As technology continues to improve at a faster and faster pace we’re sometimes left in awe of what it can do. At the same time, many of the companies are actively looking to monetize it in any way that they can. One of the ways they do that is by leveraging the data collected and that brings us to our QOTD: how worried are you about your car spying and keeping tabs on you?
For years now, insurance companies have offered potential discounts to those who are willing to drive around with a special data reader plugged into their OBD II. The insurance company records that information and then if the driver is deemed to be safe behind the wheel, they’ll cut the premium by a few bucks. That’s just the tip of the iceberg though because those who don’t participate might think that they’re not being recorded.
In fact, almost every car built today has a sort-of black box data recorder already installed. The NHTSA recently proposed that those recorders should keep more information in the event of a crash. It specifically wants to know more about how drivers are using advanced driver assistance systems before crashes take place.
Read More: NHTSA Opens Special Investigation Into Tesla Crash That Killed Motorcyclist
That’s still not all that there is to be concerned about because don’t forget that new vehicles often have a constant connection to the internet, GPS, and voice recognition. With that in mind, it’s not too far out into conspiracy land to think that not only could some company or organization track you but that they could also keep tabs on what you’re saying inside of your vehicle.
Mercedes’ new Hyperscreen infotainment system (pictured in our lead image) is so well attuned to a driver that it’s almost scary. Mercedes says that it will know if you tend to get a phone call from a specific person on a regular basis and once it’s learned that, it’ll remind you about it before it happens. Keep in mind too that the system keeps track of who’s driving through a fingerprint reader.
All of this is just to say that our cars are more capable than ever before of spying on us. Does that concern you? How worried are you about your car spying and keeping tabs on you? Let us know in the comments below.
