Mozilla Foundation, which is also the developer of the popular internet browser Firefox, has done a lot of research on how to process personal data with safe internet use and prepared warning guides in the past, this time made a striking research covering the most popular car brands in the world. The research team, which examined how companies process user data, reached results that you cannot even imagine. Mozilla found that auto companies “sell” user data in almost every area.
25 companies were included in Mozilla’s research, including world-renowned automakers such as Renault, Toyota, Tesla, Nissan, Kia, Volkswagen, Ford, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai. Mozilla researchers have thoroughly investigated how these companies collect and distribute user data. According to the research, 84 percent of companies shared user data with third parties. While 76 percent of companies asked customer permission to sell user data, 56 percent shared data with government and law enforcement.
What data do auto companies share?
According to research by Mozilla, automobile companies can share any kind of data you can think of. We are already used to sharing information such as name, address, email and phone number. But companies go beyond that. So much so that even more private data such as the driver’s race, genetic information and even immigration status can be shared with third parties.
So how does an auto company collect so much data?
According to Mozilla, car owner data is collected directly from cars. Mozilla states that there are computers that can record systems in cars for decades, and that modern cars can even connect to the internet, and that data is collected through sensors, voice assistants and phone connections. What Mozilla actually means is this: Today, your smartphones and cars actually track you and collect your data in the same way.
Tesla is in worse shape than 24 other companies!
Mozilla created 5 categories in its research on the automobile industry. Tesla was the only company that fell short in all of these categories, which are “data use”, “data control”, “driving records”, “safety” and “artificial intelligence”. A large part of the other 24 manufacturers fell short in the other four categories, excluding artificial intelligence. Nevertheless; The second worst company, according to Mozilla, was Nissan. According to Mozilla, Nissan even tracks your “sex life.” A similar situation exists in Kia.
The status of brands, according to Mozilla:
| Brand | Data usage | Data control | Driving records | Security | Artificial intelligence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renault | Insufficient | – | – | Insufficient | – |
| Dacia | Insufficient | – | – | Insufficient | – |
| BMW | Insufficient | Insufficient | – | Insufficient | – |
| Subaru | Insufficient | Insufficient | – | Insufficient | – |
| Fiat | Insufficient | Insufficient | – | Insufficient | – |
| jeep | Insufficient | Insufficient | – | Insufficient | – |
| Chrysler | Insufficient | Insufficient | – | Insufficient | – |
| dodge | Insufficient | Insufficient | – | Insufficient | – |
| Volkswagen | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | – |
| Toyota | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | – |
| Lexus | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | – |
| Ford | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | – |
| Lincoln | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | – |
| Audi | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | – |
| Mercedes-Benz | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | – |
| Honda | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | – |
| Acura | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | – |
| Kia | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | – |
| Chevrolet | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | – |
| Buick | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | – |
| GMC | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | – |
| Cadillac | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | – |
| Hyundai | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | – |
| Nissan | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | – |
| Tesla | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient | Insufficient |
Auto companies are worse off than sex toys companies with mental health practices.
There is a striking detail in the research conducted by Mozilla. According to the organization, 37 percent of mental health apps with a notorious reputation for poor data privacy are more secure than the auto companies surveyed. And auto companies are even worse off sharing security information. According to Mozilla researchers, companies that make dating apps and sex toys are in a much better spot for safety information than auto companies.
All this ok. So how do we protect ourselves?
In the statements made by Mozilla, it was also mentioned what users can do. We’re sorry for the statement, but there’s not much you can do. After all, there is no brand that is very good in this field. However, Mozilla says that companies can read their privacy policies consisting of thousands of words, so they can come up with solutions on how to protect themselves…
Note: Keep in mind that this article reflects Mozilla’s research. Another study by another team tomorrow may yield different results.
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