#car privacy

[omalleyprivacy]

The Next Data Privacy Battle May Be Waged Inside Your Car

Our cars are becoming detailed recording devices, with location sensitivity, audio recording, and detailed event logs.  Right now, we don't know when and what is being recorded, and the data can be used against us in the court of law.  Congress is not pleased and neither are the automakers.  Oh, and while all that was unfolding, Google slipped in behind the door.

Cars are becoming smarter than ever, with global positioning systems, Internet connections, data recorders and high-definition cameras. Drivers can barely make a left turn, put on their seatbelts or push 80 miles an hour without their actions somehow, somewhere being tracked or recorded.

Google announced it had a partnership with G.M., Audi, Honda and Hyundai to bring its Android platform to vehicle infotainment systems by the end of this year. At the same time, G.M. said it would start an app shop, where drivers can use apps like Priceline.com to book a hotel room and CitySeeker, which provides information about attractions and restaurants near the vehicle.

[omalleyprivacy]

#Ford acknowledges that all that onboard tech is creating a huge #privacy problem. One they want regulators to help them out of.  This wasn't how it unfolded in adtech or search.  But I guess Ford doesn't think of itself as a data company.

Drivers’ privacy needs to be protected by law, said Alan Mulally, chief executive officer of Ford Motor Co. (F), as more vehicles add Internet connectivity and location-based services.

The company is “supportive and participating” in talks with regulators who are considering such legislation, Mulally said yesterday at the Detroit auto show. He countered comments made last week by his global marketing chief, who said Ford knows when drivers of its vehicles violate traffic laws.

Farley said on a panel at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week that Ford, the No. 2 automaker in the U.S., can use global-positioning system technology to know when drivers breach laws.

“We know everyone who breaks the law; we know when you’re doing it. We have GPS in your car, so we know what you’re doing,” he said, according to Business Insider. “By the way, we don’t supply that data to anyone.”