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Last night, my Ford Bronco automatically installed a software update, something millions of modern vehicles do without driver intervention. The next morning, I noticed a change I hadn’t authorized: the update had enabled additional data-sharing features related to my driving habits.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, I discovered the change before leaving home and disabled the setting. But the experience raised broader questions.<\/p>\n
Why does Ford want additional information about how I drive? Who ultimately benefits from collecting that data? And why can a software update modify privacy settings without first asking for the owner’s permission?<\/p>\n
For years, I’ve covered connected vehicles, Right to Repair, insurance companies purchasing driving data, automated license plate readers, biometric technology and federal vehicle regulations. Like most journalists, I treated each as a separate story because that’s how they were presented.<\/p>\n
Increasingly, however, those issues appear to be connected.<\/p>\n Modern vehicles rely on connectivity for navigation, diagnostics, emergency services, over-the-air software updates and smartphone integration. At the center of that system is the Telematics Control Unit (TCU), a communications hub that connects the vehicle to automakers, mobile apps, dealerships and cloud-based services.<\/p>\n The TCU also collects significant amounts of information about vehicle operation and, depending on the manufacturer and the owner’s privacy settings, may gather data about driving behavior.<\/p>\n Automakers say the technology improves safety, convenience, predictive maintenance and customer service. Those benefits are real. But connected vehicles have also generated growing concerns about privacy and consumer consent.<\/p>\n Those concerns intensified after General Motors faced lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny over the sharing of driving data collected through OnStar with third-party data brokers, which ultimately supplied information to insurance companies.<\/p>\n That controversy prompted questions about transparency, consent and who owns the data generated by modern vehicles.<\/p>\n The debate extends beyond privacy.<\/p>\n Supporters of the REPAIR Act argued the legislation should guarantee consumers and independent repair shops access to vehicle telematics needed to diagnose and repair increasingly software-dependent vehicles.<\/p>\n However, lawmakers removed provisions addressing telematics before advancing the bill in the House.<\/p>\n As a result, manufacturers generally retain significant control over remotely transmitted vehicle data while consumers and independent repair facilities continue to face limited access.<\/p>\n That raises an important question: If connected vehicles continuously generate information about a car’s operation, who should control that information\u2014the automaker or the vehicle owner?<\/p>\n Ford has also filed patents describing technologies that could monitor occupants using biometric systems.<\/p>\n The patents discuss features including facial recognition, iris scanning, lip-reading technology, heart-rate monitoring and interior cameras capable of identifying occupants.<\/p>\n A patent does not mean a feature will reach production. Automakers routinely patent ideas that never appear in consumer vehicles.<\/p>\n However, patents often provide insight into where manufacturers are investing research and development resources. Ford is not alone. Multiple automakers have explored biometric technologies as connected vehicles become increasingly software-driven.<\/p>\n State and federal policymakers are also considering new technology requirements.<\/p>\n Illinois recently approved legislation establishing an Intelligent Speed Assistance program for certain repeat speeding offenders. Under the law, qualifying drivers may be required to install speed-limiting technology at their own expense as a condition of restoring driving privileges.<\/p>\n At the federal level, the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to develop standards for advanced impaired-driving prevention technology in future passenger vehicles. Those standards have not yet been finalized, and regulators have acknowledged that the technology remains under development.<\/p>\n The rulemaking process continues.<\/p>\n Outside the vehicle, automated license plate reader networks continue expanding across the United States.<\/p>\n Companies including Flock Safety and Axon market these systems as tools to help law enforcement investigate crimes, recover stolen vehicles and improve public safety.<\/p>\n Each program serves a different purpose.<\/p>\n Connected vehicle systems improve diagnostics.<\/p>\n Insurance telematics programs can offer usage-based pricing.<\/p>\n License plate readers assist criminal investigations.<\/p>\n Impaired-driving technology is intended to reduce crashes.<\/p>\n Viewed individually, each initiative has its own justification.<\/p>\n Viewed collectively, they all rely on increased connectivity, more sensors, additional cameras and greater data collection.<\/p>\n The software update on my Bronco wasn’t significant because it changed one setting.<\/p>\n It mattered because it illustrated how connected vehicles continue to evolve after they’re purchased.<\/p>\n Right to Repair, telematics, biometric research, insurance data, software updates and expanding surveillance technologies all intersect around one central issue: modern vehicles increasingly collect, process and transmit information about drivers.<\/p>\n Once that infrastructure exists, the debate shifts from whether data can be collected to questions about ownership, consent, transparency, retention and access.<\/p>\n Who controls the information?<\/p>\n Who profits from it?<\/p>\n How long is it stored?<\/p>\n Who decides how it will be used in the future?<\/p>\n Those questions deserve greater public attention as connected vehicles become the industry standard.<\/p>\n Every technology discussed here was introduced with a stated public benefit, whether improving safety, reducing crime, simplifying repairs or enhancing convenience.<\/p>\n Reasonable people can disagree about where the balance between innovation and privacy should be drawn.<\/p>\n But consumers should understand how much information their vehicles collect, how that information is shared and whether they have meaningful control over those decisions.<\/p>\n My Bronco’s overnight software update didn’t create that conversation.<\/p>\n It simply reminded me that what once appeared to be separate automotive stories has become one larger discussion about connected vehicles, consumer privacy and the future of driving.<\/p>\n You can support me by buying me a cup of coffee and your support! www.buymeacoffee.com\/laurenfix<\/a><\/p>\n Looking for more automotive news? www.CarCoachReports.com<\/a><\/p>\n Listen to The Drive Car Show – www.youtube.com\/@thedrivecarshow<\/a><\/p>\n Lauren Fix is an automotive expert and journalist covering industry trends, policy changes, and their impact on drivers nationwide. Follow her on X @LaurenFix for the latest car news and insights. <\/p>\n The post The Auto Industry’s Quiet Power Grab – Nobody’s Connecting These Dots<\/a> appeared first on Car Coach Reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last night, my Ford Bronco automatically installed a software update, something millions of modern vehicles do without driver intervention. The next morning, I noticed a change I hadn’t authorized: the update had enabled additional data-sharing features related to my driving habits. Fortunately, I discovered the change before leaving home and disabled the setting. But the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":358253,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[112302],"tags":[1213,33241,49243,4124,28968,66609,1783,8992],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-358252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-automotive-news","tag-auto","tag-connecting","tag-dots","tag-grab","tag-industrys","tag-nobodys","tag-power","tag-quiet"],"yoast_head":"\nConnected Cars Depend on Data Collection<\/h2>\n
Right to Repair and Vehicle Data<\/h2>\n
Automakers Are Expanding Biometric Research<\/h2>\n
New Laws Continue Expanding Vehicle Technology<\/h2>\n
Surveillance Beyond the Vehicle<\/h2>\n
A Larger Conversation About Privacy<\/h2>\n
The Bottom Line<\/h2>\n