The Mozilla Foundation, the company known for the Firefox browser, this week released a report on how carmakers manage personal data. The result shows that automakers fail to protect customer information. In all, Mozilla evaluated the privacy policies of 25 manufacturers.
In the study published on its official website, the Mozilla Foundation highlights four points of failure of automakers to protect their customers’ data. This data is acquired, for example, through sensors and the use of apps in the control center. The brands with the “best ratings” (it’s more to “less worse”) were Renault and Dacia — both of which are part of the same group.
Mozilla points out that this better data management of Groupe Renault should be motivated by the tested vehicles being sold only in Europe. Therefore, cars must follow the strict General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the European Union’s legislation on consumer privacy.
But it’s not all fleurs at Renault — let alone the other automakers.
The first point raised by Mozilla is that all automakers overdo data capture. And the use of “overdo it” is not bait to hold your attention: Nissan and Kia collect information about your sex life.
Calm down, your Kicks don’t see what they do in the back seat. By downloading the manufacturer’s application or pairing your smartphone with the control center, there is the possibility of the manufacturer’s program spying on the data of other apps or buying from third parties. Nothing different from an Amazon of life throwing baby gift advertisements because you researched something about it.
But why does Nissan want to know about its condom purchase? For the same reason that other manufacturers (and other companies) want data: to profile it and profit from it. In the case of Groupe Renault, the user has the option to delete their information – that’s why their brands were “better evaluated” by the Mozilla Foundation. However, they are two of 25 brands studied.
84% of automakers can sell or share customer data with service providers, databases or other businesses. 76% say they can sell customer information. 56% can still share the data with the government or law enforcement agencies without the need for a court decision.
Mozilla’s research reveals that it is not possible to confirm that automakers meet the minimum safety standards of their assessment. The tech company has not been able to identify whether this data has any kind of encryption.
The Mozilla Foundation reached out to the companies, but only Ford, Honda and Mercedes-Benz responded, but without explaining how they protect customers’ sensitive information.
