Autonomous transport vehicles versus the principles of data protection law:is compatibility really an impossibility?

Autonomous (transport) vehicles have evolved from science fiction into a feature of reality (in) which we now live. From a data protection standpoint, one of the challenges confronting the integration of autonomous vehicles into the society is the question of whether or not this disruptive technology is capable of being compliant with the principles of data protection law.The importance of focusing on the principles of data protection law lies in the fact that these principles encompass the entire body of data protection law. Failure to achieve compliance with said principles automatically amounts to a failure to comply with data protection law.With a focus on the European Union and the European Economic Area (EU/EEA), this article seeks to identify the extent to which the extant data protection laws are capable of protecting the right to data protection of data subjects in the use of autonomous vehicles while also making recommendations on how compliance can be best achieved.