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New cars collect and report hundreds of gigabytes of data per day. Most people remain unaware of that and thus privacy debates have largely ignored the question of what data is collected by what we drive, and who has or hasn't access to it. In the case of independent repair shops, it is also important to ask who is denied access. Surveys have shown that nearly 90 percent say that the vehicles owners shoud control who sees the vehicle's data. Yet that is not the case.
Cars produced today are essentially smartphones with wheels. For drivers, this has meant many new features: automatic braking, turn-by-turn directions, infotainment. But for all the things we're getting out of our connected vehicles, carmakers are getting much, much more: They're constantly collecting data from our vehicles.
Today's cars are equipped with telematics, in the form of an always-on wireless transmitter that constantly sends vehicle performance and maintenance data to the manufacturer. Modern cars collect as much as 25 gigabytes of data per hour, the consulting firm McKinsey estimates, and it's about much more than performance and maintenance.
Cars not only know how much we weigh but also track how much weight we gain. They know how fast we drive, where we live, how many children we have — even financial information. Connect a phone to a car, and it knows who we call and who we text.
But who owns and, ultimately, controls that data? And what are carmakers doing with it?
Most SN coverage about cars has been either about self-driving cars or taxi service apps. Right-to-repair discussions are more relevant though, even if cars are not brought into those discussions yet. The right-to-repair discussions have focused on consumer electronics and some farm equipment so far.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 24 2019, @02:30PM (2 children)
Then you'll be a grail defiling polluter of the planet, and the law will eventually compel you to replace it with a telemetrymobile, 'cos saving the planet (just like smart meters) or some other kind of BS environmental reason will prevail as the official 'excuse' for the data collection fuckwittery, or, they'll allow you to keep it, but just eventually 'pollution tax' your older vehicles off the road..
Resistance is futile &etc.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday May 24 2019, @03:00PM (1 child)
Perhaps. In 'Murica we gots tha FREEDOM to drive our grandpappy's pickup truck 'till tha wheels done come off, mostwise 'cos so many folks too damn poor to buy a new 'un.
By the late 60s, most of the better cars (A model GM, for instance) were coming with basic safety like headrests, collapsing steering columns, front disc brakes, etc. and they also finally started installing air conditioners that could actually cool the cabin on a hot day.
Needless to say, they're easier to work on, and with a small block V8 engine there's plenty of reserve power to handle off-tune days, and there's also a huge aftermarket of practical things like 4 barrel carb replacement EFI kits. I don't mind modern, I don't mind digital control, what I do mind is my 2002 S430 where everything is so integrated that the damn thing won't even run unless all of the critical sensors (and there are far too many of them) are operational.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 24 2019, @07:25PM
I am working with a 2007 Jeep Compass - I currently only drive about 3000 to 4000 miles per year and with only 72000 on it, it will hopefully be good for another 10 years (or until some knucklehead crashes into it while fiddling with his center console touch screen computer)