Big car data: Security or privacy violations?

Increasingly sophisticated cars, in fact, are increasingly prying into your personal privacy. Where did you go today, you are used to the brakes or the brakes, you love not to drive fast, you have to wear seat belts, you often listen to which radio station ... Everything you do in the car is recorded silently. But do you know who has the car data? What's the use of it? Is it a security guard or a privacy thief for consumers?

(translated from the article "The Big question:who really owns vehicle data" by the American auto News writer David Sedgwick), there are changes and deletions. ) Wen/journalist Chenxin Xin compiled report

What's the use of car data?

Big data means great wealth-drivers ' routes, driving habits, demand for services, etc., and carmakers are able to get them from the cars they sell.

According to a survey by Frost Shaliven Consulting, a global business growth consultancy (Frost & Sullivan), the data provided by each vehicle will "generate revenue" 700~800 dollars for carmakers, car users, service providers and local governments. This part of the value includes lower driver premium rates, lower warranty costs, dealer service returns, less traffic congestion costs, fewer recall charges, and more.

This is undoubtedly a considerable cost, but it comes from "unsolicited" data collection. In order to gain these benefits, when the driver drives the car, the carmaker will analyze the data generated by each user.

For example, the vast majority of car manufacturers have developed a car-linked system, it can not only know where you are, but also can tell you when to add oil, when the maintenance, tire pressure stability. For drivers, it does have a security role.

In addition, the EU is prepared to authorize a service called E-call, which will automatically notify the Emergency service station when you encounter an accident, and inform you of your location; The SIM card installed in the device will ensure that the operator can ask the driver if everything is OK.

There are, however, some "data acquisition" that makes you feel less comfortable: for example, insurers force customers to install on-board information systems to identify malicious driving and impose penalties by increasing the amount insured. So far, more than 5 million cars have been tracked by insurance companies. The number of cars tracked worldwide will reach 100 million by 2020, according to the Ptolemus Consulting Group, a leading remote information research industry. However, according to an Innovation group survey, three-fourths of British drivers will be happy to be monitored if driving is monitored to mean lower insurance costs.

If you think this kind of "data acquisition" will disturb you, that's true--so carmakers usually give car owners some favors to "make up": such as reducing premiums, Starbucks coupons, Half-price refueling cards.

How to protect users ' privacy?

There is no doubt that the big data age is unstoppable. According to Sullivan analyst Niranjan Manohar, more than 60% of carmakers will be mining more data within the next two or three years. But the question is: Who owns the car data?

Jim Farley, executive vice president of global marketing at the Las Vegas, said at the end of the US consumer Electronics Show, "We all know that this is a provocation to the law," he says, "as soon as you start the car, we start collecting data." We have GPS on every bus, so we know what you do. Incidentally, we do not provide data to anyone. ”

However, following the comments, Ford soon issued a clarification stating that they would delete the vehicle data and would not track the location of the vehicle.

In addition, the Minnesota Senate Al Franken has pledged to propose a bill requiring carmakers to solicit consumer consent to collect vehicle location data.

At the same time, Martin Winterkoon, chairman of the Volkswagen Group, on the data collection, on March 10, CeBIT (Hanover, Germany, the international Information and Communication Technology Exposition), published his view: "The car must not become a data monster," he said, "I support large data, higher security and convenience, But data abuse is not supported. He called on the auto industry to take self-discipline measures to protect user data security, the public is ready to participate in such plans.

Winterkorn's concerns about data protection have also been recognised by government departments and industry insiders. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, called on the international community to join forces to protect the information security of car users, "it is not enough for individual countries to fight alone".

Earlier this year, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Fox said the government was studying whether the car's collection of vehicle owners ' data would result in a private disclosure. And Fiat-Chrysler's chief executive, Marchionne, has said his company is "very, very cautious" about the trade-off between collecting data to improve the driving experience and the driver's privacy.