Your vehicle is spying on you
With literally dozens of internal sensors that generate diagnostic and performance data for virtually every aspect of its operation, your car is essentially a computer (SPY) on wheels. Many of the advances we’ve enjoyed in auto safety over recent decades, from air bags to emergency brake assist, are possible precisely because of our cars’ ability to monitor their internal systems. Vehicle speed, daily mileage, seatbelt usage, and braking behavior are just some of the data your car routinely collects, alongside diagnostic checks of things like emissions and transmission performance.
In the majority of vehicles on the road today, this data remains within the physical confines of the car itself. It is accessible only through on-board event data recorders (EDRs), which manufacturers have been voluntarily installing for many years, or standardized diagnostic ports, which were mandated by the federal government in 1996. The means of accessing this type of information are changing significantly, however, as automakers, app developers, and wireless carriers explore ways to leverage your car’s data in an expanding portfolio of communication services. Larry Webster, Editor-in-Chief of Road & Track magazine, says the auto industry is on the cusp of “an explosion in car connectivity as executives view the car-to-cloud data pipeline as a way to add value.”
In 2014, both Audi and GM will be releasing cars that offer, for the first time, built-in 4G LTE broadband connections. Powered by the same communications technology found in smartphones, these cars will use wireless carriers like AT&T to provide real-time updates of navigation services, as well as access to streaming video content, Internet radio, and social-media apps. In addition, the cars will serve as travelling Wi-Fi hotspots, supporting up to eight mobile devices at a time. Welcome to the era of the connected SPY car. OnStar has been a pioneer in connectivity, offering wireless communication of both voice and car data since 1995. Conceived with safety features at the forefront, like emergency assistance, diagnostic updates, and hands-free navigation, OnStar’s subscription service now features mobile apps that allow you to start your car remotely and track your vehicle’s location. Other major automakers offer similar services of their own. And highlighting the obvious appeal that car data has for the insurance industry, Progressive PGR, like other companies, has an opt-in program that lets drivers provide the insurer with direct access to car-generated records of their driving behavior, in exchange for potential discounts on policy premiums. It’s no surprise that privacy advocates have concerns over this accelerating trend towards collecting, transmitting, and storing car data. Jay Stanley, Senior Policy Analyst at the ACLU, acknowledges that while there could be many beneficial uses for data emanating from your automobile, the issue of data ownership is a crucial one. “Companies have such strong incentives to collect data on their customers,” he says, “but the data in your car should belong to you just like the data on your laptop belongs to you.” The question of vehicle ownership, however, is still largely an open one.
Only 14 states in the U.S. have passed legislation preventing the retrieval of data from EDRs without the car owner’s approval (exceptions for court orders, emergency care and vehicle repair are common). And EDRs are typically understood to be capturing only a fraction of the information that car companies are collecting. Wireless communications systems, like those that offer navigation services and live operator assistance can record vehicle location, time of travel and destination search history, among other data. A GM spokesperson confirmed that the car performance and diagnostic data transmitted via the OnStar network is retained in a manner that is, “specific to the subscriber and their vehicle,” but declined to provide details on how long this user-identifiable data is stored. None of the privacy advocates I’ve spoken with believe that an overly prescriptive legislative approach is desirable for such rapidly evolving technology. But they all point out that car-generated data holds obvious value for third parties. The opt-in approach for customer consent has practical limitations, since no one reads lengthy terms of service or privacy statements before clicking the Accept button. And it’s a fair question as to whether informed consent is even possible, because while the benefits of the services on offer are very clear, the ramifications of relinquishing your data are usually not. “I don’t think the public has a sense of what they’re giving up in terms of privacy,” says Dorothy Glancy, law professor at Santa Clara University and noted authority on privacy and transportation law. She argues that legally enforceable standards over what data is collected and how it’s collected are crucial. In the current climate of continuing NSA revelations, Glancy notes that, “People tend to have doubts as to whether restrictions on data after it has been collected can actually work. Clearly, the less data that is stored, the better.” The anonymous-data argument begins to fall apart when you introduce the infotainment systems, and the attendant apps that 4G-enabled cars, with their faster data speeds, can bring to the table. Customers searching for a good song to hear, gravitate towards apps that personalize the experience. If you’re an Al Green lover, you probably don’t want to hear a Metallica track. And if you want to carry your taste in entertainment from your connected car back to your office computer, the data, on some level, has to be linked back to you. It’s also worth noting that when automakers do anonymize data, they often make very broad claims over how that information can be used. OnStar’s privacy statement for GM car owners asserts, “We may share or sell any anonymized data (including location, speed, and safety belt usage) with third parties for any purpose…”. Hyundai, which offers a wireless communication package dubbed Blue Link, is even more explicit, with a privacy policy stating, “Any data which we collect or which you provide to us which is not identifiable to you, including functionality use, statistics, performance data, quality metrics, shall be owned by us.” It’s important to understand that, absent legislative standards, there are a range of approaches to privacy among carmakers. Audi, for example, does not currently transmit vehicle-generated data or diagnostics over its wireless communications system, according to a company spokesperson, who also says this restriction applies to the 4G-enabled system Audi will launch next year. A draft of the company’s updated privacy policy, appears to confirm this. The document does point out, however, that with an ecosystem including at least eight different third-party content providers, plus a wireless carrier, you and your data are also subject to the privacy practices of those entities as well.http://www.forbes.com/sites/amadoudiallo/2013/12/16/connected-car-data-privacy/
Big Brother run amok: School buses are spying on motorists:
The, Ansonia, Conn.'s Board of Aldermen approved a camera system for its school buses, according to a report in the Valley Independent Sentinel. The camera equipment captures video from which still photos are pulled for presentation to police. The offending motorist will receive a $450 ticket, according to Ansonia police chief Kevin Hale. Revenue from tickets is divided between the state, the city and the camera vendor, Bus Shield.
The approach seems to be gaining momentum, as a number of other school districts around the country have taken similar measures, installing exterior video cameras on school buses to capture images of scofflaws who put children at risk. After a car struck a student getting off a school bus in Austin, Texas, the Lake Travis Independent School District studied the problem. In three months, 91 instances of motorists passing stopped school buses with lights flashing were recorded.
Lancaster, Ohio, experienced a similar problem best illustrated by this video of a student nearly hit by a motorist who ignores flashing lights and an extended stop sign.http://www.govtech.com/public-safety/School-Bus-Video-Systems-Gaining-Acceptance.html
