[kwlug-disc] have I ever told you guys that Facebook is evil?

Doug Moen doug at moens.org
Fri Jun 17 05:46:50 EDT 2022


Thanks Chris. We are long time Mazda owners. When our current car starts breaking down, we would like to consider an electric car. But without this kind of always-on telematics. I wonder if it will be available?

I would like there to be Canadian government legislation about this, framed as a consumer rights issue.
 1. The right to be fully informed about telematics before purchase.
 2. The right to disable or opt out of telematics, without crippling the thing being purchased:
     * for privacy (no surveillance)
     * for security (I don't want my car to become part of someones botnet, and I don't want to give hackers the ability to remotely take over my car).

In Europe, the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation of 2018) gives consumers these rights. It applies equally to car telematics and cookie tracking on web sites. So if political activism is required, we can point to the GDPR and say "me too".

The new data privacy bill C-27, announced yesterday, doesn't do the job.
  https://openmedia.org/press/item/new-privacy-legislation-repeats-past-mistakes

But there is still an opportunity to introduce amendments. I am going to contact my MP and see what can be done. I recommend everyone else on this list who is concerned by this issue to get active.

Doug.

On Fri, Jun 17, 2022, at 12:07 AM, Chris Irwin via kwlug-disc wrote:
> On Thu, Jun 16, 2022, at 17:47, Doug Moen wrote:
>> Like for example, we just bought a new washing machine and dryer. The top selling brand transmits everything you do to the manufacturer over the internet. For now, this is opt in, but internet surveillance already cannot be turned off for a growing number of consumer machines and appliances. We bought a less popular brand with no surveillance, because that's something that's still available.
> 
> You may find this interesting/disconcerting:
> 
> https://www.mazda.ca/en/mazda-connected-vehicle/overview/
> 
> Neat, Mazda has an app. It does a bunch of neat things like letting you start, pre heat/cool your car, unlock doors, get reminders for service and recalls. Neat. Oh, it can tell you where you parked your car, too.
> 
> Wait, how does this work? Lets check the privacy policy, because it's not documented anywhere else...
> 
> https://www.mazda.ca/en/privacy-policy/cv-privacy/
> 
>> _*Vehicle Data: *_When you purchase or lease a Connected Vehicle, the telematics system is active by default and transmits vehicle data, including driving behavior data (including the acceleration and speed of your Connected Vehicle, travel direction, and use of steering and braking functions) and vehicle health data (which includes Vehicle Identification Number (VIN); odometer, fuel level, and oil life readings; Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs); and data from the Connected Vehicle’s OBD system, including engine coolant temperature, fuel injection volume, engine Rotation Per Minute (RPM), and the status of doors, hood, trunk, and hazard lights). If your Connected Vehicle has a Connected Services plan, we also collect geo-location coordinates of your Connected Vehicle’s latitude and longitude.
> 
> Oh, and don't forget you've also installed an app on your phone!
> 
>> _*MyMazda Data:*_ If you use the MyMazda app, we collect the location of your device, device type, device operating system, Internet Protocol (IP) address, unique identifier, type of browser, Internet service provider, phone number, and information about your use of MyMazda, including screen time, scrolling, specific actions and taps, reactions to alerts, the progress, completion and/or abandonment of in-application purchases, and crash reports.
>> 
> 
> And I'm not picking on Mazda in particular. I'm only aware of it because I own a Mazda and it came up in a discussion forum. Almost every car in the last few years has this kind of connectivity now. People expect it. You can probably blame Tesla.
> 
> -- 
> *Chris Irwin*
> 
> email:   chris at chrisirwin.ca
>   web: https://chrisirwin.ca
> 
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