https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/automobiles/wheels/car-data-tracking.html
I also saw an article about Roombas collecting data on the
homes they inhabit; you’ll have to go to ApplianceTalk to see
the link.
This is not really news. Data is being collected on everything you do, except for those of us wearing tin foil hats.
Yeah, that’s what they’ve led you to believe… 
Where does the data that your car collects go? Most gets processed as inputs to algorithms, some gets temporarily stored in your car’s computers. Some, if you have GPS or (especially) “OnStar” gets not only stored in your car’s computers but also transmitted and temporarily stored in databases that you’re not even aware of.
It’s the transmitted part you gotta wonder about. But since I don’t have any of the aforementioned systems, I doubt if any if my data leaves the car. There are those who believe the feds are tracking our every move, and require cars to transmit data to the feds, but I’m not among them. I know they aren’t, because my alien friends from the planet Xzorba are monitoring the feds. 
3 Likes
I remember reading a story about a dozen or so years ago in which GM had built some prototype cars that could detect many things about the driver other than driving habits.
The car could sense whether the person had been drinking, smoking, eating sugary or salty foods, and so on.
This was prototype testing and I do not know the intended purpose of data gathering.
This story was also in a dealer trade publication so I assume there was at least a modicum of truth to it.
Yeah who knows anymore? They are using that massive data dump in Utah for something though. I’ve got Onstar and Acura link whatever that is. So just push the button to talk and someone answers. So who knows where or what they are collecting but they tell me my tire pressure every month.
More worrisome though is we had to buy a new tv for the kitchen and the wife wanted a smart one. It is WiFi enabled so I assume it is watching everything I do and listening and sending the information to someone somewhere. Maybe I’ll just cover the whole thing in tin foil if I can’t find the camera. But its comforting knowing that Xzorba aliens are monitoring what’s going on.
mine downloads to my microwave which then triggers a radial chemtrail dispersal sortie
.
I have one and just never connected it to the internet. Problem solved. And you can put a piece of black tape over the camera.
+1
While it is certainly not a recent news item, I can tell you that this news led me to cover my webcam several years ago. In the event that I want to use it for a Skype call, it is easy enough to slide the security cover and allow the webcam to function. I used to use a piece of tape, but last year Synchrony Bank gave all of its depositors a nice-looking little “security cover” to place over the webcam, and I have been using that accessory ever since.
If you can talk and someone answers…then there is a data stream going right back to GM and Acura about everything you do over the cell phone installed in your car. You likely didn’t notice it, but there was a piece of paper you signed stating that the data off your car belongs to GM and Acura and they can do with it what they like.
The good side of that: GM and Acura know LOADS about how their customers use their cars (in fine detail) so they can make better cars at a lower cost. They can download updates while you sleep so you don’t have to take the car back to the dealer for a re-flash of various updates.
The creepy side of that; GM and Acura know LOADS about YOU. And that can be accessed by local, state and federal cops if they wish.
Of course, the police need a warrant to gain access to any of the information. It is heartening to know that the owner’s of much of that information refuse to share it with the police. Look at how Apple reacted to the request from the FBI to get back door access to mobile phones using the encryption algorithm. Recall that Apple refused to share it with the FBI, and seemed willing to do almost anything to stop the intrusion into their customers lives. I believe that Apple wasn’t the only communications or internet provider to do this.
Not to be snarky but what do you do with your TV? I really like movies and commercial free shows on my smart tv.
Yeah but where exactly is the dang camera? I can’t find it to cover it up. It’s in the kitchen with the coffee pot and I’m not always presentable to the world in the morning.
Microsoft Patents TV That Watches Back, Counts Heads, Charges Admission
In a recent study, the FCC studied 12 different health and fitness apps and found they sent data to 76 different third parties. This data included names, email addresses, exercise habits, diets, medical symptom searches, location, gender, and more
Google’s new program to track shoppers sparks a federal privacy complaint
Black box in your car, oops you were not wearing a seat belt, and speeding
Facial Recognition May Boost Airport Security But Raises Privacy Worries
Certainly not the end of the list.
I’m not so sure that’s the reason. I suspect that detailed data about their customers’ driving patterns and habits can give them a better “profile” of their customer base to allow them to design and sell more optional accessories, enhancing their revenue stream.
But I can offer no evidence. Just a hunch. 
The total lack of evidence only proves the extent of the cover up.
I was troubleshooting a magnet crane and I asked if they had an electric schematic diagram of the machine, what they gave me was an equipment manual about the size of Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary. Too much info is nearly as useless as not enough info, like a full scale road map.
Well, yeah, that too! Does seems a tad bit more difficult, IMHO, to divine new options but that wouldn’t stop them…
I talked with an OnStar exec for an afternoon in a previous job and he explained how they were using the data. And how they got access to it in the first place - that little release everyone signs but doesn’t read!. The test department was the 2nd to access the data. The warranty department was first - they could download updates to all cars if some owners found a problem.
As the R&D manager for a forklift company, I was interested for the reason you suggest. Extra semi-automation features to improve productivity. My NDA has expired so I can talk about it. 
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No, you can’t talk about it. Proprietary information remains proprietary until the owner releases it. When the NDA expires, it only means that the owner of the information does not have to share more information with you. You are eternally bound to keep the secrets shared with you secret. You may be joking, but others might take that comment seriously, and cause themselves a lot of trouble.
Actually my NDA says that I can talk about it once it expires. And NDA’s can be written to say anything each party wishes.
OK. That is surprising, though. Maybe things change fast enough in the auto industry that the NDA can be written that way. In my business, things don’t change quickly.
Yep, we have it both ways. For commercial efforts, we will always have an expiration date that releases all parties and will never agree to an “in perpetuity” clause. For military efforts, those are often restricted by ITAR and have dire consequences if you violate them (visit from Homeland Security and FBI that is likely to result in very undesirable situation for you personally)…