FTC needs to force auto manufacturers to allow the vehicle OWNER to disable data collection at the very least. If it were up to me it would allow owners to disable the sim card and OTA completely. I personally don’t know anyone who uses the in car gps over google/apple maps anyway.
Thank you for specifying that the collection of data is the problem, not just how it’s handled once collected.
Unfortunately, disabling the SIM or wireless module in the car isn’t enough, since collected data could still be downloaded at a shop during warranty repair, or smog check, or (if you’re unlucky) post-accident inspection, or by a mileage-tracking device from an insurance company.
I will drive my 2003 Envoy I inherited into the ground, and after that it’s a 2008 Camry, and then I’ll ride that into the ground. Good God, if kid-me would have known adult-me would have turned into a Luddite…
Luddite…
Avoiding spyware doesn’t mean you’re opposed to labor-saving technology, much as avoiding tasers doesn’t mean you’re opposed to electronics. :)
Yeah true, kid-me would be very proud that I’m opposed to anti-labor practices!
Interesting. This sounds like the same kind of intention-laundering you usually see with, like, precious metal and tropical goods supply chains, but for violating people’s privacy rights instead of using slave labour.
And it’s definitely not just G.M.!
F*** all these spying, lying companies for normalizing this kind of behavior.
Sounds like they turned the cars into IoT devices, where the user can’t have the data, but the manufacturer can.
I drove one of these recently as a rental, and told my partner that they were tracking our every move to send to our insurance company. Didn’t believe me, so thank you for this article! I’ll always feel like I’m being watched and recorded in new cars. I don’t even like having personal conversations in them for fear of a potential active mic somewhere…
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G.M.’s spokeswoman had told me that this data collection happened only to people who turned on OnStar, its connected services plan, and enrolled in Smart Driver, a gamified program that offers feedback and digital badges for good driving, either at the time of purchase or via their vehicle’s mobile app.
That this happened to me, the rare consumer who reads privacy policies and is constantly on the lookout for creepy data collection, demonstrates what little hope there was for the typical car buyer.
Harry Brignull, author of “Deceptive Patterns: Exposing the Tricks Tech Companies Use to Control You,” said: “In these sorts of agreements, they need to be very clear about the true function of it.
Ms. Barker said G.M.’s terms and privacy statement allowed the company to share information with “third parties” — legalese that people agree to on the first screen the salesman was instructed to show us.
Kate Aishton, a lawyer who advises companies on data and privacy practices, deemed the process poorly designed for obtaining actual user consent, particularly since it takes place in a high-pressure sales environment.
A new car, like mine, has hundreds of sensors, the former employee said, so even just a 15-minute trip creates millions of data points, including GPS location — all of which is broadcast in near real time to G.M.
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I hope car makers keep making those “basic trim” cars with nothing actually “smart” about them. Those are the ones I go for, and just replace the radio with my own. I don’t need anything from my car except drive and play music through wire or Bluetooth.
