In this article we will talk about privacy in the automotive world in relation to modern cars that are always connected to the internet.

Once upon a time, cars were the perfect means to take us from place A to place B. It was not important for car manufacturers to know a whole series of data, such as mileage or consumption, but also the performance of the engine.

Currently, however, car manufacturers are strongly interested in knowing, in detail, the remote performance of their cars. Put simply, modern cars are constantly connected to the parent company, via modern technologies.

This is basically the evolution of the technology we have on mobile phones, and which allows large technology companies such as Apple, Samsung, Huawei (and others) to know the technical data and performance trends of their devices.

Many people may not be interested in this aspect and may not worry about privacy, but many other people are strongly concerned about sharing their daily lives.

It is no coincidence that there is a growing defense of privacy on cell phones, starting from the authorization of sharing the microphone, camera, location and so on. As far as the Automotive world is concerned, there is still a lot to do.

A report created by the Mozilla Foundation launches a clear monitor on the privacy policy of car manufacturers and on data management.

According to the newly released report, all 25 automakers analyzed were marked with the "Privacy Not Included" warning. This is a very important wake-up call, which highlights how there is a total lack of transparency and respect for privacy.

In concrete terms, all the motorist's personal data and automotive performance are collected in an "excessive" way.

The boundary between the amount of data necessary and sufficient to analyze and improve individual cars and an excessive analysis of mass privacy is very blurred indeed. All this is connected to the concept of the internet, and the connection that machines have as soon as they are started.

These services are the classic "Trojan Horse", which allow the parent company to collect all the data sent in a good-natured and unconscious manner by the motorist, on board his car.

A very simple example could be the musical habits of the individual subject or even the control of movements thanks to navigation. Not everyone likes to let the parent company of their car know the number of times they drive on a particular road.

One of the main problems related to privacy is the sharing of data with other subjects. In fact, 84% of car manufacturers have admitted to sharing customer data with third parties, while 76% say they have sold this data.

It is immediately clear that this is not a simple "sharing of innocent data", but the continuous and total monitoring activity by companies, including non-automotive ones. Motorists' privacy is therefore put at risk precisely due to the sharing and sale of sensitive data.

An important aspect to underline is also the decision by individuals to request the deletion of their sensitive data by car manufacturers. Only two companies out of 25 analyzed allow motorists to request the deletion of their data.

This aspect is truly worrying, as all cars hold and will continue to obtain the sensitive data and habits of individual subjects, regardless of the will of the motorist.

An important clarification that we want to make is that this is data both linked to the category and linked to the individual person.

Recently, an awareness and protest campaign launched by the International Automobile Federation also focused on the topic, which underlined how vehicle data does not only include operational data, but also linked to the driver's behavior.

For this reason, the Federation has requested urgent international legislation for connected vehicles, in order to allow compliance with fundamental principles, such as the freedom to choose whether or not to share one's data.

Last February, the European Commission also published a proposal for a new regulation that allows it to be integrated and complementary to the GDPR.

In concrete terms, it would allow greater control over personal and non-personal data generated by products and services. The user should have easy access to this data, and transfer it if he wants for free to a different company.

The user should always be informed about the possibility that data is collected in real time, but also the nature and type of data used and transferred to third parties.

Within the Automotive world there is a lot of confusion especially among end users.

In fact, according to research carried out by the International Automobile Federation, motorists think in 90% of cases that they are the ones who hold the data generated by the vehicle. 91% of subjects also say they can keep the vehicle connection active or not and 76% think they can decide when and for how long to share information.

However, in reality all this is very different, and for this reason the concern of technicians in the automotive world is constantly growing.

In conclusion, car manufacturers appear to collect and share personal data without having adequate reason and adequate control.

Collecting data to improve performance, reduce consumption and pollution levels are certainly noble and justified objectives. A diametrically opposite aspect, however, is the possible sale and transfer to third parties of all that data that characterizes and describes the individual subject, and the plurality of motorists.

In a current era where privacy is becoming increasingly popular, to guarantee total protection of the individual citizen, car manufacturers cannot avoid implementing optimal policies for the transparent management of data.

Interested in the automotive world, workshops and the privacy of motorists?

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