Is the latest auto technology a threat to your privacy?
A strange question at first glance, perhaps, but it's no coincidence so many new-car commercials show a solitary driver escaping civilization along some lonesome desert, mountain or prairie road.
Americans love cars and one of the things they treasure most is the privacy they provide.
But they also love convenience. And that clash promises to bring strife to Americans' love affair with the automobile: Convenience versus privacy.
"What is a car? The freedom on an open road to do as you please," says Beth Givens, founder and director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Larry Ponemon, founder and chairman of the Ponemon Institute, which advises businesses and the government on privacy and ethical information management, agrees. "It's a sacred place where we can sing, we can make private phone calls. For the most part people don't worry about their privacy when they're in the car -- they're home."
But as technological gizmos such as global positioning systems (GPS) can make cars physically safer and more convenient, they can make driving less safe from a privacy perspective.
"The freedom to travel is one of the most fundamental freedoms in a democratic society, and that's something you should be able to do without your every move being tracked," says Jay Stanley, communications director of the technology and liberty program of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Privacy advocates acknowledge the benefits of auto technology while cautioning about their potential for allowing (an expected) freedom sting. Here's how some of today's electronic auto gadgets could be used to invade your privacy:
The black box
Nearly everyone knows about flight data recorders on airplanes, but news to many consumers is that most newer cars have a similar device. These black boxes (AKA event data recorders or crash data recorders) can capture vehicle speed, brake action, shift position, engine speed, change of speed over time, airbag deployment, seatbelt use and other data just before or after a crash.
On the pro side, black boxes accelerate safety by providing information experts use to improve cars and roads. Also, simple knowledge about the device may be enough to get some people to think thrice about risky driving moves.
What frustrates privacy advocates most is this: "All of a sudden you're involved in a situation with your car and you didn't know it was really spying on you," Givens says, noting that attorneys and insurance companies are well aware of the data and already are using it in legislation.
"Some car safety people are pushing for all cars to be equipped with [black boxes]," notes Richard M. Smith, a privacy and security consultant. Smith explains that adding the devices is "not a big deal" from either a technical or financial standpoint. "It's really a crapshoot; it's very unclear who this helps," he says, pointing out that ownership of the data and how it's interpreted (or misinterpreted) are potential issues.
Money savings may convince consumers to give up a little privacy. Through a Minnesota pilot program, some insurance policyholders of the Progressive Casualty Insurance Co., allow their driving habits to be tracked.
The tracking device, which spokesman William Perry says doesn't actually involve a black box, acts like one by recording mileage, speed and time of day. Customers willing to share that information can save 5 to 25 percent off the cost of their next policy. It's all in the name of accurate pricing, Perry explains.
Radio frequency ID chips
RFID chips allow everyday objects to "talk" to each other.
"I'm very concerned about expansion of radio frequency ID in cars," Givens says. "We could literally be tracked everywhere we drive." Highway systems are equipped with RFID signal readers, and tire manufacturers have started implanting chips in tires to help spot failures and track tires for recall purposes.
Toll booth speed pass systems also incorporate the technology and can record a person's whereabouts. "Of course, 99 percent of the time it doesn't really matter," says ACLU's Stanley. "It becomes another data point on that individual. But on rare occasions it could matter to you."
And sufficient privacy protections haven't yet been put in place, he adds.
Secondary use of RFID data concerns Smith, too. One example of "feature creeper" is in the Orlando, Fla., area, where, beginning in May 2005, roadside RFID readers will trace the travel time of individual cars, creating an average trip time that can be communicated to other drivers.
"Most people just think about the benefits of having [speed pass]," Givens says. But driver data could be connected to other records -- and the data have already been used in divorce and child custody disputes. Not to mention, the data also could be used to nab individuals for speeding.
Global positioning systems
Divorce attorneys and private detectives wouldn't mind getting their hands on navigational system records, either. What better way to prove or disprove a spouse's location? Subscribers to GPS technology services have access to maps and driving directions as needed, and companies like OnStar also offer stolen vehicle and roadside assistance. OnStar call centers can even listen in on a car, should it be stolen or the driver needs help.
"Most people think that this is an excellent technology and it's worth money to pay for it," says Ponemon. "But you're basically providing information on where you are at any point in time. In safe hands that information is probably okay for each of us, (but) it can be used against people who may not want to reveal where they are."
"They kind of control your car," Smith says, noting that companies like OnStar have no particular reason to spy on their customers, but in some cases they have been required -- under subpoena -- to provide that information." OnStar's privacy policy is upfront about stating that information will be used to respond to regulatory and legal requirements. In some cases, drivers don't even know they're being tracked through GPS. Law enforcement officials have gotten warrants to attach GPS devices to the cars of suspects, Givens says. While many might find that a desirable feature, a stalker could use GPS to keep tabs on a victim.
Some rental car companies have also used the technology, charging customers additional fees for speeding or exceeding certain boundaries. California legislation prohibits companies from using GPS without the customer's consent, and in Connecticut a court ruled that one rental car company's speeding fines were illegal. But experts say the issue isn't closed.
Risks and rewards
"There's no absolute right to privacy," Ponemon cautions. "None of this information, when it's collected, is absolutely protected."
And Givens adds, "The problem is that there will always be other uses found for [the data]."
And if the day comes where drivers rely too much on auto gizmos, a technology failure could cause havoc. As could an outright technology shutdown; the Bush administration has recently announced that the nation's GPS infrastructure could be turned off in the event of an attack, since terrorists could tap into the systems.
"I'd be afraid of technology that shuts my car off," Ponemon says, imagining that he's on a highway when someone pushes a button that could cause his car, which may be relying too much on technology-based systems, to crash.
Still, privacy advocates recognize the plus side of technologies that improve safety and enhance the driver's experience. "I think that the benefits outweigh the costs and the risk, but there need to be privacy and security safeguards," Ponemon says.
Stanley adds, "Most technologies have good uses and we want to be able to [use them] without worrying about them being used against us."
