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Vehicle Privacy
autonomous vehicles Autonomous-Car Technology Law enforcements Privacy self driving vehicles Vehicle Privacy

Autonomous-Car Technology May Possess a Threat to Privacy


Self-driving, which was only possible in science fiction has now become something very common, a reality for people in San Francisco. Other places too, in the US, have been testing the technology.

However, with new innovation comes its consequences. Here, it is the hefty collection of data required for autonomous vehicles to run. The enormous amount of visual and other data gathered by a fleet of vehicles driving down public streets raises the concern that people's movements may be monitored, captured, and stored by businesses, law enforcement, or nefarious individuals—including vendor employees. For commuters, pedestrians, and everyone else who uses city sidewalks and public highways, the sheer volume of this data poses a serious threat to their civil liberties and privacy.

It is a concern that through this autonomous vehicle technology, authorities or a hacker may as well hack an individual’s aggregate movement, including their commutes, outings to see friends and family, and trips to the doctor or an attorney. Pedestrians might not be aware that these vehicles can be used by law enforcement.

Apparently, autonomous vehicles depend on more than a dozen cameras and sensors placed around the vehicle to detect other vehicles, traffic signs, obstructions, and pedestrians. Since the most prominent autonomous vehicles are driven by private corporations, there are certain details that remain unclear like how detailed image recognition software is used to analyze the film of people walking along the street, if used at all. What audio-collection capabilities do these vehicles have? How long will this video be kept on file? Who is able to access it? What safeguards are in place to ensure the safety and privacy of the footage? How do these businesses abide by regional and national privacy regulations like the California Consumer Privacy Act? 

Another question that arises is the relationship between autonomous vehicle companies and law enforcement agencies. 

According to Bloomberg, at least nine search warrants were issued against a self-driving car business in Maricopa County, Arizona as well as San Francisco. The San Francisco Police Department stated in a training manual that Vice obtained in 2022 that "Autonomous vehicles are recording their surroundings continuously and have potential to help with investigative leads...investigations has already done this several times."

With the growing number of self-driving cars in the city streets that are also collecting huge chunks of data, focusing on implementing strong privacy laws has become a critical endeavour. Vehicle owners may also need to know how much video footage police are asking for and when, if ever, autonomous vehicle operators will object to unduly broad requests. With this, it has also become crucial to figure out whether police have access to archived video or real-time live feeds from the cameras on the vehicles.

One may speculate that in the coming years, cities and regulators will have to face challenging decisions pertaining to the safe operation of autonomous vehicles. It has thus become crucial that authorities take into account the potential effects on civil liberties of the massive amounts of data and video that these self-driving cars will acquire, in addition to the safety of drivers and pedestrians.

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Vehicle Privacy
Car Data Car manufacturers Modern Vehicles Navigation Privacy Privacy4Cars Vehicle Privacy

All You Need to Know About the ‘Vehicle Privacy Report’


You might already know that your car knows a lot about you, be it the recent location you have checked in to, your phone contacts, and with today’s modern designs, even your emails and texts. Cars could record your travel updates, or the number of presses on the accelerator or your seatbelt settings along with your biometric information.

While this might seem to be an innovative approach for a much easier ride, there exist some murky paths the data could be sold to, such as the Dark Web or other illicit marketplaces.

Vehicle Privacy Report

Privacy4Cars, a US-based automotive firm recently introduced a tool, Vehicle Privacy Report, that tells a car’s owner how much data is piled up in their cars. This is similar to the features in Apple and Google’s ‘privacy labels for apps’ that indicate how Facebook may use a user’s camera or location.

According to Privacy4Cars founder, Andrea Amico, people have a meager understanding in regards to the data their cars are capable of collecting and that the “level of detail and transparency varies” depending on the manufacturer. On the basis of this, the aforementioned tool has ranked most of modern automobiles as “smartphones on wheels,” since they could hoard large amounts of data and wirelessly permeate the information to manufacturers.

The Vehicle Privacy Report assigns privacy labels that fall into two categories: what a manufacturer collects (such as identifiers, biometrics, location, data from synced phones, and user profiles) and to whom a manufacturer sells or shares data (affiliates, service providers, insurance companies, governments, and data brokers). Most forms of data are probably gathered for the vast majority of automobiles and trucks that have been issued in the last few years.

The tool operates using a vehicle’s Identification Number (VIN) to assess each car’s manufacturer’s public policy document.

The documents may include corresponding car policies, privacy statements, and terms of service. Due to the fact that they are subject to the same regulations as other vehicles in the brand's portfolio, recent models from a manufacturer often acquire the same data. In general, when a legal request is made, all manufacturers will give information to the government or law enforcement.

These lengthy documents are frequently technical legal paperwork, which might be complex and contain nuances. They also describe the purposes for data collection, such as product development and market research, or personalization of advertising. For instance, in order for mapping and satellite navigation services to function, one must enter their location information. Additionally, not all information that is claimed to be collected may be gathered automatically; for example, the driver may need to turn on specific settings. In some circumstances, it may also be able to choose not to have information collected.

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