This conversation seems emotionally charged more than anything else. According to an AP article, it specifically requires the technology to be passive, similar to other current safety mandates such as seat belts and air bags.

“There is no switch, there’s no government control, there is no sharing of data. That’s just an unfortunate scare tactic.”

And it doesn't help Republicans seem to be doing exactly what they did in previous debates about everything from trans rights to universal healthcare to seatbelts and backup cameras: using hyperbole and fear to shift the narrative into the realm of fiction to make it more outrageous and easier for themselves to assail.

In fact, according to this article:

The legislation doesn’t specify the technology, only that it must “passively monitor the performance of a driver of a motor vehicle to accurately identify whether that driver may be impaired.”

Where the confusion (and fear) seems to come from:

That technology is already being installed by automakers such as General Motors, BMW and Nissan to track driver attentiveness while using partially automated driver-assist systems.

The cameras make sure a driver is watching the road, and they look for signs of drowsiness, loss of consciousness or impairment.

If signs are spotted, the cars will warn the driver, and if the behavior persists, the car would turn on its hazard lights, slow down and pull to the side of the road.

So some of the underlying driver monitoring technology critics point to already existed in certain vehicles BEFORE the law, especially systems that track attentiveness, drowsiness, or driver behavior. But the exact federal standard has not been finalized and NHTSA has not yet determined which technology will meet the mandate.

There are absolutely legitimate concerns here: false positives, privacy rules, emergency situations, and all the weird edge cases that come with putting this kind of tech in cars. But considering the actual technology has not even been defined yet, and likely will not be until at least next year, if even then, I’d say maybe take a breath before acting like this is already some finalized dystopian "kill switch" mandate.