The EU now forces every new car to watch the driver's eyes and head — sold as safety, but it opens the door to constant surveillance.

• Since July 7, all new cars sold in the EU must have AI cameras that track where the driver looks and warn you if you glance away too long.
• It's pitched as lifesaving tech, like seat belts and airbags, and many cars (Mercedes and others) already have drowsiness alerts.
• The real worry: today it's just a warning, but the data can later flow to insurance companies to rerate you and to law enforcement.
• If the car watches you, it can likely listen too, and that recording could be shared across government agencies.
• It fits a wider pattern — cameras moved from the streets into your car, echoing China's face-scanning surveillance state.

Outlook: Expect the warnings to stay for now, but pressure will build to feed the driver data into insurance pricing and policing.