In a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last week, Senators Ron Wyden and Edward Markey urged the FTC to investigate several car companies caught selling and sharing customer information without clear consent. Alongside details previously gathered from reporting by The New York Times, the...
Car makers should not sell our driving and location history to data brokers or insurance companies,
Car makers should not have access to this information at all, except in cases when the owner explicitly chooses to give them a specific piece of it.
(Similarly, phone makers should not have access to conversations and camera makers should not have access to videos, except in cases when the owner explicitly chooses to record and give them a specific piece.)
It’s insane to me the complete lack of consumer protection in the digital age. Our cars used to be our sanctuary. A symbol of freedom and comfort. Now they’re dystopian nightmares that make me very uncomfortable.
Not only that, but you have companies replacing apple/android auto with shit tech they have no business building. Predictably there are leaks all the time.
Genuine question: are there any options out there for someone who wants a simple car and is willing to pay a little more to avoid built in spyware and subscriptions for every tiny feature?
People have become accustomed to the corporate and government invasion of their lives little by little. This will most likely continue until it is too late.
I wish you were wrong about the complicity of the consumer, but as you said, years of “nothing to hide” drilled into their brains has conditioned the majority to accept this status quo.
Thanks. I’d pay more for an EV that doesn’t build in any tech at all outside of the primary function of the car.
We need to draw a line between “essential auto technology” and the internet-connected convenience tech. I would love an open source project like GrapheneOS for autos. Or even just a tablet I can connect to the power and the stereo/mic for any sort of internet connected functionality (GPS, music, etc). Either way I want my open source OS to manage the modem firmware as I have no trust in these companies.
EV’s tend to have the most “techie” features so that’s going to be tough unfortunately and messing with your car’s firmware/software could be potentially very, very dangerous tbh
In an ideal scenario the EV driving tech could run locally with no network connection, and I can plug in something open / 3rd party for the network connected techie features
Better yet, look up YouTube videos on how to remove the tracking bits. Sometimes it’s pretty easy, like just unplugging a connector or two (e.g. disabling OnStar is usually that easy). Do that research before buying, then remove it once you buy.
Car makers should not have access to this information at all, except in cases when the owner explicitly chooses to give them a specific piece of it.
(Similarly, phone makers should not have access to conversations and camera makers should not have access to videos, except in cases when the owner explicitly chooses to record and give them a specific piece.)
Hot take: make data brokers illegal and audit these companies for compliance.
It’s insane to me the complete lack of consumer protection in the digital age. Our cars used to be our sanctuary. A symbol of freedom and comfort. Now they’re dystopian nightmares that make me very uncomfortable.
Not only that, but you have companies replacing apple/android auto with shit tech they have no business building. Predictably there are leaks all the time.
Genuine question: are there any options out there for someone who wants a simple car and is willing to pay a little more to avoid built in spyware and subscriptions for every tiny feature?
Any of the 3g infinitis. They probably collected info, but they no longer have any means to transmit it.
People have become accustomed to the corporate and government invasion of their lives little by little. This will most likely continue until it is too late.
A sad world indeed.
I wish you were wrong about the complicity of the consumer, but as you said, years of “nothing to hide” drilled into their brains has conditioned the majority to accept this status quo.
The fact they call the nav screen “infotainment” tells you how much most of it isn’t needed.
Gotta buy used and not set up any features at all. Some cars that stuff only turns on if you opt in. Downside is you’re buying features you don’t use.
Thanks. I’d pay more for an EV that doesn’t build in any tech at all outside of the primary function of the car.
We need to draw a line between “essential auto technology” and the internet-connected convenience tech. I would love an open source project like GrapheneOS for autos. Or even just a tablet I can connect to the power and the stereo/mic for any sort of internet connected functionality (GPS, music, etc). Either way I want my open source OS to manage the modem firmware as I have no trust in these companies.
EV’s tend to have the most “techie” features so that’s going to be tough unfortunately and messing with your car’s firmware/software could be potentially very, very dangerous tbh
Very true, but I can still dream haha
In an ideal scenario the EV driving tech could run locally with no network connection, and I can plug in something open / 3rd party for the network connected techie features
I’d pre-order it today lol
Better yet, look up YouTube videos on how to remove the tracking bits. Sometimes it’s pretty easy, like just unplugging a connector or two (e.g. disabling OnStar is usually that easy). Do that research before buying, then remove it once you buy.
On older cars this is generally safe but cars from like…2021 onward this gets a bit dicier.