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Privacy with Android Automotive

8.4K views 37 replies 13 participants last post by  obopodo  
#1 ·
I've been trying to search for articles around privacy but haven't found anything that seems to address it. I have an android phone and recently it's been creepy how targeted the ads to my email are based on Christmas searches. I'm just wondering what happens when you add this new ability to track and listen to everything that's happening in the car.

I tried the search function and didn't find any topics. Has anyone found and good articles? Existing users have you noticed any changes in ad targeting etc based on your driving?

Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
You can make a dummy google account for the car, eg Nk32.polestar2@gmail.com
Google still knows your profile of what you do in the car, and possibly what you say [though you can turn "Hey Google" off and just use the button on the right button panel to activate Google Assistant]
But then at least what Google knows via the car is sandboxed to that specific account.

For us, we figure Google already knows pretty much everything about us given all the Google services we use so are basically resigned to that level of non-privacy.
 
#3 ·
It's all in the settings on the car under Google - you can turn off all the upload of data to Google about your car usage, destinations, "OK Google" commands etc. Or as above you can just set up a dummy Google account but then you lose all the destinations you've looked up on your phone etc.
 
#4 ·
Naming “Google Automotive” so close to “Google Auto” makes it incredibly difficult to search for information specific to this Android variant. (Even shortform “AAOS” turns up mostly Google Groups for American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons!)

Hopefully as it begins to roll out into more vehicles we’ll see more analysis of the privacy situation. Supposedly early on Google demanded more information from Android Auto (not Automotive) partners than some were comfortable with — Toyota and Porsche backed out of supporting it until Google re-assessed the vehicle information it would collect on its servers.

Presumably GDPR has changed the situation a little bit.
 
#5 ·
Naming “Google Automotive” so close to “Google Auto” makes it incredibly difficult to search for information specific to this Android variant. (Even shortform “AAOS” turns up mostly Google Groups for American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons!)

Hopefully as it begins to roll out into more vehicles we’ll see more analysis of the privacy situation. Supposedly early on Google demanded more information from Android Auto (not Automotive) partners than some were comfortable with — Toyota and Porsche backed out of supporting it until Google re-assessed the vehicle information it would collect on its servers.

Presumably GDPR has changed the situation a little bit.
Sorry what's GDPR?
 
#7 ·
postdoc: what do I put for this? Is this study affected by GDPR?

me: no it’s irrelevant

postdoc: but why?

me: because GDPR doesn’t mean the general data protection of rats
 
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#9 ·
Sadly, GDPR and the new privacy laws that have popped up around the US don't give me much comfort as regards Google and privacy. I've stopped using Gmail for my email, and even if I created a "dummy" gmail account, Google would know my home address. My home address is probably linked to hundreds of things about me, and surely Google is ingesting those. Then, it's a hop, skip, and a jump to knowing I'm the one driving the car and associating with me all the locations I put into Google Maps in the car.
 
#14 ·
you can operate the car without logging into Google. But you can’t download any apps like Spotify as that’s done through the Google play store. And the Google maps based navigation, route planning, etc will be significantly limited.

everything with connectivity is a trade off of convenience/functionality vs security/privacy. As long as you’re online your personal data is the product you’re implicitly selling for the privilege of using that online service. My approach is to just confuse the purveyors by adopting as an online persona either a 12y old otaku or a 72y old malcontent pensioner.
 
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#18 ·
Google automotive was almost a deal breaker for buying this car. Tesla is similarly guilty for data collection.

I am just focusing on the car for my ownership. I rarely use nav but expect Google to know my travel patterns from passive gps data collection. Similar to being able to pull up location data on the iPhone (buried 4-5 menus deep).

I will probably continue to use Siri, my iPhone and connect with Bluetooth most of the time. I use Apple Music. This is just me. I don’t need apps in my car. Changing settings with Google in the car is fine. Handy actually.

what sort of data is missing if I don’t connect with my Google account? Nav should work. Since I don’t need/want apps the play store isn’t needed.
 
#21 ·
Also don't forget that a lot of this is what makes a lot of things "free" to use for many people. And we all know how much people like, and even expect, free things nowadays.

If Google started charging for your searches, for using Google Maps, for any of the other things you have gotten used to just having access to, and that should just be free (in your opinion).
 
#34 ·
Reading this thread it seems to me that this mostly just a North American worry?

Maybe in Europe (or specifically the UK) we're much more laissez-faire about it and accept that there's an element of data sharing in the free services that are provided.

Me personally I've got it covered👍😂
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#36 · (Edited)
GDPR is one of the most pointless and burdensome bits of legislation ever to be excreted out by the EU.... the vast majority of people would be quite happy not to have to click to accept a notification about a something that they don't understand every time they visit a Web site.

(Yes, I know GDPR is a bit more than just cookie control, it's still a great example of how a good idea can be completely screwed up by a small group of over zealous bureaucrats)