Cars are becoming intelligent and smarter than ever, with GPS, Internet connections, data recording, smart high definition cameras and varieties of sensors. Drivers can barely make a move or head to any direction at any speed without their actions somehow, somewhere being tracked or recorded.
Also, most new car consumers possibly will not comprehend it, but they’ve perhaps signed an agreement permitting the manufacturer of their connected car to track data and information or the location of the car, distance travelled, driving pattern, and times of day they’re behind the wheel. If a user uses an advanced road diagnostic service like OnStar, he may have an idea that the car can track his location info and can send it immediately to an ambulance or an emergency service in case of a collision or accident. This is really as simple and convenient as the user expects while buying a connected car, but what he might not know is that his car manufacturer stores this location information, along with the date and time of the incident, also whether the airbags deployed. So, the vehicle which you are driving is one in a million, but in its electronics is an exclusive profile of you and your decisions as a driver.
Therefore, data privacy policy plays a crucial rule in every drivers driving journey. The three principles of privacy and data confidentiality are sufficiently simple: provide transparency of what data is collected and how it’s used, give consumers the capacity to pick with whom to share data and why, and make sure the data is protected. The Future of connected car privacy has led to the evolution of many connected cars data privacy projects to promote best practices in privacy and data security that recognizes the benefits of new connected car technologies. The policy makers and industry on privacy policies for connected car technology should make sure, to support a proactive approach and believe industry must assume the responsibility for addressing any risks by establishing responsible practices now.
Ford, GM, Mercedes, Toyota and several other automakers have agreed to adopt new auto-industry privacy guidelines, the companies said. But The American Automobile Association AAA say the voluntary principles they plan to follow, from the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and Association of Global Automakers, aren’t good enough.
Lately, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler stated, “A car is one’s second living room today — that’s private. The only person who needs access to the data onboard is the customer.” Stadler added that Audi takes data privacy “seriously,” and that it didn’t want its customers to feel “exploited.”
Recently, the European Automobile Manufacture Association ACEA’s Board adopted a statement setting out five principles of data protection to which the industry will adhere. These principles include transparency, customer choice, ‘privacy by design’, data security and proportionate use of data.
So, thinking over each and every aspect of data privacy, location data harvesting and use remains a point of argument in discussions around auto data and confidentiality. “The bottom line is that most connected-car data will need to be considered personal data” unless identifying details are exposed out, which could make it less appreciated.
