Car technology is advancing at a rapid pace. But automakers and manufacturers are in the very early stages of managing the privacy and security of information gathered by that technology, industry officials say.
Every time you turn the key of a newer car with an infotainment system or other technology, it knows your location, driving behavior, physical dimensions and dining, gas and traveling preferences. And, whether the public realizes it or not, there are few regulations that limit who can access that information.
“(Your car’s) presumably tracking you all the time,” said Roger Lanctot, associate director of Strategy Analytics, a consultancy firm and research company. “Somewhere along the way we need to have a better understanding because right now, the reason why it feels like the Wild West is that it’s so open. You’re basically letting the carmaker gather whatever data it wants and share it with whoever, including marketing partners and law enforcement.”
Lanctot spoke Thursday at Telematics Detroit 2014, a conference about connected mobility, at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. Many of the talks during the conference’s second day focused on privacy and security issues.