People say things in a car they might never write in an email. Well, they used to.
Who knew? The Subaru privacy policy allows them to record your conversations and your face and sell that data to the highest bidder. Most likely (who reads these things) all the other car companies do too. When an AI analyzes it, presumably it will identify your voice (and you from the cameras). Anything you say in the public broadcasting world of private cars will belong to them, even if you are a passenger, and were never asked.
So if you want to have a private discussion about your political views, your children, your religion, troubles at work, intellectual property, discoveries, information that might affect stock prices, your thoughts on immigration, corruption, or mention any medical issues you have, or affairs anyone you know has had, don’t do it in an electric car. Imagine the blackmail, political, legal and insider potential with this data in the hands of…
“Subaru“, posted on Foundation Mozilla
Here’s something you might not realize. The moment you sit in the passenger seat of a Subaru that uses connected services, you’ve consented to allow them to use — and maybe even sell — your personal information. According to their privacy policy, that means things like your name, location, “Audio recordings of Vehicle Occupants”, and inferences they can draw about things like your “characteristics, predispositions, behavior, or attitudes.” Call us bonkers, but we don’t think that simply sitting in the passenger seat of someone’s Subaru should mean you consent to having any of your personal information use for, well, pretty much anything at all. Let alone potentially sold to data brokers or shared with third party marketers so they can target you with ads about who knows what based on the the inferences they draw about you because you sat in the back seat of a Subaru in the mountains of Colorado. We’re gonna really call out Subaru for this, because they lay it out so clearly in their privacy policy, but please know, Subaru isn’t the only car company doing this sort of icky thing.
Subaru also admit that when the information is transmitted they cannot guarantee that it will not be intercepted, only that they will do their best to look after your info after they receive it.
To opt out:
It seems the best way to keep Subaru from collecting, sharing, or selling your data to people who want to sell you stuff or data brokers or law enforcement, your best bet is to never buy, drive, or ride in a Subaru. Except if you’re walking on the street when a car with exterior cameras or sensors drives by. Then you might get caught up in that data collection too. So, yeah, the point is, you really don’t have many great choices when it comes to protecting your privacy from connected cars these days, other than to never buy them, drive them, sit in them, or exist on the street when they drive by.
h/t to Sharper
One reason of hundrets more not to buy an EV 😀
470
But there’s no reason why this technology couldnt also be in any ICE vehicle.
390
True Rob, but one reason authoritarian governments are pushing EVs is that they are somewhat more amenable to remote control, although it’s still certainly possible with ICE vehicles.
But the main advantage for the authoritarian government is their limited range and limited recharging options. This means they can stop people wandering too far from the EV charging network. They wouldn’t want people escaping into the Outback or other remote areas….
512
I read a climate scientist: “could” 😀
62
There are plenty of upmarket ICE vehicles with this capability.
100
A friend has a Subaru Outback and probably three years old or less with lane change technology and others, ICEV.
10
Not in our diesel BMW, which should last a good 20 more years. I’ll be gone by then
60
But they’ll price you out of diesel, or ban it altogether.
50
RobB said:
But there’s no reason why this technology couldnt also be in any ICE vehicle.
It already is. I bought a new car a while ago only to find that it has a 4G module of some sort (basically like a 4G phone) that transmits data about the car, including your location, stops etc.
Read about it here:
https://www.whichcar.com.au/car-advice/how-vehicle-data-can-help-police
I don’t know what data they collect and who has access to it (but I think we all can guess the answer to that). As far as GPS tracking is concerned, I understand that this is reported in real time via the 4G module. I have been unable to find anything that would oblige them to tell us what is being recorded and who has access to it, or that would allow us to request a copy of the information they are collecting or that would allow us to opt out of tracking.
Of course, we will hear people say, ‘But if you’ve done nothing wrong, you’ve got nothing to worry about.’ I suggest that anyone who thinks that way should read up on the treatment meted out to people, including lawyers, who worked for Trump. In these dangerous times ‘doing something wrong’ can simply mean saying the wrong thing or mixing with the wrong people.
Then there are those who say that it is a good idea, because it will help the police catch car thieves and will provide other assistance to motorists. Yes, and if we all wore ankle bracelets that would make it even easier for the police to fight crime, wouldn’t it!
Since we live in a socialist country — socialist in the new sense of the word, meaning a country in which we have no rights and no one to protect our interests and government acts as our ruler rather than our servant — very few people seem to be speaking out about this. ‘Conservatives’ — AS USUAL — appear to be silent on the matter. So too, it seems, are the usually vocal ‘human rights’ agitators.
‘Conservatives’ need to learn the meaning of ‘principle’. In principle, it is wrong for government to intrude into our private lives in this way. Many people (you know who) want government to abuse us, but they are the people who control the institutions or have the same views as the people who control the institutions, so they have nothing to fear.
90
Have a conversation about getting rid of the president. if nothing happens, you may be safe.
271
depends on which president.
190
Hopefully an entrepreneurial company will see an opportunity to sell cars to those few of we freedom-loving people left and make a car with modern engine and chassis management but no people monitoring and reporting and advertise this as a feature.
Unfortunately, I think companies like Subaru are responding to, or anticipating, demands from the more woke governments such as Australia’s and European ones for more spying on the non-Elites. They might do this to prove their woke credentials so they are more likely to get government contracts etc..
Sadly, I think a lot of younger people and also members of the Left would be unconcerned about more extensive monitoring than already exists and is routinely performed by woke companies like Goolag via your phone or other “smart” devices (who some say already listens to your conversations so they can personalise adverts to you or even make reports to government).
With one of these vehicles I can envision a scenario whereby a “thought crime” is detected from listening to your conversations or monitoring who you visit or where you go and then it locks you in the car to autonomously deliver you to the nearest government thought correction centre.
392
Too true David. Its time for some kind of consumer protection laws to guarantee privacy, but as you say the woke generation are unconcerned. Modern day bread and circuses.
251
You want MORE laws to “tackle” other laws”.
These people do not necessarily want these layers of laws obeyed.
Once more; with feeling:
“Did you really think we want those laws observed?” said Dr. Ferris. “We want them to be broken. You’d better get it straight that it’s not a bunch of boy scouts you’re up against… We’re after power and we mean it… There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What’s there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced or objectively interpreted – and you create a nation of law-breakers – and then you cash in on guilt. Now that’s the system, Mr. Reardon, that’s the game, and once you understand it, you’ll be much easier to deal with.”
Ayn Rand – “Atlas Shrugged”
382
Something to remember: soviet East Germany economically and socially collapsed under the weight of surveillance, enforcement and control.
I had a realisation when I was involved in the anti-mandates/digital passports protests in Australia: there were hundreds of thousands defying lockdowns on the streets, but only 18,000 police in NSW, and only half of them front line. They hid behind their masks and sunglasses. They were afraid.
A senior police officer who had resigned due to the madness, spoke at a Burwood protest, not to the crowd, but to the Blue Nuremberg Violators sent to intimidate us. He spoke of policing by consent, and giving citizens space to protest. He could see the writing on the wall …
Those seeking to impose a digital gulag, using a plandemic, pseudo-scientific claims about CO2 or wars that they themselves started, are not masterminds. They are “B’s who hire C’s” (H/T El Gato Mato).
Just as patents are only as valuable as your financial capacity to litigate, laws are only as useful as the B’s ability to enforce them. And as the current model stands, that requires the consent of those that no longer do.
In their current desperation, the self-styled elites are advancing their B-grade plans too fast, rapidly boiling their frogs in panic. And they gave everyone they sought to subjugate, the fulcrum. the lever and the place to stand. EV and police vehicle? Our current “frog boilers” seem a little exposed. Was the extra chocolate ration worth it?
161
Worth repeating.
“Subaru isn’t the only car company doing this”.
In fact I’d suggest the majority of new cars do this – you want to be ‘connected’ when you’re driving, then what that means is that your car is broacasting all your data to the manufacturers servers, where it can be collected and ‘used’.
But don’t worry. That ‘smart’ phone in your pocket (radiating your naughty bits) is also collecting and passing on all your data. As is all your ‘smart’ devices.
The ‘smart’ bit is that you’re paying and enabling the blob, voluntarily.
290
And so is the smartphone you carry with you also listening in on your conversations…
200
Hey Siri.
30
I don’t. Nokia 2600.
Suggest all read Shoshana’s “Surveillance Capitalism”. If you don’t junk your Smartphone after that, more fool you.
50
Turn the system off.
50
The ideal scenario is for pro-freedom activists reprogram a car to remove all people monitoring and spying functions and replace it with open source software. I suppose such an act would then be made illegal by authoritarian governments (e.g. Australia’s).
If the control modules in a car are “locked” and unable to be reprogrammed, they might be able to be replaced with different ones.
Another opportunity to for the pro-freedom tech community is to make the car do false reports such as reporting back comments like “I love Anthony Albanese” (the being who identifies as Australian PM on his rare visits to Australia) or “I love Joe Biden/Obama” etc.; and get the car to report that you’ve attended various woke events and so on.
Open Source ECUs (engine control units) already exist. E.g. rusEFI, Speeduino, FreeEMS. The same people who make or program these could make and replace or reprogram whichever vehicle module spies on you to remove that functionality.
281
Sorta like those backyarder ECU tuners promising better performance and economy who really don’t have a clue what they’re doing and why they shouldn’t be doing it.
Then your engine mysteriously grenades and the “it can’t be our fault” excuses and referals to the fine print begin.
That aside, ANY automotive system can be hacked and reprogrammed IF one has the skill, equipment and time, but virtually no-one does.
Your car can collect all the data it wants but if it can’t transmit it, then what’s the point. Is that a big enough clue?
Hmmm…didn’t I cover all this a while back?
60
Sounds like they copied Mr Google’s policy!
130
Related to this scenario, there are “privacy phones” which have been modified to remove the spying functions of Goolag, Siri etc.. Also see “Rob Braxman tech” videos on YouTube.
People involved in these freedom phone projects could be involved in freedom car projects.
161
I have one. It is called an iphone.
119
Be sure to be sure 😀
Hackers have found a sneaky new way to spy on your iPhone — here’s how
😀
Apple’s iOS pasteboard leaks location data to spy apps
61
That is hacking- a practice that applies to everything and is not under discussion. This is about corporations abusing their position and profiting from their customers’ data
27
Now you (will) have two (+).
30
Bwaa haa haa..
Can I be the first to tell her? Can I.😆😆😆😆
Welcome back GA. I needed the laugh.
122
And of course the road traffic police will be able to fine you in real time for every second over the speed limit.
120
Not to mention the ability to stall your progress at will’ while driving!
60
Failure to ‘proceed’.
00
Article:
SEE LINK FOR REST
180
When you walk on a street in the UK, you consent to being recorded. I was impressed in 2005 how fast the police were able to trace London bombers. Do you believe that there are fewer cameras on streets than in 2005?
150
It would be interesting to know how many more surveillance cameras are no win place compared to 2005 but there are lots of areas in the country that do not have cameras.
10
Our Christmas road death toll is 19 (finished 6am today). That’s 19 families who won’t have fond memories of this new year.
2023’s total loss of life ‘on the road’ was 340, almost one death per day, and we don’t have that many Evil Vehicles on our roads yet. With all their fancy jingle-bells & auto this-and-that & video screens to watch, the toll on life may just keep rising (if their parking skills are anything to go by!).
Thankfully the ‘new’ government has scrapped the ute tax and EV subsidy so time will tell how popular those fancy golf & shopping carts really are. Keep your eyes on the road (and) your hands upon the wheel…
180
Just turn up the radio and relax.
42
Chewing gum on the microphone ?
Pull the fuse from the audio circuits & GPS systems ?
71
I am not sure how this can be legal?
00
You want the product you give them permission, no permission no Subaru for you.
They aren’t taking, you’re giving.
30
Well I wouldn’t buy any EV or any Chinese car or anything else from China that I don’t need.
But a Subaru is definitely off my list whether EV or ICE from now on.
I understand listening devices could be installed anywhere today and I know ASIO and FED police etc use the latest and the best to try and foil terrorist attacks in Australia and we must accept this as ongoing from now on.
But we should be aware that China will only get better at recording useful data, because that’s what totalitarian regimes BELIEVE they should be doing against “their enemies.”
191
Best buy a tesla then. Oh wait, they pass all their data to the feds via musks servers. Or maybe you prefer something with ‘Intel inside’ designed and manufactured by unit 8200 in Israel full of zero day bugs.
While you’re all obsessing about the yellow peril uncle Sam has created a huge file of your personal data and passed it to Canberra and other five eyes.
15
Steve I stated that I wouldn’t buy any EV, EVER.
And I’ll pick my friends and enemies thanks and I’m sure you’ll be very happy with Pres Xi and the CCP.
61
I suspect this is standard procedure because Subaru is usually a bit
behind the curve with the media centers in their autos.
I likely will never need to buy a new auto, but
I once owned a Subaru Crosstrek and that would be
my choice again.
31
When was this “feature” first installed?
60
Guesstimate anyone?
1970?
2000?
2015?
2020?
Later?
Perhaps I’d better give the 1988 Landcruiser a polish?
Cheers
Dave B
50
Lucky, at #9.1.1 below has provided a link which might indicate December, 2021 as a nomination.
https://joannenova.com.au/2024/01/when-you-sit-in-a-digital-car-you-consent-to-being-recorded-and-personal-data-sold/#comment-2723358
Thanks Luxky.
10
The main purpose of privacy is to keep control of your life.
When you have to judge which of several courses of action will lead to the best outcome, the difficulty of determining the best option is proportional to the range of consequences each option has – especially in the time dimension. When people use technologies to create consequences which would never have naturally happened they are forcing your planning horizon to extend. You have to think about different types of knock-on effects which never happened before. You have to think of effects far further in the future than before. And if the info gets onto the Internet, well now your planning horizon is infinite because the Internet never forgets.
That is why privacy invasion feels icky. Because it adds drag to your life and the possibility that some unknowable consequence is now lurking in your future feels a bit like a predator. Very icky.
Disappointed to know Subaru sold out to the info-brokers. I suppose earning revenue from the car after it is sold is one way to keep the purchase price down – but at worse total cost.
182
Could the person who downvoted my comment please defend their opinion in a reply comment – if you have an argument.
92
On 30 Dec last year I posted the following on this site:
Here is an excerpt from a leaked letter from a whistleblower in the German insurance industry.
SEE LINK FOR REST
150
I guess that most people that have responded above are on the wrong side of 50, if not 60 and to be quite brutal we don’t count anymore. They just have to condition the school age kids and wait. Let’s face it they, that’s WEF at al, have been planning this takeover for best part of 100 years so a few more won’t matter.
140
You are right Penguinite.
Most people under 50 have little respect for individual rights or personal freedoms. Even a lot over 50.
The deliberate dumbing down of the education system over about that period has made sure of that.
However, younger people who do believe in freedom do exist, albeit rare, and can often be found in Libertarian or genuine conservative circles (not the fake conservative Liberal Party). I have seen such people at places like CPAC conferences or Australia’s conservative parties (United Australia Party, Liberal Democrats and One Nation).
100
It’s not just Subaru – in a Nissan you consent to information being gathered about sexual activity believe it or not – Cadillac, GMC, Buick, and Chevrolet’s California Privacy Statement says that they can collect your “Genetic, physiological, behavioral, and biological characteristics.” KIA and Nissan also say they can collect “genetic information.”
https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/articles/after-researching-cars-and-privacy-heres-what-keeps-us-up-at-night/
70
Nissan is officially the top offender and Subaru 4th from the bottom, but maybe Jo didn’t dig deep enough. Hang your head in shame Jo. 😁
I love my Subee!😁
https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/articles/its-official-cars-are-the-worst-product-category-we-have-ever-reviewed-for-privacy/
As I mentioned recently, don’t sync devices to a car as you’re compromising even more data.
Data collection in cars has been around for decades and while it’s ramped up a few notches, there are bigger concerns in other areas, like phones. 😉
More reading:
https://www.subaruforester.org/threads/subaru-privacy.852366/
https://www.grunge.com/1442573/how-your-car-spying-on-you-what-it-means/
This is interesting:
A new online tool shows all the info your car has on you. It’s called the Vehicle Privacy Report and is made by a company called Privacy4Cars. All you have to do is enter your car’s VIN and the tool spits out all the privacy policies about the company that built your vehicle.
Here’s what you may find when you plug in your VIN:
Identifiers that show who you are.
Location data that shows where you are and where you went.
Biometrics, which includes data collected by your car’s microphone and camera.
Voice recordings collected by your voice assistant in the car — do you ask for directions or make calls via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto?
Data synced from your devices connected to the car with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB, such as smartphones and tablets.
https://www.komando.com/security-privacy/cars-tracking-you/886065/
50
JC II is right.
Go to that link, scroll down about 5 screens, there is a table:
Fewest privacy invasions- Citroen, Dacia.
Next a group of six manufacturers including Subaru.
Then a group of 16 who are worse.
Tesla- at the bottom, worst.
What is not clear, does this apply only to US models?
I suspect not as it is easier to make all the same.
When did it start, for Subaru, definitely after 21 Dec 2021, if not before.
This is from
https://www.subaru.com/support/privacy-policies.html#additional-disclosures-for-ca-residents
20
We always thought the dystopian car of the future would be one from Mad Max.
It may well instead be your government-mandated “smart” car that spies on you, in addition to the vast amount of spying already done by your phone and other smart devices and government surveillance systems.
61
The Australian Government has a long way to go before we see an effective “government surveillance system” in Australia, David.
Evidence?
1. Some 150 former illegal immigration detainees let out of detainee centres courtesy of the High Court recently are still unable to be found by the Government, its agencies or the so-called “surveillance” systems to which you refer. The Government has managed to snaffle 5 or 6, but the rest are still roaming free and can’t be found. What’s the betting they all have mobile phones? What the betting that they’re committing more illegal acts as I type? Blind as bats is the best summary of Handsome Boy’s efforts
2. There’s been consistent exfiltration of Muslim extremists from Australia to the middle east for some time, to fight against Israel, the USA and Australian troops supporting the western alliance. The Government hasn’t got a clue. Just last week we saw Ali Bazzi, an Australian Hezbollah terrorist, killed in Lebanon by the IDF along with his brother and sister-in-law. The Government “surveillance” system didn’t have a clue. Eventually they had to speak to the Israelis to find out what was going on. What’s the bet these three were in contact with their relies in Western Sydney via mobile phones, emails or What’s App?
3. You’d expect the authoritarian left-wing socialist labor government to be a major player in implementing the system that you appear to be so concerned about. The socialists love control. However, looking at the failures to date in relation the National Security issues and the tracking of serious threats, we see, yet again, the incompetence of the Handsome Boy Albanese government.
Look, I agree it’s an issue. However, rest assured if government is involved, the likelihood is that it will be consumed by incompetence, underfunding and failure. It’s what governments do best.
60
The problem is not so much those that are below the radar or off the grid it’s the ordinary Joe and Josephine Public; the law abiding, non questioning, trusting ordinary folk are the ones who will be targetted and abused. The state always goes after the low hanging fruit, the easy option. So yes, general government incompetence and corruption will ensure that criminals and terrorists are not impacted by new draconian laws – but we will be.
20
Looks like a huge opportunity in third-party engine management systems. The problem is the warranty, that is how they keep you from replacing the computer.
70
If only it was just engine management. There are modules spread all over modern cars
20
And surely also a huge opportunity for enterprising service folks who know how these cars record and send this info. Maybe they have NDAs but should be easy to get around via a mate or tend to only work for a short time until the info becomes public. I am thinking to disable microphone/phone sensors or feeding them with random rubbish or noise so the car “thinks” it is listening to driver. Clearly anyone who expects their car to respond to voice commands is not really concerned with their privacy (what a wang-ker). And mobile phones can be answered and used without connecting them to the car’s media system – we used to do this all the time before bluetooth. Of course, the use-case is limited to free-thinking folks who see their car as a sanctuary. An untapped market for that sort of anti-surveillance service? Maybe just block the car from calling home? A device you can buy at your favourite electronics store?
10
Such is already illegal. Cummins just got fined over a billion, yes, with a B, for not making their ECUs tamper proof. A diesel shop in Idaho got fined a million bucks for installing retuned ECUs. A private owner had his modified pickup truck impounded after being pulled over for speeding in AZ last summer.
20
Before cars are totally banned, but only if conservatives and fellow rational thinkers let the Left takeover, I think there’ll be a cottage industry of modifying newer cars to remove spy functions, or rebuild old cars to add modern engine and body management systems that have open source software.
70
People spend minutes a day in their cars, 24/7 with their phones, but a car is the big issue?
Nobody is stealing anything, you are all giving them permission to take everything, read the permissives for downloading an App.
We already have laws regarding theft, there are no laws to prevent stupid, yet stupid is calling for more laws while accusing those who take what they are given of theft?
This is how it works…..”We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it”
Our biggest enemy is us.
70
“ Call me bonkers”. Ok , you’re bonkers, but I have the feeling that like all conspiracy theories it will become true in time. I knew a variation of this has already appeared in some drama series. 4 blokes in a company car and they lightheartedly make some racist type jokes. Hauled into HR office and then duly sacked because of the car recordings. Fiction? Sure, but could easily become fact quite quickly.
70
To have all one’s data collected,
With the juicy bits filed and selected,
Is all for your good,
And without a doubt would,
Like a kidnapper’s victim be protected.
110
It’s not just cars. Everybody these days seems to do it. In order to enter the Sydney-Hobart, for example, each crew member has to allow (at least a few years ago when I last raced) the race organisers the right to use any photograph taken of them at any time in their lives, past or future, to be used in any way they see fit. It doesn’t matter if it’s 20 years in the future for a non-race reason or not.
60
So you’re an Ex racist?
90
Here’s another excellent article:
Event Data Recorders or “black boxes” are electronic devices that continuously monitor a vehicle so investigators can retrieve key information after an accident.In 2012, 96% of all cars had a black box, and in 2015 Congress mandated them in all new automobiles.Black boxes record data points from the moments before, during, and after an accident, including the state of the car pre- and post-crash, some of the driver’s actions, the severity of the crash, whether seatbelts were used and whether airbags deployed.Unlike the black boxes in airplanes, automotive black boxes do not record audio.Data is stored locally on the box.
Black boxes exist to collect a snapshot of information that reconstructs accidents, and as such, they have a limited storage capacity. A box stores no more than thirty seconds of data at a time and continuously overwrites its storage until an “event” occurs, such as rapid deceleration.From that point on, the box stops overwriting its memory and stores the final set of data points for recovery.
Though black boxes collect vastly less information than telematics or infotainment systems, they have been around for much longer, and over time, they have received stronger protections than other sources of car data.
Police routinely retrieve black box data. Texas police, for example, downloaded black box data two thirds of the time in fatal or possibly fatal crashes. To access the data on black boxes, police plug a device—typically Bosch’s Crash Data Retrieval tool—into a port usually located under the steering wheel. Bosch’s device works on over 90% of models year from 2016 and later. The other 10% are covered by other event data retrieval tools. After recognizing the retrieval device, a car’s black box generates a report that gives law enforcement information about the vehicle’s speed, braking, and acceleration.
Since 2013, law enforcement agencies have been able to extract cars’ telematics and infotainment data using Berla’s Project iVe device. When physically connected to a car, the device downloads a forensic copy of both the telematics and infotainment systems. Berla’s May 2022 agreement with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) promises car data, including “geo-positioning data (i.e., navigation history, recent destinations, & favorite locations), call logs, contact lists, SMS messages, emails, pictures, videos and social media feeds.” CBP’s vendor also describes Berla devices’ ability to extract data that predicts drivers’ “future plan[s]” and “known associates and [can] establish communication patterns between them.”
Even municipal governments collect residents’ trip data en masse, suggesting that they may also tap car data for dragnet searches. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s (LADOT) maintains one of the largest programs of this sort. Los Angeles tracks thousands of bikes and scooters available for public rental. Every one of these vehicles reports its precise location to local government agencies. Police would normally require a warrant to obtain this information under state law, but LADOT does no such thing, according to federal courts. New York City’s contactless payment program for subways and buses tracks public transit riders in a similar fashion.
What’s more, a single rental car can yield much more information than a single smartphone. One rental car in a Baltimore airport yielded personal data from 70 users who had plugged their phones into the car, including, according to Berla’s founder, “[a]ll of their call logs, their contacts, and their SMS history, as well as their music preferences… some of their Facebook and Twitter things as well.” When rental car companies fail to delete customers’ phone data from rental cars they return (a routine practice that is subject to at least one class-action lawsuit[106]), they make customers’ phone data available to future renters and to law enforcement agencies or prosecutors who may search the car for totally unrelated purposes months or years later.
https://www.stopspying.org/wiretaps-on-wheels
Councils collecting trip data?
No escaping the 15 minute cities with a new car. 😉
61
And don’t forget to turn off your dash camera sound recording.
41
Perhaps it is time to bring my 1980 Triumph TR7 back from “Club” car, & make it “shopping trolley” again. The old Lucas electrical system in it most definitely won’t support any type of spy system.
80
I clicked on the link to the Subaru Privacy Policy. I would have thought a better description would be a “Lack of Privacy Policy”. Special mention to the stipulation they made- if the company goes broke they maintain the right to on-sell a customer’s personal data to any entity buying them out.
Other commenters have mentioned how so many websites ask the user to accept cookies or terms and conditions immediately, the majority will readily accept without scrutinising the details. It’s a snowballing trend. This type of info garnering activity is spreading from apps and websites to cars now. If you can manage to distract someone from their digital device, you maybe able to give them the head’s up
70
“It’s a snowballing trend”. Exactly.
I and my better half recently decided to buy a new Mattress. The store had a wizzy electronic bed that checked your sleep positions, weight etc. and recommended the best type of mattress for you. Said wizzy machine (testbed !) apparently needed your name, age, address and email to work. We said: ‘no thanks, we’ll just have one of those …’. The assistant (data gatherer) was highly miffed. Obviously, they didn’t take cash …
30
Why does the car allow them to drive on the wrong side of the road??
20
How about a website detailing where the microphones are in each type of car so we can cover them with elastoplast?
20
The issue goes beyond privacy. It is also a violation of private property rights. You bought and paid for the product, but they act like it’s still their property-not yours.
Private property is at the very foundation of freedom and the concept of natural rights.
30
Which is why is must be done away with.
B. Information We Collect is about half way down Subaru’s privacy policy https://www.subaru.com/support/privacy-policies.html#additional-disclosures-for-ca-residents.
Personal Information we collect may include Sensitive Personal Information. Sensitive Personal Information we collect includes precise geolocation data in connection with Connected Vehicle Services. If you do not consent to the collection and processing of Sensitive Personal Information within these categories, please do not access or use the Connected Vehicle Services. In addition, you can stop the collection and processing of Sensitive Personal Information within these categories by canceling or requesting the STARLINK account holder to cancel the Connected Vehicle Services in accordance with the STARLINK Terms and Conditions.
You have a choice, it’s not compulsory, your passengers not so much, though you probably need to inform them that this is occurring, maybe say this conversation is being recorded for training purposes.
Children will also have all their data captured, you can contact Subaru and they may delete that child’s data, I guess you will need to do this every time a child enters the vehicle.
The links provided in this article, really do answer most of the questions asked in this thread. If you have not learned anything in the last 4 years about looking into it for yourself, then you can’t be helped.
10
i have a Subaru XV ICE which does just what I want of it. If it were an EV version it would record my babblings to myself as I drive. Good luck to anyone making use of that nonsense.
20
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
They are taking all your data, bank account, contacts, but it is everyone in the vehicle and around the vehicle and it is all the data of everyone.
Data is the new oil.
00
Having just sent my comment about my babblings, I checked my emails and in the Gmail “Promotions” is an advert from Subaru! Make of that what you will.
30