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PSA: Modern Convenience Poses Privacy Risk for Car Owners

Tuesday, August 15, 2023Tuesday, August 15, 2023By William Mapp
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PSA: Modern Convenience Poses Privacy Risk for Car Owners

CNBC featured an interesting article about a wrecked Tesla winding up in the Ukraine. The car used to belong to CNBC Executive Editor, Jay Yarow.

Yarow wrecked his Tesla in a total loss last year. The thing about Teslas is they are shod in technology. The car was revived back into life this year and began sending him alerts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s not the end of it. When the Tesla reawakened Yarow’s Spotify playlist let him know about his renewed interest in Drake.

Your Car Is a Potential Security Risk

Today’s vehicles come up equipped with BlueTooth, CarPlay, Apple’s in-car entertainment system and Android Auto. These in-car systems are a boon tech heads and a convenience for ordinary drivers.

These systems extend your smartphone’s capabilities to the car bringing GPS, text-to-voice, and Spotify on long drives and short commutes.

These systems bring a lot of convenience, but expose your personal privacy if you’re not careful.

Jay Yarow’s car was totaled and later sent to the Ukraine. He owned his car before his data was compromised, and that lapse can be forgiven.

Apple has been clear that CarPlay related data stays on your phone. Android Auto states similar policies, but in some cases other applications can download data to augment the car’s capabilities. This could be one way Yarow’s Tesla was able to keep his Spotify data in the car.

Many of us are surreptitiously exposing ourselves to security threats and we don’t realize it.

Rental Cars Are an Issue

I’ve been guilty of plugging my phone into rental cars when I travel. The convenience of rendering driving directions is too good to ignore. Unfortunately, each time you plug your phone into a rental car equipped with Android Auto or CarPlay you’re leaving your digital footprints behind.

If you want a quick check, explore the connection settings of your late model rental car next time you travel. You’ll typically find a list of iPhone and Android device names using in-car services. Aspects of the users’ digital footprints still remain.

Protect Yourself

Before turning in your rental:

     

      • Navigate to the in-car dash’s phone connection settings.
      • Remove each device name you’ve connected to the car.
      • If you’ve used the car’s BlueTooth capabilities, navigate to the BlueTooth connections menu and download the BlueTooth profile.
      • Make sure to delete any downloaded contact information if you opted to use the full BlueTooth profile after pairing your phone to the car.

    Before selling your car:

       

        • Use your vehicle’s app to remove your profiles. Our car has profiles for my wife and I with different settings and preferences.
        • Navigate to the device connections screen and delete any devices.
        • Delete the home location for your vehicle.
        • Verify all profiles are removed, then delete the app from your phone.

      If you follow these tips you can protect your privacy after enjoying CarPlay and Android Auto. Drive safely, and enjoy cruising these last couple weeks of summer.