Data collection is everywhere on devices. Whether on phones, laptops, or smart watches, app makers are able to glean much personal information from users, who can only suspect how much data companies know about them.
In an opinion published in the Hill, the founder of Citizen Power Initiative is sounding the alarm bell on data captured by car manufacturers. All modern cars have been collecting data on their usage, but the trend has accelerated.
Cars electronically keep track of repairs, which insurance companies and mechanics use to assess the history of a car, much like computer activity leaves a trace. With cars such as Teslas becoming “smarter”, data collection such as location and media usage patterns are also being logged. The single greatest problem, however, is that more and more of the auto industry relies on Chinese technology to function.
TikTok is often the poster child for the threat that the Chinese Communist Party represents to average users. Data collection is astronomical, and the parent company ByteDance is legally required to share anything the Chinese State requests. Temu, Shein, and other Chinese apps are also engaging in these practices.
Car software remains woefully behind that of phones and computers, making it more susceptible to cyberattacks, such as API attacks. Cyber attacks against car software have almost quadrupled in the last year, with China the leading attacker. More than ever, data ownership questions are put before Congress to decide if Americans have the right to their own data, or if hostile foreign actors will continue to collect and hold onto private sensitive information.
