Modern cars have lots and lots of computers. Rolling down a window, for example, used to involve grabbing a handle on the car door then cranking it around over and over. Today you push a button.
Turns out, all these new computers not only collect data about how you use a car but they also can collect location data, where you go and when, the speed you drive, and other details. Worse, this data is sent to data brokers who can match it to your data from other sources to create a full profile of your personality, preferences, friends, and so on. Currently, what data is collected and how it is used is not well known or regulated. The Mozilla Foundation, creators of the Firefox browser, did a study recently about cars, computers, and data.
And, at the moment, there’s no way to opt out or turn off any data collection that happens. Buying an older car with no computers is the only way to avoid the problem.
