Bad news: your car is a spy. Every major car brand failed a recent privacy and security test from Mozilla. You’re probably driving around in a "privacy nightmare" that may collect information as sensitive as your race, health status, and sexual activity.
Can I please just get a car, instead of a rolling computer / infotainment / privacy nightmare?
Tesla absolutely collects this data on their servers. I don’t think the execs over at German car makers have learned how their computer can be used to store videos just yet, but once they do, I’m sure they’ll follow Tesla’s example of letting employees watch funny or sexy video’s from their cars’ internal external cameras.
Collecting data comes with the very, very high burden of protecting that data. The car industry, known for it’s “the lawsuits over dead family members are cheaper than a recall” attitude, isn’t exactly prepared to carry that burden. In some cars you can’t even wipe the collected data before selling it to another person.
The only way to protect data is to not collect it at all. Databases of what cars were purchased where by who are an excellent source of information for thieves. Blackmail through hacked accounts and stolen cars is trivial. This weird data hunger that started with advertiser companies and has infected modern industries is a recipe for disaster everywhere it spreads.
Either way, neither my bike nor the train has been gathering information about my sexual activities.
It looks like you’re right, the leaked videos only showed interiors recorded by Tesla’s cameras, not the video from the interior of the car itself. I must’ve misread a new article about this.
Sharing these videos is still a clear breach of trust and the Dutch DPA has already forced Tesla to limit the Sentry Mode capabilities for privacy reasons, but it looks like they haven’t completed their investigation into the Tesla Files case yet. I don’t know if the interior camera was abused in the same way, if it was I’m sure the investigation (or ongoing lawsuit) will tell.
Tesla absolutely collects this data on their servers. I don’t think the execs over at German car makers have learned how their computer can be used to store videos just yet, but once they do, I’m sure they’ll follow Tesla’s example of letting employees watch funny or sexy video’s from their cars’
internalexternal cameras.Collecting data comes with the very, very high burden of protecting that data. The car industry, known for it’s “the lawsuits over dead family members are cheaper than a recall” attitude, isn’t exactly prepared to carry that burden. In some cars you can’t even wipe the collected data before selling it to another person.
The only way to protect data is to not collect it at all. Databases of what cars were purchased where by who are an excellent source of information for thieves. Blackmail through hacked accounts and stolen cars is trivial. This weird data hunger that started with advertiser companies and has infected modern industries is a recipe for disaster everywhere it spreads.
Either way, neither my bike nor the train has been gathering information about my sexual activities.
I had no idea that tesla employees had seen interior camera shots. Do you have an article?
It looks like you’re right, the leaked videos only showed interiors recorded by Tesla’s cameras, not the video from the interior of the car itself. I must’ve misread a new article about this.
Sharing these videos is still a clear breach of trust and the Dutch DPA has already forced Tesla to limit the Sentry Mode capabilities for privacy reasons, but it looks like they haven’t completed their investigation into the Tesla Files case yet. I don’t know if the interior camera was abused in the same way, if it was I’m sure the investigation (or ongoing lawsuit) will tell.
It’s also opt-in by the car owner. Even Firefox will suck up your private data if you opt-in yet this community seems fine with that.