10:01 14/06/2021
Those who drive the car may not know that the car is spying on them, gathering information about their movements. Law enforcement agencies in the United States are among the entities most diligent in analyzing this data that is collected from motorists and their routes.
"This technology collects information from the car, transmits it via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to the phone, and that way you can see the data that is being collected," says security expert Mark Rasch.
The system is called "diagnostic tools" and consists of semi-processors and computer programs that collect data from the car. Many people think that this is to help with car repair, but in fact this data has a much wider use.
"Camera, microphone or sensors convey information that is collected and recorded. This data is a gold mine for advertising companies, insurance companies, regulatory and law enforcement agencies,” says expert Rasch.
The Border Protection Agency is included among these law enforcement institutions.
About five years ago, the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Border Protection Agency, organized a course on computer programs that collect data from cars.
This data includes the route, how many times the car door is opened and closed. If the driver keeps his hands on the wheel. Where does the car stop and for how long?
In a statement to VOA, the Border Protection Agency said it is buying the technology to analyze evidence as part of border security work. The agency did not mention the data from the movement of vehicles.
Driving contains a lot of data. Privacy activists are alarmed.
"In the case of the Border Protection Agency, this department has broad authority at the border. Therefore, I believe that Congress and the courts should act to ensure better protection of privacy under the Fourth Amendment.,” says John Davisson of the Electronic Privacy Information Center.
The US Constitution protects the citizen from unreasonable searches and seizure of possessions. The Border Guard has been criticized for seizing computers and cell phones without a court order. But the courts have not come out with a clear decision about what powers the federal government has.
Many Americans are unaware of the danger. Ana Reyes was surprised to learn that the computer system in the car recorded the phone numbers, the playlist and the messages she had sent.
Automaker General Motors told VOA that users can choose how their data is used by opting out of the data collection program.
Critics say that few people know that this program exists and are able to cancel it.
It is possible for the car owner to delete the collected data, but this is not easy in cars that deal with rent.
The American Rental Car Association is part of a coalition that has asked Congress to pass a data deletion law.
"Federal laws need to be drafted to solve this problem, since no company that has maybe 200 rental cars can wipe the data from every car.,” says Greg Scott, a member of the association.
Ana's father, Juan Jose Reyes, has no plans to cancel the data collection program, but is still concerned about the information collected by other cars' systems and fears the possibility of racial and ethnic targeting.
"Let's not forget that we are all innocent until proven guilty. Just because you belong to an ethnic group, Hispanic or otherwise, you shouldn't run into border police or immigration agents who want to extract private information from us.,” says Mr. Reyes./VOA
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