Cars collect a lot of our personal data, and car companies disclose a lot of that data to third parties. It’s often unclear what’s being collected, and what’s being shared and with whom. A recent New York Times article highlighted how data is shared by G.M. with insurance companies, sometimes without clear knowledge from the driver. If you’re curious about what your car knows about you, you might be able to find out. In some cases, you may even be able to opt out of some of that sharing of data.

    • @grue@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      213 months ago

      I’m ready for the US to restore proper protection for property rights now. It’s absolutely batshit insane that corporations are allowed to have this much control over products after they’re sold to begin with.

    • Gormadt
      link
      English
      163 months ago

      Likewise

      Reach out to your reps and encourage others to do the same

    • dinckel
      link
      fedilink
      English
      53 months ago

      We all know that’s not happening. While people with money have political power over the decisions of ones in office, they will always have the upper hand. That’s how we reached a point where a 2024 car had a paid subscription for the climate control

      • @jkrtn@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        English
        23 months ago

        People sleepwalking through life is how we have a climate control subscription. A large enough boycott of all their cars would cure them of malfeasance for several years.

        This is why we have ads on all the streaming services now, and why we have a fuckload of streaming services instead of just one or two. This is why HP thinks they can do ink subscriptions.

        • dinckel
          link
          fedilink
          English
          33 months ago

          See, that’s the issue. The reason why we have all these streaming services, with nothing on them, is because people just don’t care. They’ll still sub to 8 of them at the same time, just like they’ll get a car from a brand that’s fucked them over before. A boycott implies that people don’t live life on autopilot

  • @AMillionMonkeys@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    303 months ago

    Looks like a lot of info is shared through the manufacturer’s app which interacts with the car. Easy to avoid if you don’t install the app.
    What we’re all here looking to avoid is the car itself uploading data. The article isn’t as clear about that, I guess since it depends so much on your exact model of vehicle.

      • @tal@lemmy.today
        link
        fedilink
        English
        73 months ago

        I don’t know whether the maintenance process involves any download and transfer of data to the manufacturer, though I imagine that it could.

    • DeepChill
      link
      fedilink
      English
      73 months ago

      If they have airbags and ABS they know a shitload more than you think.

      • @SupraMario@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        33 months ago

        They know a lot less than you think they do…and none of it is person data. It’s all drivetrain and running diagnostic stuff. Very few cars in 2013 had apps for the vehicles…and pretty much none had them in 2003.

        • DeepChill
          link
          fedilink
          English
          63 months ago

          Well, if you think connected apps are the only way cars invade your privacy…. That’s cute, good for you.

          Road speed, accelerator position, brake pedal position, number of seatbelts buckled or not, GPS position and heading, time since key on and probably at least a dozen other parameters I can’t think of off the top of my head are all being recorded. Those certainly are personal data that can and will be used against you in the event of a crash.

          • @KnightontheSun@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            43 months ago

            Yes. Telemetry boxes. Most cars have had them for almost twenty years. The cell connection is more modern.

            Telemetric insurance is a thing now.

            • DeepChill
              link
              fedilink
              English
              43 months ago

              Yeah, just ask any Tesla driver who also has Tesla insurance. I’d be screwed HARD as I go to work when it’s still dark out and according to Tesla that makes me a huge risk.

      • @LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net
        link
        fedilink
        English
        33 months ago

        I don’t think most older vehicles have any internet connection, regardless of what safety equipment they have. Or am I wrong?

        • @scoobford@lemmy.zip
          link
          fedilink
          English
          43 months ago

          Depends on how old, but OnStar has been around since before 2000.

          Early implementations may have been less creepy, but I’m not sure there’s any way to know.

          • @LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net
            link
            fedilink
            English
            23 months ago

            Depends on the vehicle. Mine is mid-2010s but no internet connection to my knowledge—unless they’ve been paying for it in secret without telling me. Doesn’t seem especially likely.

            • @scoobford@lemmy.zip
              link
              fedilink
              English
              23 months ago

              Mime is from 2016 and does. There’s no outward indication (the smartest thing exposed to the driver is Sirius XM), but the salesman told me it could be located in the event of theft, and it has microphones in it.

  • Optional
    link
    fedilink
    English
    233 months ago

    Me: Oh please mister surveillance capitalism, oh please don’t track my personal data please.

    MrSC: heh heh heh. Sure, kid. You got it. thumbs up

  • Spaz
    link
    fedilink
    English
    83 months ago

    Thanks I opted out via the eff links to my car manufacturer.

  • @scoobford@lemmy.zip
    link
    fedilink
    English
    83 months ago

    If I understand correctly, none of this is legally enforceable anyways.

    Fuck it, just rip the antennae out. The only wireless connection a car needs these days is Bluetooth, and there’s workarounds for that.

  • @SpiceDealer@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    63 months ago

    Best ways to circumvent this:

    1. Buy a pre-2000s car. Sure, cars were going high tech before but this was long before IoT became a thing.

    2. Ditch the car all together and get into to cycling and e-bike culture.

    • Spaz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      73 months ago

      Not possible for people that commute miles/km to work

        • Spaz
          link
          fedilink
          English
          63 months ago

          Some people are required to wear a suit and not smell like a pig, after a bike ride of 25miles to work would do.

  • FlumPHP
    link
    fedilink
    English
    33 months ago

    Misread that as “cat” and thought I was in for a cute satire, not a boring dystopia.

  • skoops
    link
    fedilink
    English
    13 months ago

    Even if your car can’t have your data, your insurance will. And they will use it against you.