New Cars are Data Privacy Nightmares

[hipsterreplacement]

Didn't know which area was best to post this. It is germane to living in vehicles, but...
While the article is focusing on now, cars reporting back on you certainly isn't a completely new phenomenon. While I doubt many here are getting really recent car models, it's something to keep in mind when buying used.


https://gizmodo.com/mozilla-new-cars-data-privacy-report-1850805416

“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.”

 

[RVTravel]

I heard a brief news report, was shocked, and I hope they are all fined for it.

 

[rruff]

While the article is focusing on now, cars reporting back on you certainly isn't a completely new phenomenon.

Begs the question... why is this private info so valuable? Who is buying it and for what purpose? What is the end game?

It's pretty obvious how well social media manipulates beliefs and attitudes. Facebook knows their users better than the people know themselves. Stimulus-response. I guess they just want to make sure we don't have a "secret" life in our vehicles...? More data is more better...?

 

[Carla618]

Begs the question... why is this private info so valuable? Who is buying it and for what purpose? What is the end game?

A historian from Israel answered that question: personal data is extremely valuable because it is needed for AI. This guy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuval_Noah_Harari

 

[Carla618]

This guy warns about data and personal messages and rental cars:

 

[maki2]

Whoever “they” are would find it a total bore to track me. Time to go to Walmart and the laundromat amounts to the really big excitement a couple of times a month.

 

[hipsterreplacement]

Begs the question... why is this private info so valuable? Who is buying it and for what purpose? What is the end game?

It's pretty obvious how well social media manipulates beliefs and attitudes. Facebook knows their users better than the people know themselves. Stimulus-response. I guess they just want to make sure we don't have a "secret" life in our vehicles...? More data is more better...?

It's one of those things that if you don't have the bent of taking advantage of people, you tend not to think of the ways it can be done.

I got an invite from a friend in the early days of Gmail when it was invite-only still. Only a couple months after he gave me the invite, he emailed all his friends letting them know that he could see that Google was going to be scanning emails and making money selling that data. I thought he was being overly cautious, but he was right. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/15/gmail-scans-all-emails-new-google-terms-clarify

Google's business is largely based on knowing everything about people, Amazon as well. Advertisers want that info. And businesses directly want that info because the analysis can help them not only know your buying habits, but many other things that can be monetized. Cops want that info. And that data being aggregated on their servers means when servers are breached, your data is there with it. And hackers will do more old school crappy things with that data.

I didn't used to see things this way. But after years of observing what's been happening, it seems like surveillance, acquiring and controlling data is where folks are making money instead of actually making quality products and services.

 

[LargeMarge]

[I think I told this story here; irregardless, I think it adds a layer to the thread]
.
Eugene, Oregon.
I visit elderly shut-ins.
One old gal was spectating at her television set, doing the 'Game Of Thrones' thing for the eleventhty hundredth time.
.
I was in the kitchen fixing snacks.
Some imbecilic advertisement came on.
I quietly grumbled:
* "Alexis, where is my head..."
.
Under a blanket, around the corner and across the room, her Kindle reader answered:
* "Your head is on your shoulders."
.
The old gal had no idea her Kindle has a microphone, nor any clue it has a speaker.
.
But that is the same old gal with a substantial collection of unopened Game Of Thrones DVD 'box-sets', because each time she re-watches it, she realizes its importance to her continued existence, so she orders the series 'on-line'.
And, then, during her next re-watch, ensures her physical safety by ordering another set 'on-line'.
I am vastly amused.

 

[Tony's Dream]

I was listening to a POD cast with Snowden. He said your car reports more information than your cell phone. It's always scary to hear reality. I search for something on my phone and when I am on my computer, browsing through youtube videos, ads pop up about the thing I was searching for on my phone.

 

[Happy Camper]

My 93 Jeep Wrangler reports I need gas again very soon. Constantly.

 

[Carla618]

I was listening to a POD cast with Snowden. He said your car reports more information than your cell phone. It's always scary to hear reality. I search for something on my phone and when I am on my computer, browsing through youtube videos, ads pop up about the thing I was searching for on my phone.

That has been happening to me for quite a few years now. Really creepy.

We let it happen, even though Snowden revealed what the government was doing and allowing corporations to do. Now the same thing is beginning to happen with AI. I guess we will let it do all kinds of harm, as well.

We can't count on our elected officials to do squat. We have to put pressure on our government. Does Snowden have any suggestions for making our government more responsive?

 

[rruff]

We can't count on our elected officials to do squat. We have to put pressure on our government. Does Snowden have any suggestions for making our government more responsive?

The ability to manipulate, divide, and disempower us has only grown. Maybe we can target policies here and there, but it's going to keep growing. Our elected officials are as clueless as we are for the most part. If you are a rich psychopath the future might be very bright, but it doesn't look so good for the rest of us...

 

[BelgianPup]

The ability to manipulate, divide, and disempower us has only grown. Maybe we can target policies here and there, but it's going to keep growing. Our elected officials are as clueless as we are for the most part. If you are a rich psychopath the future might be very bright, but it doesn't look so good for the rest of us...

 

[BelgianPup]

I was reading that those idiotic automatic car door unlocks (which let strangers into your car) can be turned off. Maybe these InfoStealers can be turned off, too.

 

[hipsterreplacement]

The ability to manipulate, divide, and disempower us has only grown. Maybe we can target policies here and there, but it's going to keep growing. Our elected officials are as clueless as we are for the most part. If you are a rich psychopath the future might be very bright, but it doesn't look so good for the rest of us...

I agree. Just because it isn't looking good is no reason to give up without a fight. We can vote with our wallets (by choosing carefully what we buy and support with our $) and we can also keep informed about data issues via EFF, Right to Repair, and other advocacy groups that try to keep corps from surveilling the hell out of us while also locking us out of being able to repair our own property. There are some fairly easy tools to generate an email to your reps. Just think of it as "the least I can do" and not put all hope in that one method of fighting back.

https://act.eff.org/ https://www.repair.org/stand-up

 

[rruff]

I agree. Just because it isn't looking good is no reason to give up without a fight.

I don't plan to give up, but I'm not going to fight. Fighting is something they understand very well and they are better at it. They will try to bring us all down to their level, just like they have with the socio-economic system.

Love is the most powerful force in the 'verse. Fearless, selfless, love.

 

[RonDean]

Data...
I still don't think MY data is all that valuable. I don't cheat on my taxes, have all that much money to spend or steal, or do anything else that could get me in very much trouble. If Amazon wants to send me ads based on what I have been recently searching for, it may feel a bit creepy, but not enough to make me change my habits. And, who knows, maybe I will want the next thing they push at me. If my van wants to report where I am or might be going, I can't get all that concerned when I consider all the other threats out there that I am not doing anything about.

I AM concerned about the digital security of our power, financial, military, etc systems. I think our country is already under attack from other countries. Speaking of which, that place which is now sheltering Snowden is not exactly our friend. Putin would be happy if we were chasing our tails while ignoring real threats. I wonder if getting us to worry about our own shopping or driving data is a sneaky way to get us to take our eyes off those real threats. Kind of like the plastic industry convincing us to take responsibility for recycling the plastic THEY produced.

 

[Frood]

I was listening to a POD cast with Snowden. He said your car reports more information than your cell phone. It's always scary to hear reality. I search for something on my phone and when I am on my computer, browsing through youtube videos, ads pop up about the thing I was searching for on my phone.

Don't sync your google accounts. Kind of hard to do since you have to sign in to youtube to access your playlist, etc... but that's why that happens.

 

[Carla618]

Data...
I still don't think MY data is all that valuable. I don't cheat on my taxes, have all that much money to spend or steal, or do anything else that could get me in very much trouble. If Amazon wants to send me ads based on what I have been recently searching for, it may feel a bit creepy, but not enough to make me change my habits.

The issue I have with these corporations and our government regarding data is they take it without my permission. Not only take it, but sell it and/or share it, without permission. Imagine if regular citizens did that to them?

Again, our elected officials allow it to continue. Not only that, they have allowed these companies to monopolize and become so big, they don't have to answer to anyone.

 

[Carla618]

Don't sync your google accounts. Kind of hard to do since you have to sign in to youtube to access your playlist, etc... but that's why that happens.

It is almost impossible to use the internet without sharing your info with Google. Surely it is close to impossible to have a cell phone without Google. That isn't right