The primary paragraph of Mozilla’s *Privacy Not Included” buyer’s guide about automobile privacy issues is price repeating here:
“Ah, the wind in your hair, the open road ahead, and never a care on this planet … except all of the trackers, cameras, microphones, and sensors capturing your every move. Ugh. Modern cars are a privacy nightmare.”
“Ugh” could also be an understatement. The crux of the matter is control: The nonprofit Mozilla Foundation has found that vehicle manufacturers have collected tons of “private” data from vehicle operators, because of the proliferation of sensors and cameras and smartphones connected in and to cars.
In its report, Mozilla found that 25 automobile brands all failed the patron privacy tests it carried out. Its research found that 84 percent of automobile corporations review, share or sell data collected from automobile owners, and that the data was used for reasons unrelated to the operation of a vehicle or to a automobile brand’s relationship with its owners.
And beyond that, the report says that many corporations — greater than half — “say they will share your information with the federal government or law enforcement in response to a ‘request.’ Not a high bar court order, but something as easy as an ‘informal request.’”
Another points made by the muse:
— Six automobile corporations can collect intimate information, including a driver’s medical information and genetic information. Plus info about how briskly an individual drives and the songs he listens to within the automobile.
— Nissan earned its second-to-last spot (Tesla, not surprisingly, was worst) “for collecting among the creepiest categories of knowledge we now have ever seen”: In an apparent attack of full disclosure, Nissan said that it could actually share “inferences” drawn from the info to create profiles “reflecting the patron’s preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence, abilities, and aptitudes.” It also collects details about “sexual intercourse.” It is not clear how they will do this, but of their privacy notice they are saying they might. To not be outdone, the report says, “Kia also mentions they will collect details about your ‘sex life’ of their privacy policy.”
— Only two of the 25 brands reviewed, Renault and Dacia, stated that drivers had the correct to delete their personal data. The brands are headquartered in Europe, where consumers are protected by General Data Protection Regulation privacy laws.
But controlling the info outflow collection is not any easy task for automobile buyers, Mozilla says.
“We spent over 600 hours researching the automobile brands’ privacy practices,” the report says. “That’s 3 times as much time per product than we normally do. Even still, we were left with so many questions. Not one of the privacy policies promise a full picture of how your data is used and shared. If three privacy researchers can barely unravel what’s happening with cars, how does the typical time-pressed person stand a likelihood?”
The Associated Press reports that the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing the makers of most cars and lightweight trucks sold within the U.S., sent a letter Tuesday to U.S. House and Senate leadership, saying it shares “the goal of protecting the privacy of consumers.” The absence of such a law, the organization said, lets connected devices and smartphones amass data for tailored ad targeting and other marketing while also making possible massive information theft through cybersecurity breaches.
But until there is a law, because the report says, “Consent is an illusion.”
Try the full Mozilla Foundation report. It is a troubling read.
This Article First Appeared At www.autoblog.com
