Main topic: The California Privacy Protection Agency plans to review the data privacy practices of automakers that produce connected vehicles.
Key points:
1. The California Privacy Protection Agency wants to understand how automakers are using and complying with data privacy laws when collecting and using consumer data from connected cars.
2. This review is the first of its kind in the United States and aligns with California's lead in data privacy laws.
3. Privacy advocates have raised concerns about the collection of personal information by connected cars, as they gather data on locations, preferences, and daily activities.
4. Connected cars produce large amounts of data that can be shared or sold to data brokers and accessed by law enforcement agencies.
5. Automakers like Google and GM have stated that they prioritize data privacy and have policies in place to protect personal information.
Note: The article also mentions the California Consumer Privacy Act and the implications of connected car data for ride-hailing customers and pedestrians.
Major car brands, including Volkswagen, BMW, Ford, Toyota, Tesla, and Subaru, fail to meet basic privacy and security standards in their internet-connected models, collecting personal data such as race, weight, and sexual activity, according to a study by Mozilla's *Privacy Not Included project.
The non-profit Mozilla Foundation has declared cars as the "worst product category" for data privacy, with top brands like Tesla, Nissan, and Hyundai failing privacy tests due to issues such as untrustworthy use of AI and sharing personal information with government and law enforcement.
Car manufacturers are collecting and selling sensitive personal information about auto owners without providing meaningful opt-out options, posing a significant privacy concern, according to a report by Mozilla.
Car makers Nissan and Kia have been found to collect personal data on their drivers' "sexual activity" and "sex lives" and may sell this information to third-party advertisers, according to a study by the Mozilla Foundation.
Connected cars are the "official worst category of products for privacy" according to Mozilla, as they collect more personal data than necessary and use it for reasons other than operating the vehicle, with 84% of cars sold or shared the data they collected.
Big Tech companies are using personal data to train their AI systems, raising concerns about privacy and control over our own information, as users have little say in how their data is being used and companies often define their own rules for data usage.
