Privacy and cars
November 13, 2024 2:20 PM Subscribe
I am considering getting a new car. My current car predates all the sort of smart screen tech and, because of the principle of the thing, I am concerned about privacy issues in the event that I get a more recent vehicle.
I’m in the early stages of consideration and never was much of a car fanatic, so I’m curious if anyone could point me to some online resources to help me consider my options in the event that I have to go that route? I frankly would not want one of the big touch screens in my car even apart from privacy, just because they seem like a huge distraction, but if the only models in my price range have screens, I want to clamp down on them as much as possible.
I may not actually get a car with smart tech; I am mainly just hoping to gain more information to help make my decisions here.
I’m in the early stages of consideration and never was much of a car fanatic, so I’m curious if anyone could point me to some online resources to help me consider my options in the event that I have to go that route? I frankly would not want one of the big touch screens in my car even apart from privacy, just because they seem like a huge distraction, but if the only models in my price range have screens, I want to clamp down on them as much as possible.
I may not actually get a car with smart tech; I am mainly just hoping to gain more information to help make my decisions here.
Backup cameras became mandatory in cars in Canada and the US in 2018. Any new car will have a screen.
The touch screen itself is not the harbinger of data leaks. Rather, it’s connectivity. Cars that call emergency services in the event of an accident know where you are and how to tell people about that. You definitely don’t want these.
A lot of cars delegate the actual navigation, etc to Android Auto/CarPlay, so tracking data for your physical location is isolated to your phone. I trust Apple more than a random automaker to deal with this data.
Start test driving vehicles to see how screens affect the user experience. Bias yourself towards vehicles that still have physical knobs for volume and climate control, and exclude vehicles with built-in connectivity. Cameras are a great safety improvement so hold your nose and find one that works for you.
posted by shock muppet at 3:57 PM on November 13, 2024 [7 favorites]
The touch screen itself is not the harbinger of data leaks. Rather, it’s connectivity. Cars that call emergency services in the event of an accident know where you are and how to tell people about that. You definitely don’t want these.
A lot of cars delegate the actual navigation, etc to Android Auto/CarPlay, so tracking data for your physical location is isolated to your phone. I trust Apple more than a random automaker to deal with this data.
Start test driving vehicles to see how screens affect the user experience. Bias yourself towards vehicles that still have physical knobs for volume and climate control, and exclude vehicles with built-in connectivity. Cameras are a great safety improvement so hold your nose and find one that works for you.
posted by shock muppet at 3:57 PM on November 13, 2024 [7 favorites]
Define "new". New to you, or brand new?
I ask because a few years ago, we bought a 2017 Mini that seems to hit the sweet spot of "some tech" but not "this car is leaking data like a sieve". It has a screen, but does not have a lot of connectivity - that screen is not a touch screen, and the only "connectivity" it offers is Bluetooth to our phones. If we don't connect our phones to the car, it cannot call for help on its own, it does not navigate on its own, etc. It still has knobs/buttons for everything. It has some modern touches, like steering wheel volume/cruise control buttons and two-zone front climate control. It does not have a backup camera, which is the only thing I wish it did have (they also became mandatory in the US in 2018).
What I'm saying is that from what I've seen of cars recently, from friends who have more recent models of all different makes of car, 2017-2018 seems to be the "sweet spot" for cars that have screens that aren't taking over the dashboard, and tech that is in the background not the foreground. If you're not 100% wedded to the idea of a brand new car, go back to 2015-2020 and you will probably find a lot of cars where you won't have to sweat this decision.
posted by pdb at 4:48 PM on November 13, 2024 [3 favorites]
I ask because a few years ago, we bought a 2017 Mini that seems to hit the sweet spot of "some tech" but not "this car is leaking data like a sieve". It has a screen, but does not have a lot of connectivity - that screen is not a touch screen, and the only "connectivity" it offers is Bluetooth to our phones. If we don't connect our phones to the car, it cannot call for help on its own, it does not navigate on its own, etc. It still has knobs/buttons for everything. It has some modern touches, like steering wheel volume/cruise control buttons and two-zone front climate control. It does not have a backup camera, which is the only thing I wish it did have (they also became mandatory in the US in 2018).
What I'm saying is that from what I've seen of cars recently, from friends who have more recent models of all different makes of car, 2017-2018 seems to be the "sweet spot" for cars that have screens that aren't taking over the dashboard, and tech that is in the background not the foreground. If you're not 100% wedded to the idea of a brand new car, go back to 2015-2020 and you will probably find a lot of cars where you won't have to sweat this decision.
posted by pdb at 4:48 PM on November 13, 2024 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: New to me rather than new, in response to pdb. I am also interested, if anyone can point me this way, to places which discuss things such as how to clamp down on certain “features” that may be present in some car or other but which aren’t mandated by law or whatever and can be licitly disabled if one so chooses. Or other information in that vein.
posted by Whale Oil at 4:51 PM on November 13, 2024
posted by Whale Oil at 4:51 PM on November 13, 2024
I disconnected the 3G/4G communication antennas in my 2013 Chevy Volt and 2023 Chevy Bolt. The Volt has now lost its "compass" above the speedometer. The Bolt now has a red light on the onstar button. Disconnecting the mobile data has no effect on your phone, carplay, or android auto, of course. So nothing important was impacted. There's a lot of tracking disguised as the onstar service.
I followed these 2022 instructions for the 2023 Bolt. I found the antennas were still behind the head unit, still best accessed from the glovebox. The most important detail is to make sure you add a capacitor so the antenna doesn't destroy itself. (If you ever want to put it back.)
The 2013 Volt had its computer in a completely different location, above the pedals. But it used exactly the same antenna connector. So I assume this approach works on a variety of vehicles.
Some people pull the fuses, but that will also switch off things like bluetooth or the whole display, so I never tried that.
I also unsubscribed from any and all services and disabled every location option in the head unit's settings. Doing so creates a lot of warnings and complaints, but nothing lost function.
It seemed like was impossible to avoid signing up in the first place, though, since GM requires it and hands out "free trials." The salesman switched off like a marionette until I installed the GM app on my phone in front of him.
And as for pointing you to where I learned all this, I suppose it was reddit and lemmy privacy groups. And there's usually a group for a specific model of car, complaining about everything.
I had originally thought about and researched how to do this in 2016, but never acted. Recently, I was reminded by GM selling braking and travel info to LexisNexis, who sold it to insurance companies and background checks.
posted by Snijglau at 5:41 PM on November 13, 2024 [10 favorites]
I followed these 2022 instructions for the 2023 Bolt. I found the antennas were still behind the head unit, still best accessed from the glovebox. The most important detail is to make sure you add a capacitor so the antenna doesn't destroy itself. (If you ever want to put it back.)
The 2013 Volt had its computer in a completely different location, above the pedals. But it used exactly the same antenna connector. So I assume this approach works on a variety of vehicles.
Some people pull the fuses, but that will also switch off things like bluetooth or the whole display, so I never tried that.
I also unsubscribed from any and all services and disabled every location option in the head unit's settings. Doing so creates a lot of warnings and complaints, but nothing lost function.
It seemed like was impossible to avoid signing up in the first place, though, since GM requires it and hands out "free trials." The salesman switched off like a marionette until I installed the GM app on my phone in front of him.
And as for pointing you to where I learned all this, I suppose it was reddit and lemmy privacy groups. And there's usually a group for a specific model of car, complaining about everything.
I had originally thought about and researched how to do this in 2016, but never acted. Recently, I was reminded by GM selling braking and travel info to LexisNexis, who sold it to insurance companies and background checks.
posted by Snijglau at 5:41 PM on November 13, 2024 [10 favorites]
Since you are concerned about privacy, you may also wish to look into what "safety features" the vehicle "offers". My friend's 2021 Subaru Forester has cameras that track her eye direction and nags her (in an actual voice) if she takes her eyes off the road. Can be turned off but it's one of those buttons you have to press every time you start the car.
posted by bluesky78987 at 6:53 AM on November 14, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by bluesky78987 at 6:53 AM on November 14, 2024 [1 favorite]
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From what I have seen, Kia and Toyota are the least likely to have extensive screens in the car. Sometimes older (like 10 years older) Subarus.
posted by blnkfrnk at 3:41 PM on November 13, 2024 [7 favorites]