CAR BUYERS AND USERS FOR SALE

IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG for the Internet to learn monetization. We are the product, not simply the users. And the automakers are now following suit.

In *Privacy Not Included, September 6, 2023, Jen Caltrider, Misha Rykov, and Zoë MacDonald ask, “What Data Does My Car Collect About Me and Where Does It Go?” Succinctly, their answer is, “Modern cars are a privacy nightmare and it seems that the Fords, Audis, and Toyotas of the world have shifted their focus from selling cars to selling data.” Here are tidbits gleaned from this Moz:lla article, together with my usual Internet sleuthing and individual two cents. Their article is three-part: “How does my car collect data about me? What data does my car collect? Where does all the data go?”

Being the fusty old editor I am, I will overlook the article’s “data” as a singular noun. It appears we’re losing this one Big Time, and English is a living language. Adios, datum.

How Are Data Collected? Misha Rykov writes, “Cars’ new bells and whistles mean the potential for more data-collecting sensors, cameras, and microphones. But unlike with apps or smart home devices, most drivers aren’t even aware this data is [ouch] being collected—let along have the power to turn it off.” 

Sensors, after all, are there to sense. And, as the article notes, “That’s probably why vehicle data hubs, the data brokers of the car industry, can brag about having so many data points like driver fatigue–which monitors head and eye position–and heart rate.”  

Indeed, it’s disturbing that “vehicle data hubs” even exist. 

What Data Are Collected? *Privacy Not Included observes, “There’s probably no other product that can collect as much information about what you do, where you go, what you say, and even how you move your body (‘gestures’) than your car. And that’s an opportunity that ever-industrious car-makers aren’t letting go to waste. Buckle up. From your philosophical beliefs to recordings of your voice, your car can collect a whole lotta information about you.”

Newer Cars “Better Collectors.” In contrast to newer cars with Levels 1 or 2 Autonomy, my 2012 Honda Crossover is hardly the paradigm of data collector. True, its airbag monitoring records car speed and other criteria, albeit in a continuously short-term overlapping manner. 

Cheap Gas Swapped for Data. But even Level 0 cars (maybe you shift their gears yourself) get caught up in this data scoop. These days, various deals offer cash back on gas and food. For instance, though I’ve never signed up for such a spiff, my Chevon station accepts my Von’s grocery store card for a 20¢/gallon discount. Given that we Californians pay extra for our Phase 3 Reformulated fuel (regular is around $5.50/gal.), I tend to flash my Von’s card along with the credit card whenever I fill up.      

As a more elaborate example, Apple Upside is a specific app offering a similar deal on gas and food. The monetization of such apps lurks in the fine print: “The developer, Upside Services Inc, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy. Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More.”

The accompanying graphic has the (ironic) title App Privacy.

Where Data End Up?  *Privacy Not Included says, “Car brands might combine information collected about you from your car with personal information they get from third parties. Then, they often share (and sometimes sell) that information (plus the ‘inferences’ they created based on it) to all kinds of businesses.”

The website admits, “After over 600 hours of research, we’re still confused about who car companies are sharing your data with and selling it to. But we do have a pretty good guess about why they’re doing it. Your data is a valuable business asset to these companies. And cars, like we mentioned earlier, can collect more and more detailed personal data than almost any other device or company can. So of course car companies are keen to cash in on that. Nineteen (76%) of the car companies we looked at say they can sell your personal data.”

I confess that *Privacy Not Included occasionally shares its views with clenched teeth. But, having studied its analyses, I admit that I am a better informed consumer (and product). ds

© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2023