Modern cars are a “nightmare” for privacy, according to a study released Wednesday by the Mozilla Foundation. They are a mine of information for manufacturers, who use and resell them at will.
The foundation, based in San Francisco, California, reviewed models from the 25 most popular brands on the market and concluded that all, without exception, “collect more personal data than necessary.”
“Cars are the worst product we have ever tested for the protection of personal data,” says the Mozilla Foundation, which has already studied connected watches, connected speakers and meditation applications.
Concretely, manufacturers are able to enter information related to the use of the vehicle (driving), but also relating to the car's connected services, as well as third-party applications, such as navigation software or streaming radio. The on-board software also makes it possible to capture data from a smartphone if it is connected or if the user has downloaded the manufacturer's application.
Of all the brands, only Renault and Dacia, which are part of the same group, indicate that motorists have the right to request the deletion of personal data collected during the use of their vehicle. They still have to ask for it.
Some 84% of manufacturers mention the possibility of sharing the information collected and 76%, that of selling it. In the ranking of brands according to several criteria relating to the protection of personal data, Tesla comes last. It owes this place in particular to its “unreliable” artificial intelligence software, according to the Mozilla Foundation, known for its Firefox browser, which aims to be more protective of personal data than its major competitors. Including, let us emphasize (Editor's note), Mozilla.
In another area of application, Tesla has been blamed several times for malfunctions in its driver assistance software. In June 2022, a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) identified 273 accidents involving Teslas in which the program was active during the 30 seconds before the event and effectively acting as a “black box”.
The US Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the matter, according to a stock market filing released in late January. Behind Tesla comes Nissan, which Mozilla has highlighted is likely to mine data relating to "sexual activity".
As for the security of this data, 17 of the 25 brands have been the subject of leaks and hacks over the past three years, according to the study. A very worrying observation at a time when data siphoning can also occur at charging stations, the electric car being, as Le Point Auto has already reported, the most vulnerable to malicious intrusions this time. “Hackers” have identified this flaw and can easily penetrate certain terminal networks in order to collect sensitive customer data.
