Connected cars' data security has become a political battleground in recent years as new cars have become ever-more high-tech. Consumers have good reasons to want their data kept private, and on the surface, the auto industry is an ally on that front. But behind the curtain, the industry is reportedly playing fast and loose with customers' data, selling it or reportedly even handing it over to police despite promising not to.
Connected cars have been promised to bring about a variety of quality-of-life improvements, both to car ownership and our experiences on the road. They're touted as preventing theft, streamlining service, improving road safety, and smoothing out traffic. But the drawbacks are manifesting just as quickly, in forms such as privacy issues, stealth recalls, and even enabling stalking. Consumers have other reasons to worry, too: Insurers are pressing harder for vehicle data, and privacy is only becoming more valuable in an increasingly authoritarian surveillance state. The federal government has expressed concern too, with the Biden administration asserting that allowing Chinese EVs to be sold in the U.S. poses national security risks.
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