The Spy on Your Driveway

By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy Pixabay

Once again the ever-seeing eye of Big Brother rears its ugly head to remove what little we have of our privacy.  If it isn't bad enough that our phones and computers divulge privileged information to government and big business interests, then we have to worry about everything from our TV's and smart devices to health trackers and doorbell cameras ratting us out.  In this all too wired world, is there any place that the average citizen can go where their every move isn't monitored, recorded, and forwarded to the highest bidder?  Or was George Orwell really just an optimist?  Until the past few years, the average American could count on being safe and secure in the confines of the family sedan, provided they turned their smartphone off while they drove.  But I'm sad to say that this is no longer the case unless you drive a classic car.  Like it or not, every late model vehicle on the road today is equipped with spy gear that would do James Bond Proud.

They're watching you!

A recent article by Reuters quoted several former Tesla employees who revealed that they could not only see who was driving one of the vehicles manufactured by Elon Musk's company, they could also see what kind of homes the cars were parked in front of or what they kept in their garage.  They also claimed that some private recordings captured in Tesla vehicles were shared in chat rooms.  Also shared were road rage incidents, as well as videos showing Tesla owners in compromising situations.

While your current car may not be equipped with a camera, that doesn't mean that it can't get you in trouble.  In more than one instance, the police have not only used GPS data to track a suspects location, several went one step further by using this data to obtain closed-circuit camera feeds that showed the suspects activities.  This evidence has led to several arrests and convictions.

Even if you don't fear the authorities using your ride's data to land you in prison, you should be aware that an inordinate amount of information is collected by your vehicle every time you get behind the wheel:

• Today's web-enabled vehicles provide a wealth of sellable information on driver habits, including favorite routes and destinations, average miles driven, median speed, and much more.
• More than 90% of new cars come equipped with electronic data recorders that are designed to collect reams of data from drivers
• You need to assume the data collected on you can be used in a number of different ways by multiple parties that you can't legally block if you live in the USA.
• Every app you load onto your vehicle and a number of algorithms that were loaded at the factory have been designed to collect and transmit personal data.
• It's legal for your information to be used by or sold to advertisers, insurers, and other third parties willing to pay to see it.
• Your automotive data can be used against you in court.  If you get in an accident, the data recorded by your vehicle could provide law enforcement, or a plaintiff's attorney, with metadata that could prove your culpability in an accident or other infringement of the law. 

Image courtesy Pixabay

Like it or not, your car is actively spying on you.  Every move you make, every app you take, they'll be watching you.  If you boot up Android Auto or Apple's CarPlay, the mega corporation who owns either app will soon have a record of everything you do in your vehicle.  That tidbit comes straight from a May 30, 2023 Reader's Digest article entitled, "Is Your Car Spying on You?"  Writer Jaime Stathis reveals that, "Your Car knows your name, home and work addresses, garage door codes, phone number and email, as well as where you are, where you've been, and where you're going.  Cars with microphones collect voice recordings, and all the data from devices connected to the vehicle is also collected, which includes your text messages, call records, mapped locations, etc."

Yikes! I thought the NSA was bad when it came to spying on Americans.  It turns out that Motor City has them beat by a country mile.  What makes matters worse is that if you want to opt-out of being spied on, it isn't as simple as point and click.  Deleting the data from your smartphone won't stop auto manufacturers from eavesdropping on you, nor will finding your way through the maze of menu items built into your vehicle to remove your consent to be tracked guarantee your privacy.  That doesn't mean you can't do anything about it.  Here are a few ways you can take your power back.

1. Find out what the automakers have on you.  A company called Privacy4Cars offers three ways to fight back by discovering what data is being collected and shared, what you can do to minimize the amount of data being collected, and how you can delete your data before selling your vehicle.  Best of all, these three services are currently free of charge.
2. Privacy4Cars also offers a free app that deletes all personal information from any vehicles you drive or are connected to.  Available for both Android and Apple platforms, the app keeps your call logs, phone book, text messages, navigation history, address, garage door codes, passwords, biometrics, vehicle credentials, and more out of reach of third parties.  The app provides step-by-step instructions on how to remove personal information, as well as how to sanitize any vehicle you rent, lease or own.
3. If your vehicle is more than 10-years-old, you likely have little to worry about.  If it's a more recent make, you can block access by refusing to connect your phone to your car via Bluetooth.  The moment you connect your phone to any late model automobile it automatically downloads tons of information which it then passes along to the vehicle manufacturer.  If you want to protect your data, refuse to connect your phone to any car you own, lease or rent.
4. Another way to keep the bad guys at bay is to read your owner's manual to learn how to disable many of your vehicle's connectivity features.  
5. Before you rent a car, ask to see the company policies that detail their surveillance policies.  That's right, rental agencies not only track the location of their vehicles, some are known to install microphones and video cameras in their vehicles, which is currently 100% legal.  Some software upgrades even allow rental agencies to find out if drivers obey the speed limits or not.  

If it isn't bad enough that new cars cost what a house did a few decades ago, what the auto industry hopes is that most drivers will fail to protect their personal privacy so manufacturers can drive off with data that can be used to turn an additional profit.  

Catherine Powell is the owner of A Plus All Florida, Insurance in Orange Park, Florida.  To find out more about saving money on all your insurance needs, check out her website at http://aplusallfloridainsuranceinc.com