UK Daily Mail
Americans’ cars now have the ‘unmatched power to watch, listen and collect information about what you do and where you go,’ according to a concerning new study.
According to the Mozilla Foundation, at least 84 percent of 25 car brands studied have the power to share or sell the personal data of drivers to to data brokers, law enforcement, and others.
‘The gist is: they can collect super intimate information about you β from your medical information, your genetic information, to your βsex lifeβ (seriously), to how fast you drive, where you drive, and what songs you play in your car,’ the study said. More
Other then the obvious invasion of privacy, if someone at some bureaucratic level pays that much attention to my habits in the car, I kinda hope they hang themselves out of boredom.
If they want to spy on me, they’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way. Through my cell phone.
I drive old junkers on purpose….
And @ No mercy Tuesday, 12 September 2023, 17:21 at 5:21 pm, Me too!
FJB
I drive old junkers because of taxes they give to others.
I drive a perfectly good 93 Subaru Legacy AWD station wagon with all the bells and whistles. My brother got it from one of his customers in very good condition and it only has 118,000 miles on it and runs like a champ. And I’ll probably be able to get 250,000 miles or more out of it, so there all you EV and hybrid weenies spending 40 to 50 K or more on new cars. My car will outlast yours and will be reliable for many years yet to come while your fancy cars won’t last 10 years, maybe if you’re lucky. And my battery which I recently replaced only cost me $200.
I want a motor, transmission, brakes and tires. Everything else is crap they put on cars to up the price. I can roll down my own windows, lock my own doors and read a map. I usually leave my phone home when I’m running errands just because it doesn’t need to know where I go. The same reason I don’t apply for reward perks and pay cash.
Since I am 70 maybe I really am a dinosaur and don’t care as long as it gets me from point A to point B and back safely. It also pays that my brother is my mechanic.
I urge everyone to get a copy of their CLUE report. It can be obtained for free from LexisNexis. In the past, it was a common database for insurers. As an example, if you had claims, it was reported to LN. Your credit history also was reported to LN. The data collected has increased astronomically.
I recently requested my report. It has ballooned up to 202 pages. In looking through it, I discovered that my car is reporting to GM, the Start Date and End Date of any trip I take. Likewise, the Start Time and End Time of my trips. Also reported is whether I had Acceleration Events, High Speed Events, Hard Brake Events and the distance I traveled on any trip.
GM is, I assume, selling the date to LN.
Close to half of the 202 page report contains this data which is listed under “Telematics”. I had the report pulled in early August and it covers telematics from mid-March until August 3rd.
That report is going to be one huge mutha as time goes on. Big brother ain’t just watchin’ us, big brother is making money off of us.
Who pays for the cellular data package the cars use to upload the data?
^^^^
The buyer and it’s non-negotiable as it’s folded into the price. It does not appear as a line itemed option on the sticker. Mine is a 2022 GMC Terrain, my wife is driving a 2023 Chevy Equinox and it is not included or even an option on her car.
Built into the price is 3 years of data. I am taking advantage of it. I drive little, typically less than 5,000 miles a year but when I’m in the car I’m listening to Pandora. I get to hear music in the genre and the artists I want to hear. Here’s what I really found curious but it’s so typical GM that it borders on comical. I go to the OnStar site to find that I have unlimited data for 36 months or until the limit is reached. Yes, they contradict themselves. Maybe Punjab doesn’t have enough English language skills and his boss who resides who knows where has even less.
This is typical for GM and I know having worked for them for 30 years.
Love my 2009 CRV. 140k miles and going strong. Only issue I’ve had is a wheel bearing.
@Lowell. you do. every time you pair your phone to your infotainment system, your car can use that connection to the cell network to rat you out. Also I suspect any car with on star or the equivalent has it’s own persistent connection.
I should add that the cost for 36 months of data and other near useless OnStar bells and whistles is $1500. I lost my first 2022 Terrain to hurricane Ian. Water totaled it. On that earlier in the model year car, it was a line item on the sticker. But naturally if was on the sticker and factory installed, there was no negotiating it away. The replacement vehicle, another 2022 Terrain did not line item it. It was built right into the price.
Ah the joys of driving a car that is 12 years old that the only bells and whistles on it is a cd player LOL
Iβm an old fart.
Iβm so damn old; I remember when the βgovernmentβ used to protect the American citizen from unscrupulous, cheating, dishonest bastards.
Pretty sure any antenna they use on your car or truck can be wrapped in foil and it’s defeated.
Your car can wear a tin foil hat too. Ha.
If a freedom loving citizen is serious enough, (s)he will find a way to turn it all off, or otherwise deceive the data collection and transmission.
My Ford Ranger, I turned off the 911 reporting, so as to not keep gps data.
We Bought a 2009 Chevy Suburban. It had OnStar but it used 2.4 G. That is not supported anymore so it canβt track us.
Jellybean: Who do you think is urging companies to do all of this?
RadioMattM
I’m well aware, I simply mean the gov. used to care about the citizens, now, in their eyes, we’re the enemy.
not mine, nword – keep trying
Since I already silently curse other drivers nonstop while on the highway, I’ll make sure it’s loud enough for them to hear.