biometric data, and prohibits private companies from collecting it unless they obtain a person's written consent, according to the ACLU.That law has led to a wake of invasion-of-privacy cases brought by drivers, that has put their employers under heightened scrutiny, especially with the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies, according to the Chicago labor law firm Amundsen Davis LLC.Lytx also offers additional tools that offer configurable levels of technology through its "privacy by design" approach, the firm says. They include the Lytx Conceal Service-which uses blurring technology to automatically obscure faces and license plates-and Risk ID Without Recording-which enables the detection of risky behaviors without needing to record in-cab video.