Comments on: Modern cars automatically invade your privacy

By: Rich Cregar

Rich Cregar — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 00:03:02 +0000

The automakers are just a bunch of Pikers compared to what the insurance industry is doing with this data, transmitted to their servers thru the dongle such as the “Progressive Box”. Flo, the Gecko, et al are all out there to make you feel at ease about having your insurer monitor your every stroke of the accelerator pedal and every mile you travel to decide what your premium will be and if they will even carry you as a customer!

By: Jimbo

Jimbo — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 21:11:25 +0000

There is a vast difference between your contact list being downloaded to your car’s memory and then uploading that information to the automaker. The article you mention focuses on data that exists as part of the car’s systems that you should be protective of if you sell your car. Your quote does not talk about uploading the information to the automakers servers.

The putting of information into the car’s memory makes sense so that it can use the phone book to have faster voice response for hands free calls and other items. If you want your contacts to pop up on your car screen just like they pop up on your cell phone, well then the data will be stored on your car – this is not earth shattering news.

Now, if the cars then upload that information somewhere off of the car – then there is a jump over what would be reasonably expected.

Its a fake headline to say “GM tracks every move” when it should read “Car hard drives record driving data”

By: commodude

commodude — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 09:43:26 +0000

FoMoCo is particularly egregious with this behavior:

https://www.cnbc.com/2014/01/09/ford-we-can-use-gps-to-track-your-car-movements.html

Global positioning system (GPS) users, be warned—Ford has its eyes on you.

A top executive at the car maker told a panel discussion at the CES trade show in Las Vegas that the tracking system installed in cars allows Ford to know when drivers are speeding—and where they are when they do it, according to a report in Business Insider.

Note, this is from 2014, BEFORE the in car “infotainment” system gave you explicit warnings that they were using and storing the GPS data.

This is why I don’t own anything with a blue oval on the nose. They’ve been tracking their purchasers for years, and to my knowledge, there’s nothing in the purchase agreements warning you of this.

By: Blair Ivey

Blair Ivey — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 06:27:55 +0000

My cars are dumb. They are fun to drive. What else is required?

By: Ian C.

Ian C. — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 06:10:42 +0000

Even if you pay, many continue to practice this intrusive behavior. Because they can and they get away with it. Being a paying customer doesn’t protect one.
It’s hard to drive this message home. Distrust all those smart and networked devices/services until proven otherwise.

By: pzatchok

pzatchok — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 05:39:23 +0000

More than likely the car companies have no control over the “aps” or programs the customer uses.
Yes they offer them as options on the car but in no way do they actually own them or control them.
In the very very fine print they do, and have to, tell you what those aps are recording but they don’t have to let you use those aps if you don’t want to give out the info.

The car companies do this because its cheaper them either programing something exactly like the ap you want or buying the ap outright. So they make an agreement with the ap company and offer them for basically free.

Nothing is free. If your not paying cash for the service think of how they would be making their money.

By: Ian C.

Ian C. — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 05:07:12 +0000

Same for anything that’s “smart” and “networked.” Smartphone, smart TVs, Alexa (and similar), smart home (app-based door locks and home controls for, say, heating or room monitoring with a cam) and generally Internet of Things, smart children’s toys too.

Always assume that the devices are always on and listening, that everything they record is uploaded to servers outside your control, that those data are shared (intentionally and accidentally) with third parties you have even less control over and processed and connected with other data about you in ways you won’t expect or wouldn’t believe is possible. The more smart and networked, the higher the risk of them being hacked and actively used against you. And once a service provider stops doing business or retires that specific product, the devices are not updated (security risk) or become a dead brick you most likely cannot repair.

Unfortunately there are no viable markets for privacy-oriented consumer products in most cases (several initiatives and companies have tried but failed). People want convenience, are generally ignorant, and price beats carefulness.