Is your car spying on you? Who owns the data collected in your vehicle鈥檚 GPS? If your phone connects to your dashboard, who else can access that information?
These will be among the questions tackled in a report due next week from the B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA), which they call a 鈥渕ajor study on how our cars watch us.鈥�
As in-car computer technology advances and becomes increasingly connected to larger networks, this represents a growing concern for drivers, car companies and privacy advocates, said Vincent Gogolek, FIPA鈥檚 executive director.
A car鈥檚 on-board computing systems could record data tracking where you are going, how long you鈥檙e there, and who you鈥檙e with, said Gogolek, adding: 鈥淧art of what we look at is data-sharing 鈥� who鈥檚 got access to that info? And for what purposes?鈥�
The report鈥檚 findings will not be made public until next Wednesday, when the association will present it to media and stakeholders in a launch event timed to coincide with the 91原创 International Auto Show.
Vincent Gogolek, executive director of the B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association spoke to The Province on Monday about the data being gathered by car companies through the vehicles GPS.
A car鈥檚 data 鈥� which Gogolek described as 鈥渁n absolute treasure trove of information on individuals鈥� 鈥� can be accessed by 鈥渁 surprisingly large number of organizations,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to lay down broad principles and make recommendations that hopefully we can take forward,鈥� said Gogolek, adding that from the start, FIPA had 鈥渁 lot of co-operation鈥� from the B.C. New Car Dealers Association.
鈥淣obody wants to have this thing turn into a situation where people are paranoid about their cars,鈥� Gogolek said. The yearlong study was funded through the Federal Office of the Privacy Commissioner in Ottawa.
Tobi Cohen, a spokeswoman for the commissioner鈥檚 office, said the office is 鈥渁ctively following鈥� the issue, 鈥渟pecifically the data collection made possible by the growing deployment of automotive sensors designed to gather data about driving habits, location, speed and other elements.
Potential privacy concerns include the transparency of this collection and the use of telematics data to establish insurance premiums and/or profiling activities.鈥�
This month in Spain, at the world鈥檚 largest mobile industry exhibition, a Volvo executive told reporters that data privacy has become a top priority, alongside road safety.
In an emailed statement, Sascha Heiniger, director of strategic brand communication for Volvo said: 鈥淰olvo does not only want to protect its customers in the car (and others around the car) 鈥� but also puts a high emphasis on protecting the data of its car users. That is why all personal data related to the connected Volvo car belongs to the customer.鈥�
鈥淣obody wants to have this thing turn into a situation where people are paranoid about their cars,鈥� Vincent Gogolek says
Last year, a Ford executive issued a retraction and clarification, after causing controversy when he reportedly told a trade show audience in the U.S.: 鈥淲e know everyone who breaks the law. We know exactly when you do it because we have a GPS sensor in your car.鈥�
The new FIPA report focuses on the privacy concerns raised by connected cars, but also touches on the related topic of security and potential breaches, an issue examined in a recent report in the U.S.
Last month, U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey, of Massachusetts, released a study examining 鈥渁 vehicle fleet that has fully adopted wireless technologies like Bluetooth and even wireless Internet access, but has not addressed the real possibilities of hacker infiltration into vehicle systems,鈥� according to a statement from the senator鈥檚 office.
鈥淒rivers have come to rely on these new technologies, but unfortunately the automakers haven鈥檛 done their part to protect us from cyber-attacks or privacy invasions.
鈥淓ven as we are more connected than ever in our cars and trucks, our technology systems and data security remain largely unprotected,鈥� Markey said in the statement. 鈥淲e need to work with the industry and cyber-security experts to establish clear rules of the road to ensure the safety and privacy of 21st-century American drivers.鈥�
One 91原创-based fraud investigator said the new technology raises many alarms from a security standpoint, now that dashboard systems can connect with drivers鈥� phones, accessing contact lists and email inboxes, as cars increasingly become 鈥渃omputers on wheels.鈥�
Part of Volvo's latest autonomous car initiative includes relaying data from 100 select XC90 SUVs to cloud storage, but company spokeswoman Sascha Heiniger says "all personal data related to the connected Volvo car belongs to the customer.鈥�
鈥淗ow safe is that data? How much are they actually storing? Who鈥檚 got access to it?鈥� asked the investigator, who asked not be named for professional reasons. Another topic the FIPA report touches on is usage-based car insurance.
In Ontario, some car insurance companies already offer insurance coverage based on 鈥減ersonalized technology鈥� that tracks when, how often, and how far a car is driven, but ICBC spokesman Adam Grossman said that鈥檚 not on the horizon for B.C.
鈥淲e have monitored this topic for a few years now and will continue to do so, but we don鈥檛 currently have any plans to offer this to our customers,鈥� Grossman said in an email. 鈥淥f course, another big issue to consider is that all usage-based programs require some form of on-board technology to monitor driving habits, which some would consider a violation of their privacy.鈥�
Key concerns
Four key 鈥渟ignificant privacy concerns鈥� the B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association seeks to address in a new report on connected cars:
聽聽聽 鈥� To what extent will car owners and drivers have a choice over how and when their vehicles are being tracked?
聽聽聽 鈥⒙� What happens when use of wireless tracking technology becomes an industry norm? Will those who opt out pay a premium to maintain their privacy? Or will that option simply disappear?
聽聽聽 鈥⒙� Will consumers be able to make truly informed decisions if the choice is between concrete benefits and real but elusive risks?
聽聽聽 鈥⒙� Are there viable alternatives to what the automobile and insurance industries are developing that can provide the benefits consumers seek, while not sacrificing their rights?
鈥� Source: B.C. FIPA
