Modern cars are becoming increasingly advanced, boasting features like remote start and seamless connectivity. But what if we told you they can also spill the beans about your romantic escapades to the likes of Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida? Recently, Mozilla conducted a thorough privacy audit of 25 car manufacturers, and the results were far from reassuring. While Tesla's data practices left much to be desired, it turns out that the automotive industry, in general, isn't too concerned about safeguarding the wealth of information they're collecting from you. However, two brands, Kia and Nissan, have emerged from this privacy breach with a rather unconventional data set in their possession.
Peeking into Privacy Policies
Buried deep within their privacy policies, both Nissan and Kia boldly admit to the collection of data related to your "sexual activity" and "sex life." If that's not eyebrow-raising enough, they seem eager to cash in on this rather intimate information. Mozilla's review of Kia exposed their intention to not only accumulate vast amounts of data but also to potentially sell it to boost their bottom line. This shady practice isn't exclusive to Kia; it's an unsettling trend across the automotive industry. Kia, it's time to rethink your approach. Sharing personal information with governmental entities should be a last resort, not a profit strategy.
Nissan's Unwanted Insights
Nissan takes the art of data collection to a whole new level. Imagine a car company making assumptions about you that could paint a less-than-flattering portrait: perhaps you're not the sharpest tool in the shed, you enjoy an active social life, you're occasionally down in the dumps, and you have a need for speed on Fridays and Sundays. These far-reaching conclusions are then peddled to unknown parties for the sake of targeted marketing. The mind boggles at what those tailor-made ads might look like. Nissan, we didn't sign up for this!
When Reality Resembles a Sci-Fi Thriller
In a world where dystopian scenarios feel eerily plausible, your car might just be the last place you'd expect to find your intimate secrets laid bare. Yet, it appears that car manufacturers are more than willing to trade your privacy for profit in this shocking privacy breach. As we navigate this brave new world where cars know more about our personal lives than we'd like, can we at least request that they come with sleek spy movie-style aliases? Welcome to the real-world thriller, where the cars are watching and privacy is at risk.