Drivers: We’ll Take Plain Dumb Car Over Flashy Data-Spilling Internet One, Thanks
January 15th, 2024Via: Register:
Despite all the buzz around internet-connected smart cars at this year’s CES in Las Vegas, most folks don’t want vehicle manufacturers sharing their personal data with third parties – and even say they’d consider buying an older or dumber car to protect their privacy and security.
According to a survey of 2,000 Americans conducted by Kaspersky in November and published this week, 72 percent of drivers are uncomfortable with automakers sharing their data with advertisers, insurance companies, subscription services, and other third-party outfits. Specifically, 37.3 percent of those polled are “very uncomfortable” with this data sharing, and 34.5 percent are “somewhat uncomfortable.”
However, only 28 percent of the total respondents say they have any idea what kind of data their car is collecting. Spoiler alert: It’s potentially all the data. An earlier Mozilla Foundation investigation, which assessed the privacy policies and practices of 25 automakers, gave every single one a failing grade.
In Moz’s September Privacy Not Included report, the org warned that car manufacturers aren’t only potentially collecting and selling things like location history, driving habits and in-car browser histories. Some connected cars may also track drivers’ sexual activity, immigration status, race, facial expressions, weight, health, and even genetic information, if that information becomes available.
