Cars have become smart phones on wheels, sucking up reams of personal data to track us and sell us things. So-called autonomous technology has also put the public in danger in new ways. Through our Connected Cars project, Consumer Watchdog spotlights how modern cars are vulnerable to hacking, how autonomous vehicles are dangerous, and how cars have become the latest tools to profile and track consumers.

Connected Cars Releases

California Privacy Agency Goes After the Auto Industry

Honda settled allegations that it failed to disclose data agreements with third parties, and requested more personal information than necessary when people tried to exercise privacy rights with the company. 

California Poised to Be First State to Stop Geolocation Tracking, New Report Shows Need For Privacy Protections From Connected Cars

LOS ANGELES, CA — A new report details the privacy problems posed for consumers from connected cars and points to new rules to be developed in California as a potential model across the country, if the rules can...

Consumer Watchdog Applauds NHTSA Investigation of Tesla Over Autopilot Problems

Los Angeles, CA – The nonprofit group Consumer Watchdog applauded the decision by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to investigate Tesla’s Autopilot feature and crashes related to it.   Consumer Watchdog has long been a critic of the rush...

Consumer Watchdog Hacks A Tesla to Prove Dangers of Wirelessly Connected Cars

Los Angeles, CA – The nonprofit, nonpartisan Consumer  Watchdog today released a video showing how a box it built with the help of technologists could hack into the wireless connection of a Tesla and take over the screen...

US Senators Call Out NHTSA For Failure To Protect Americans From Risk Of Internet Connected Cars, Demand Answers

Washington D.C.  - Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), members of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, today sent a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), calling out the agency's "dangerously reactive...

Autonomous Rules to Remain Voluntary in the U.S.

By Paul Eisenstein, RIDE TECH BLOG January 17, 2020 https://ride.tech/mobility-lifestyle/us-dot-sec-unveils-voluntary-av-guidelines-as-congress-deadlocks-on-specific-rules/ The White House has announced plans regarding public testing of autonomous vehicles. Dubbed AV 4.0, the guidelines would sync efforts by 38 different federal agencies that might impact autonomous vehicle development. But the...

US Senators Markey and Blumenthal Ask Federal Safety Regulators If Carmakers Reported Cyber Security Risks

Washington, DC – United States Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal today wrote the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to ask if carmakers have reported the cybersecurity vulnerabilities in their Internet-connected cars and what steps NHTSA is...

Report Finds Hacking Of Internet Connected Cars Big National Security Threat

Los Angeles, CA – The nonprofit group Consumer Watchdog has issued a report, with the help of car industry technologists, that finds all the top 2020 cars have Internet connections to safety critical systems that leave them vulnerable...

Consumer Watchdog and the Center for Auto Safety Urge DMV, AG, & FTC to Investigate Tesla for Deceptive Practices After Another Autopilot-Related Death

Los Angeles, CA -- Consumer Watchdog and the Center for Auto Safety today renewed their call to the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Motor Vehicles to investigate dangerously misleading and deceptive practices and representations of Tesla Motors,...

Robot Cars On Average Required A Human Takeover Every 14 Miles Driven

Los Angeles, CA — Updated reports required by the California Department of Motor Vehicles from companies testing robot cars on California public roads reveal a fleet-wide average of 1 human takeover for every 14 miles tested, according to...

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