SAN ANTONIO – Many think of cars simply as transportation devices, but many don’t know that cars may also be collecting some important data.
Consumer Reports looked at 2018 models and found that 32 of the 44 brands used in the study offer some kind of wireless data connection.
More cars are equipped with cameras facing outside the vehicle, but the one in the Tesla Model 3 faces inside.
“The manual says the camera is not turned on right now, but it could be used in potential future features. Tesla promises that it will let customers know before they turn the camera on,” said Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports’ auto expert.
General Motors’ 2018 Cadillac CT6 with super cruise also has an internal camera mounted on the steering column. It monitors the driver for signs of distraction, but GM said it doesn’t capture or store video.
Between cameras and sensors, cars are collecting all kinds of data about driving habits. The question is: Why?
“A lot of data is being collected to help automakers prepare for self-driving cars. It’s a machine learning process. They're using your data to map the roads and better understand how vehicles and people are going to react on those roads,” Fisher said.
The legalities around car data collection are murky.
A 2015 law say the crash data belongs to the owner of the vehicle, not the auto company. But that’s just a fraction of the data your car may be generating.
The auto industry has issued voluntary guidelines around privacy practices, but the Consumers Union would like to see more regulation and transparency when it comes to what the automakers are collecting.
“Consumers shouldn't be put in a position where they have to search for what information is being gathered about them and what it's being used for,” Fisher said.
The Consumers Union wants car owners to have the option to put the brakes on unwanted data collection.