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Thread: If You've Got a New Car, It's a Data Privacy Nightmare

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    Frozen Chosen A.J.'s Avatar
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    If You've Got a New Car, It's a Data Privacy Nightmare

    If You've Got a New Car, It's a Data Privacy Nightmare
    Bad news: your car is a spy. Every major car brand's new internet-connected models flunked privacy and security tests conducted by Mozilla.

    By Thomas Germain
    UpdatedThursday 9:54AM


    Cars driving on a highway made of zeros and ones.
    Turns out you've been driving in the data fast lane.

    Bad news: your car is a spy. If your vehicle was made in the last few years, you're probably driving around in a data-harvesting machine that may collect personal information as sensitive as your race, weight, and sexual activity. Volkswagen's cars reportedly know if you're fastening your seatbelt and how hard you hit the brakes.

    That's according to new findings from Mozilla's *Privacy Not Included project. The nonprofit found that every major car brand fails to adhere to the most basic privacy and security standards in new internet-connected models, and all 25 of the brands Mozilla examined flunked the organization's test. Mozilla found brands including BMW, Ford, Toyota, Tesla, and Subaru collect data about drivers including race, facial expressions, weight, health information, and where you drive. Some of the cars tested collected data you wouldn't expect your car to know about, including details about sexual activity, race, and immigration status, according to Mozilla.

    "Many people think of their car as a private space — somewhere to call your doctor, have a personal conversation with your kid on the way to school, cry your eyes out over a break-up, or drive places you might not want the world to know about," said Jen Caltrider, program direction of the *Privacy Not Included project, in a press release. "But that perception no longer matches reality. All new cars today are privacy nightmares on wheels that collect huge amounts of personal information."

    Modern cars use a variety of data harvesting tools including microphones, cameras, and the phones drivers connect to their cars. Manufacturers also collect data through their apps and websites, and can then sell or share that data with third parties.

    The worst offender was Nissan, Mozilla said. The carmaker's privacy policy suggests the manufacturer collects information including sexual activity, health diagnosis data, and genetic data, though there's no details about how exactly that data is gathered. Nissan reserves the right to share and sell "preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence, abilities, and aptitudes" to data brokers, law enforcement, and other third parties.

    "When we do collect or share personal data, we comply with all applicable laws and provide the utmost transparency," said Lloryn Love-Carter, a Nissan spokesperson. "Nissan's Privacy Policy incorporates a broad definition of Personal Information and Sensitive Personal Information, as expressly listed in the growing patchwork of evolving state privacy laws, and is inclusive of types of data it may receive through incidental means."

    Other brands didn't fare much better. Volkswagen, for example, collects your driving behaviors such as your seatbelt and braking habits and pairs that with details such as age and gender for targeted advertising. Kia's privacy policy reserves the right to monitor your "sex life," and Mercedes-Benz ships cars with TikTok pre-installed on the infotainment system, an app that has its own thicket of privacy problems.

    "BMW NA provides our customers with comprehensive data privacy notices regarding the collection of their personal information. For individual control, BMW NA allows vehicle drivers to make granular choices regarding the collection and processing of their personal information," said Phil DiIanni, a BMW spokesperson. DiIanni said BMW hasn't reviewed the study, but said "BMW NA does not sell our customer's in-vehicle personal information," and the company takes "comprehensive measures to protect our customers' data."

    Mercedes-Benz spokesperson Andrea Berg declined to comment, as the company hasn't reviewed the study, but Berg said the MercedesMe Connect app gives users privacy settings and the ability to opt-out of certain services. Gizmodo contacted the other manufacturers named in this story, but none immediately provided comments.

    The privacy and security problems extend beyond the nature of the data car companies siphon off about you. Mozilla said it was unable to determine whether the brands encrypt any of the data they collect, and only Mercedes-Benz responded to the organization's questions.

    Mozilla also found that many car brands engage in "privacy washing," or presenting consumers with information that suggests they don't have to worry about privacy issues when the exact opposite is true. Many leading manufacturers are signatories to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation's "Consumer Privacy Protection Principles." According to Mozilla, these are a non-binding set of vague promises organized by the car manufacturers themselves.

    Brian Weiss, a spokesperson for the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, shared a link to a letter the organization wrote to congress about its Privacy Principles. These principles "are in effect today and enforceable by the Federal Trade Commission," Weiss said.

    Questions around consent are essentially a joke as well. Subaru, for example, says that by being a passenger in the car, you are considered a "user" who has given the company consent to harvest information about you. Mozilla said a number of car brands say it's the drivers responsibility to let passengers know about their car's privacy policies—as if the privacy policies are comprehensible to drivers in the first place. Toyota, for example, has a constellation of 12 different privacy policies for your reading pleasure.


    Mozilla Report Finds That New Cars Give Out Lots of Your Info

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    So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John's Avatar
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    Thanks for posting that AJ, scary stuff.

    There are so many issues with cars nowadays. I think EVs will go bust after some time, they have a tendency to catch fire, all new cars are a nightmare to repair, you need thousands of dollars in diagnostic equipment just to pinpoint an issue before you can repair, making DIY repairs near impossible.

    Did you know that most electric vehicles use about 14,000 vape batteries? All it takes is one to degrade and the car goes into inferno mode. I see a time not so far away where they will banned from parking garages, maybe even home garages due to the fire hazard, but for now, it's all hush hush, everyone on the band wagon.

    One vape battery ...


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    Smart refrigerators too!

    A friend and I were talking about this the other day. The technology apparently can tell if something is "off" or expired in your fridge and tells you as much. I have not verified this. But imagine the spying here:

    "You have consumed too much beef. Consuming that much beef is illegal. Sending notification to Big Brother."

    "Your eggs are farm raised, and not from the grocery store. This is not allowed in your area. Sending notification to Big Brother."

    "You do not have enough "Beyond Meat" in your refrigerator; ordering more to be delivered to you. The amount will be deducted from your digital currency government approved bank account."

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  7. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by John View Post
    Thanks for posting that AJ, scary stuff.

    There are so many issues with cars nowadays. I think EVs will go bust after some time, they have a tendency to catch fire, all new cars are a nightmare to repair, you need thousands of dollars in diagnostic equipment just to pinpoint an issue before you can repair, making DIY repairs near impossible.

    Did you know that most electric vehicles use about 14,000 vape batteries? All it takes is one to degrade and the car goes into inferno mode. I see a time not so far away where they will banned from parking garages, maybe even home garages due to the fire hazard, but for now, it's all hush hush, everyone on the band wagon.

    One vape battery ...

    Jumping Jack Flash!

    Be sure to include aftermarket head units with siri and satt features.

    Glad to own a 2001 Jeep Cherokee XJ.

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    So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FireBrand View Post
    Jumping Jack Flash!

    Be sure to include aftermarket head units with siri and satt features.

    Glad to own a 2001 Jeep Cherokee XJ.
    Yeah that, I'm appreciating my 02 van more every day, roll down windows and all, it has a handful of sensors that could be replaced in an hour or so, in the driveway. The new cars have literal networks of monitors and modules talking to each other, when one goes offline or goes wonky, it could take hours or days to track it down if you have the proper scan tools (thousands of dollars). I saw a video where it was like 4 grand to replace some tail light module on a Ford pickup. Back in the olden days you could just replace the bulb for 79 cents.

    Actually it was more like $5,600.00



    Side optical detection module ...yeah, used to call those "idiot mirrors" ...

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    Quote Originally Posted by John View Post
    Yeah that, I'm appreciating my 02 van more every day, roll down windows and all, it has a handful of sensors that could be replaced in an hour or so, in the driveway. The new cars have literal networks of monitors and modules talking to each other, when one goes offline or goes wonky, it could take hours or days to track it down if you have the proper scan tools (thousands of dollars). I saw a video where it was like 4 grand to replace some tail light module on a Ford pickup. Back in the olden days you could just replace the bulb for 79 cents.

    Actually it was more like $5,600.00



    Side optical detection module ...yeah, used to call those "idiot mirrors" ...
    All the sensors needed for autonomous driving are in place...whether you need them or not. Yeah no thanx.

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    So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FireBrand View Post
    All the sensors needed for autonomous driving are in place...whether you need them or not. Yeah no thanx.
    That sounds about right. Now all they need to do is get rid of the old HI cars.

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