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User Privacy
Car manufacturers Data Breach Data Privacy Smart Cars User Privacy

Here's How Smart Card Are Tracking Your Private Data

 

Smart cars are already the norm on our roads, thanks to increased connectivity and technological breakthroughs. However, beneath the slick exteriors and technological capabilities is a worrisome reality: your vehicle may be spying on you and documenting every step, including your private life. A recent study undertaken by the Mozilla Foundation revealed the alarming truth about how much personal data automakers collect and share.

The study analysed 25 different car brands and concluded that none of them passed consumer privacy criteria. Surprisingly, 84 percent of automakers have been found to review, share, or even sell data collected from car owners. The private data gathered significantly exceeds what is required for the vehicle's features or the car brand's relationship with its drivers. 

Six automakers go to alarming lengths to gather personal data about their drivers, including their driving habits, destinations, genetic makeup, and even their favourite music. This was discovered by Mozilla's research. Nissan even goes so far as to include "sexual activity" in the data it gathers, and in their privacy policy, Kia freely admits that it may collect data on your "sex life." 

According to Kia's privacy statement, it is allowed to handle "special categories" of data, which include private information on racial, religious, sexual, and political affiliations. The scope of data collecting goes beyond the in-car systems and includes linked services as well as external sources such as internet radio services and navigation apps. 

This massive amount of data isn't just dangling around; it's being utilised to develop profiles and draw conclusions about you, from your intelligence to your preferences. As the car industry embraces connectivity and autonomous driving, sales of services such as music and video streaming, driver assistance, and self-driving subscriptions are expected to increase. Carmakers can maximise profits by collecting more customer data through these services. 

Even Tesla, despite its dominance in the electric vehicle sector, failed Mozilla's security, data control, and AI tests. Tesla has previously been criticised for its privacy procedures, including cases in which staff exchanged recordings and photographs captured by customer car cameras. 

As the automotive sector evolves, concerns regarding data security and personal privacy grow. It remains to be seen if automakers will take the necessary safety measures to safeguard your personal information as the smart car revolution advances. In the meanwhile, it's critical to keep informed and cautious about the negative aspects of smart cars.
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Technology
AI technology Autonomous-Car Technology Car Data Data Sharing Smart Cars Technology

Driving into Tomorrow: The AI powered Car Takeover

 


In the next decade, a tech-driven revolution is set to transform our roads as 95% of vehicles become AI-powered connected cars. These smart vehicles, while promising enhanced safety and convenience, come with a catch—each generating a whopping 25 gigabytes of data per hour. Come along as we take a closer look at the information these cars gather, helping you drive into the future with a better understanding and confidence. 

In a recent study of over 2,000 car owners in the US, Salesforce research uncovered a surprising finding: most drivers need to be fully aware of what a 'connected car' is and what data it gathers. This highlights an opportunity for car makers to better explain the connected car experience and their data usage policies, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence. 

LG takes the stage at CES 2024 in the tech spotlight, introducing exciting AI-driven products. Looking ahead, it's expected that 95% of vehicles on the road will be connected cars by 2030, each generating a hefty 25 gigabytes of data per hour – equivalent to streaming music for 578 hours. This data boom not only transforms the driving landscape but also offers car manufacturers a chance to guide us through this era of technological change. 

Over 65% of drivers admit to being unfamiliar with the term 'connected car,' and more surprisingly, 37% have never heard it before. However, when explained, connected features like Apple CarPlay or Android Auto integration, gaming, video streaming, and driver assist features are ranked almost as important as the brand of the car itself. 

The Need for Awareness

Despite the tech era, over 60% of drivers don't use popular apps such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for tasks like making calls or streaming music. This highlights a need for increased awareness about the advantages of connected cars. 

Willingness to Pay for Advanced Features 

Looking to their next vehicle purchase, 43% of drivers prioritise paying a premium for driver assist features, 33% for touchscreens, and 31% for smartphone integration. This shows a growing demand for advanced tech features in today's vehicles. 

Balancing Data Sharing

A significant 68% of drivers believe automotive companies should collect personal data, but only 5% are okay with unrestricted collection. A majority (63%) prefers data collection on an opt-in basis, showcasing a delicate balance between benefits and privacy concerns. 

Data Trading for Benefits 

Drivers are open to sharing personal data for valuable benefits. As many as 67% are willing to trade data for better insurance rates, 43% for advanced driver personalization, and 36% for enhanced safety features. 

Comfort Levels in Data Sharing 

While about a third of drivers are comfortable with data on seatbelt usage (35%), driving speed (34%), and location and route history (31%), less than a fifth are okay with more invasive data collection, such as voice recordings (17%), biometrics (13%), and text messages or voice recording data (12%). This emphasises the importance of respecting privacy boundaries amidst emerging technicalities. 

The automotive industry is on the brink of a transformation with innovations in connected cars taking the lead. At CES 2024, Qualcomm, collaborating with industry leaders, introduced a groundbreaking platform set to provide connected services throughout a vehicle's entire 20-year lifespan. Qualcomm is at the forefront, enriching customer experiences through personalised in-vehicle services. By securely tapping into user data stored within the vehicle, this approach offers tailored benefits like real-time alerts, personalised offers, proactive maintenance, and on-demand feature upgrades, taking the driving experience to new heights. 

As we journey forward, the road of connected cars holds even more exciting prospects. Anticipate ongoing advancements that not only redefine your time behind the wheel but also contribute to a safer, more interconnected driving community.


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User Privacy
Mozilla Privacy Smart Cars Technology User Agreement User Privacy

Smart Car Dread: Mozilla Reports Tested Cars Failed Privacy Regulations, User Data at Risk

Smart Car Privacy

Mozilla Reveals Tested Cars Failed Privacy Regulations

Mozilla recently disclosed that all 25 car brands it tested failed its privacy standards. While all, according to Mozilla, went overboard in their data collection and use rules, some even had disclaimers about gathering more private forms of information, such as your sexual history and genetic information. As it seems, this isn't just a speculative: the tech used in today's cars can collect this type of private data, and the fine print of user agreements explains how manufacturers get you into agreement every time you switch on the ignition.

Adonne Washington, who is a policy council at the Future of Privacy Forum, said. "These privacy policies are written in a way to ensure that whatever is happening in the car if there's an inference that can be made, they're still ensuring that there's protection and that they're compliant with different state laws." The agreements take into consideration technology advancements that may occur while you own the car. According to Washington, tools designed to do one thing may soon be able to do more, therefore manufacturers must keep this in mind.

Kinds of data gathered

So it seems logical that a car manufacturer's privacy policy would include every form of data feasible in order to protect the company legally if it fell into a particular data collection area. Nissan's privacy policy, for instance, lists "sexual orientation, sexual activity, precise geolocation, health diagnosis data, and genetic information" as forms of personal data gathered.

Organizations claim prior ownership, so you can't sue if, for example, they mistakenly capture you having sex in the backseat. Nissan argued in a statement that this is why their privacy policy is still so general. Nissan claims it "does not knowingly collect or disclose customer information on sexual activity or sexual orientation," but it has those terms in its policy as "some U.S. state laws require us to account for inadvertent data we have or could infer but do not request or use." 

Why the companies need data? What is the urgency?

Aside from covering all legal bases, there's no way of knowing why these companies would want extremely sensitive information on their drivers, or what they'd do with it. Even if it isn't a "smart" car, any vehicle equipped with Bluetooth, USB, or recording capabilities may gather a lot of information on the driver.

The lack of available connected cars, paired with an absence of full disclosure related to driver data use, leaves customers with little choice but to trust that what they share is being used ethically, or that at least some of the categories of data listed in these troubling privacy policies — such as Nissan's decision to include "genetic information" — are solely linked to possible liability. The choices are basically to read each of these policies and choose the least severe, to buy a very old, probably fuel-inefficient automobile with no smart technologies, or to just not own a car at all. To that end, just around 8% of American households own a car, not because they belong to an area that is walkable with good public transportation, but because they are unable to afford one.

What choice

Customers are actively constrained by the current state of legal contract understanding, while companies are driven to limit risk by continuing to exaggerate these (often misread) agreements with more intrusive kinds of information. A lot of experts would tell you that federal regulation is the only actual option here. There have been occasional instances of state privacy laws being used to benefit customers, such as in Massachusetts and California, but for the most part, drivers have no idea they should be upset. But even if they are outraged, there is nothing much they can do except buy a car anyway.

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