Your car is spying on you, and it's only just the beginning

BBC

Cars used to mean freedom. When I first got the keys to the old family Toyota, it was a rite of passage, a sign I was old enough to step away from my parents' watchful eyes and enter a world where time and decisions were mine alone. Things change.

Modern cars are computers on wheels, and giant corporations are using them to suck up intimate details about your life and make more money. If you think driving today is a chance for solitude and independence, think again. And it looks like it's about to get a lot worse.  

Car companies will tell you themselves if you wade through their privacy policies. The information they harvest can include precise location data about everywhere you go, who's in the car with you, what's on the radio, and whether you buckle your seatbelt, drive too fast or brake too hard. Some can gather details you might not expect, such as your weight, age, race, and facial expressions. Do you pick your nose? Some cars have cameras inside, pointed at the driver's seat. And most come with internet connections that can ship that data off as you drive, in blissful ignorance.

This is a privacy problem that can cost you money. Among the biggest customers of car data are insurance companies, which are using it to charge some people higher prices. But there's no telling where your information is going. Some car companies admit they sell your data, but they don't have to say who's buying. That's to say nothing of the fact that you might find it a little creepy. Most consumers, experts say, have no idea it's even happening. 

"People would be shocked at the number of data points that their car collects and transmits to other people, either the manufacturer or third-party applications," says Darrell West, a senior fellow in the Centre for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution in Washington DC. "It basically means your life can be recreated almost on a second-by-second basis." 

Feeling uncomfortable yet? A federal law is about to increase the amount of data your car can gather about you. It will soon require American car companies to install infrared biometric cameras and other systems to scan your body language, track your eyes, and monitor other aspects of your behaviour to detect whether you're too drunk or tired to drive. But it will also open up a whole new trove of data about your health and your habits. No rules are limiting what the car companies can do with that information. 

Of course, there are benefits too. Internet-connected cars can be more convenient. The sensors they bristle with can make driving safer and more comfortable. Insurance companies could decide to charge you less because you're such a good driver.

But as automakers expand their data empires, this is a critical moment to understand what's happening under the hood and how it affects you.

The data superhighway

If your car is even relatively new, it's probably involved. The consulting firm McKinsey found that 50% of households had internet connections in 2021 and predicted that the number would rise to 95% by 2030. If your car is hooked up to the internet, privacy is almost certainly an issue you need to care about.

Car companies can also snoop when you hook your phone up to the infotainment system or when you use certain driving apps. Some drivers also use insurance companies' telematics systems, which monitor their driving in exchange for potential discounts.

A 2023 analysis by Mozilla, the maker of the Firefox browser, examined the privacy policies of 25 car brands. Everyone failed to meet the privacy and security standards that Mozilla uses to compare brands. Mozilla said cars were "the worst product category we have ever reviewed for privacy".

According to the report, car companies reserve the right to collect details, including your name, age, race, weight, financial information, facial expressions, psychological traits, and more. Kia's privacy policy, for example, suggests the company may even collect details about your "sex life" and general health. Read the full story here: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260513-your-car-is-spying-on-you-its-about-to-get-worse