A new study conducted by the Internet software company Mozilla reveals that Tesla is the worst of 25 major car brands when it comes to data protection policies.
According to MyBroadband, Mozilla spent over 600 hours researching the privacy practices of these brands for their *Privacy Not Included report, which provides recommendations to consumers based on how well a product handles personal data.
Shockingly, cars were identified as the worst product category for privacy. All 25 car brands received Mozilla’s *Privacy Not Included warning label.
While spying concerns existed about internet-connected doorbells and watches, car brands quietly transitioned into the data business by turning their vehicles into powerful data collectors. With their advanced features, cars have unmatched capabilities in monitoring, listening, and collecting information about our activities and whereabouts.
Tesla specifically fell short in all five categories that Mozilla used to evaluate carmakers’ personal data privacy and security features. These categories included data collection, data sharing and selling, user control over personal data, meeting minimum security standards, and the use of trustworthy AI.
Interestingly, Tesla stood out by being labeled as having “untrustworthy AI,” primarily due to reported incidents involving their AI-powered Autopilot feature. It’s important to note that the mentioned accidents are alleged, and there have been no conclusive findings regarding Autopilot’s responsibility.
To be fair to Tesla, including driver safety concerns in a privacy and security analysis seems peculiar.
Tesla’s Competitors Aren’t Much Better
Apart from Tesla, 16 other major manufacturers failed in the remaining four categories examined by Mozilla.
Nissan ranked second-lowest in terms of data collection. Mozilla gave Nissan a failing grade for its collection of disturbing information. Nissan’s privacy policy mentioned the collection of personal details including “sexual activity.”
Kia, not wanting to be left behind, also acknowledged the collection of information related to users’ “sex life” in their privacy policy. Additionally, six other companies admitted to the potential collection of users’ “genetic information” or “genetic characteristics.”
Mozilla also lambasted Hyundai for its excessive willingness to share users’ data with government officials. Hyundai’s privacy policy indicates that the company complies with “lawful requests, whether formal or informal.”
Mozilla’s methodology for the *Privacy not Included reports can be found on its website.
