We Drive, They Spy

Sonja Haggert  |  Jun 25, 2024

YOUR CAR IS TALKING to your insurance company. You aren’t part of the conversation. Suddenly, though, your insurance premium shoots up 50%. Welcome to the brave new world where your car is spying on you.

In one instance, a Florida resident drove his Cadillac around a racetrack during a special event. His insurance subsequently skyrocketed—by $5,000 a year.

Has artificial intelligence taken over? No, but automobile companies have, and without our knowing it. Carmakers are spying on drivers and passengers, and peddling the findings to car insurance companies and other buyers. About half will share information with law enforcement agencies that request it.

The Mozilla Foundation, a nonprofit that works against mass surveillance, tested 25 car brands. All 25 failed the foundation’s minimum privacy standards. Modern cars were found to be snooping on us using onboard cameras, sensors and microphones. Some even monitored phone calls. Where the occupants were going and how fast they were driving were routinely disclosed.

Of all the carmakers, Nissan was deemed the worst privacy offender by Mozilla. 

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