As more cars connect to the Internet, the question remains as to who owns the data,  where it all goes, and who can access said data.

In this week’s SmartCar roundup, we’ll be looking at the efforts being placed to protect data, as well as the threats and issues that come with connecting cars to the Internet.

Protecting consumer data

Senator Bill Monning (D-Carmel) authored a bill which would give vehicle owners more control over the data produced by their vehicle, as well as give clubs and independent mechanics access to the data.

Right now, car manufacturers have access to data such as engine performance, but the car owner or mechanic doesn’t, making the data useless in determining any problems with the car.

“Our cars are quickly becoming mobile computers,” said Monning.  “While this technology provides several important benefits to consumers, it is imperative that there are basic safeguards in place to ensure consumers can decide who has access to their data” and what information should remain private.

Though Monning’s bill is aimed to benefit consumers, some see the bill as something that would give other automotive groups an unfair advantage.  Some argue that groups like AAA will greatly benefit if the bill is passed, as it could give them access to driving behavior relevant to its insurance business.

AAA Spokeswoman Alice Bisno argues that all they can access is how many miles a year a vehicle is driven, and that California laws state that “information about how a car is driven, where a car is driven can’t be used for rate-making purposes.”

Earlier this year, AAA unveiled its Consumer Rights for Car Data at CES 2014, which calls for transparency, choice and security.  AAA believes that car owners have the right to know what information is being collected from their vehicles and how it is being used; consumers have a right to decide who to share their data with and know the purpose why it’s being collected; and that consumers have a right to expect that connected-vehicle manufacturers and service providers will use reasonable measures to protect vehicle data systems and services against unauthorized access and misuse.

Car manufacturers are also opposing the bill, citing that giving third-parties access to data produced by their vehicles can prove more harmful for car owners.

Keeping data secure

Another issue owners of connected cars is facing is the availability of their data when they sell it to another person.  When you sell your smartphone or tablet, you can reset it to wipe all your data from the device.  This ensures that none of your personal information can be accessed by the new owner.  The same cannot be said about the information gathered by your car’s infotainment system.

Judith Bitterli, chief marketing officer for security software firm AVG Technologies, stated that the security issues in connected cars can be dealt with by technology companies, but manufacturers still need to clarify what happens to the information if the car is resold.  She points out that there should be a reset button on the system that wipes out all data from the previous owner, so the new owner gets a clean slate.

“I wipe my iPads before I give them to my nieces and nephews and friends,” Bitterli pointed out. “We’re going to have to have an easy way as consumers to do that in our automobiles, because I don’t want my driving record, driving history, and how much I’m going over the speed limit transferred to a third party.”

Connecting cars to the Internet opens the vehicle to a world of possibilities, unfortunately, malware threat is one of them.  Connected cars may be one day used to do bank transactions or online shopping, and this is going to make it attractive for hackers.

Despite the clear benefits of vehicle-to-vehicle communication for road safety, hackers can easily cause a different kind of chaos when they get access to a car’s network.  Bitterli pointed out that there are still a lot of things needed to be ironed out, and the collaboration between tech companies and car manufacturers will play a huge role in the success of connected cars.

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