this post was submitted on 06 Sep 2023
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Privacy

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A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

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[–] [email protected] 28 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I was at a car engineering conference some years ago and everyone dismissed this problem as minor or not their problem, all they cared about was 5g/self driving, lighter/composite weldin materials/techniques and "cockpit amenities" where they harnessed all sorts of user data.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 11 months ago (1 children)

That's good to hear.

That means they're fucked when they inevitably get hit by GDPR claims in the EU.

I was worried they might have had legal prepare for inevitable lawsuits, by ensuring they did the bare minimum. Apparently not. Always fun.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

At least in 2019 they looked at me like I had 3 heads when I mentioned privacy and secure removable ID "pods". I'm not sure the EU is strong enough to take on all the automaker lobby like they did VW.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

And privacy/security surely doesn't sound as flashy as all those new inventions that necessarily will demand a compromise. Once the wall has holes it will be hard to stop

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

You are comparing a singular industry to 40% of the world's industries (in financial produce) and say the singular industry would win with lobbying. How would that make sense.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I don't understand your point. Are you saying every other industry is going to gather together to bring the car industry to account?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Those industries are under the might of the EU. They have no problem at all using that power and they regularly do.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

I hope so 😇

[–] [email protected] 24 points 11 months ago

This reminds me of that story of tesla employees sharing videos of kids being run over, naked customers, or customers fucking in private chat groups:

https://www.reuters.com/technology/tesla-workers-shared-sensitive-images-recorded-by-customer-cars-2023-04-06/

I look forward to the class action and GDPR lawsuits.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


According to a report published by the Mozilla Foundation on Wednesday, cars are “the official worst category of products for privacy” that it’s ever reviewed.

All 25 of the car brands that were researched for the report — including Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen, BMW, and Tesla — failed to meet the nonprofit organization’s minimum privacy standards and were found to collect more personal data from customers than necessary.

Mozilla says it also couldn’t confirm that any of the automakers could meet the organization’s minimum security standards regarding data encryption and protection against theft.

In fact, it claims dating apps and even sex toys typically provide more detailed security information about their products than cars.

“While we worried that our doorbells and watches that connect to the internet might be spying on us, car brands quietly entered the data business by turning their vehicles into powerful data-gobbling machines,” says Mozilla in the report.

The report was so scathing that the organization said the advice it typically provides to help customers protect their personal data feels like “tiny drops in a massive bucket.” Instead, the Mozilla Foundation has started a petition urging car companies to stop the data collection programs they’re unfairly benefitting from, expressing that “our hope is that increasing awareness will encourage others to hold car companies accountable for their terrible privacy practices.”


The original article contains 584 words, the summary contains 222 words. Saved 62%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago

Who’d have thunk that a car that monitors its cabin even when it’s off is not actually considerate about privacy?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago

They tested only 25 makes, and all have failed. I say 'only' to remind everyone that just because your car's make isn't on the list does not mean it's good, it only means it wasn't tested.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I’ll stick to my old 2007 shitbox. Until I can block sending all data from a new vehicle to someone else’s servers I just can’t justify buying a new vehicle.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

I can't control the software on my 2003, but the software can't control me

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)

As a (former now?) car enthusiast, this shit is the quickest way to curb my enthusiasm about cars and make me a radical die-hard f*ck cars person. This is also why so many people hate EVs, they just hate this invasive tech and are misinformed. These companies need to be collectively fined HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS of dollars, AT LEAST.

I really really hope motorcycles haven't been infested by this plague yet.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I really really hope motorcycles haven't been infested by this plague yet

But Harley-Davidson needs to know your sexual preference! Won't someone think of Harley-Davidson?!?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

How about innovating over trying to become the 7917646151st data broker?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Good to know. So things to inquire when buying a car will be:

  • What happens when I decline the usage terms of the on board system?
  • How do I disable or remove the SIM card?

I guess in either case the answer will likely mean I will keep driving my existing car until it dies.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

SIM card removal, antenna destruction, etc. Will only help us until they play the insurance card. Can't afford shooting down the road in two tons of steel without insurance.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

If it's a Tesla, you lose all access to connectivity, OTA updates, "autopilot", driver assist, gps, etc...

Fuck Elon

[–] [email protected] 0 points 11 months ago (1 children)

That's fine, I have a degoogled phone for that

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Is it possible to sideload updates to a Tesla?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Of course it's possible if you have physical access. The question is: how easy? And: are you prepared for them to remotely disble your car while you're working on it

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Can't you just cut the antennas?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

You mean like completely rip open the interior, find the wiring for the antennas and cut them? Yeah, not something I'm gonna do to a machine I just paid tens of thousands of Euros for.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It's designed to be opened without damaging it. Just install a switch

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

In the cars I know, the electronics are one of the first things they attach to the bare bone car body. Sure I can get to it... by dismantling half of the car.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

AuToMoTiVE fReEDoM