Toyota Owner Didn’t Know His Car Was Talking To Insurers Until He Saw His Rates
cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/57500077
Toyota, Progressive Insurance, and a data analytics firm are now being accused of collecting detailed personal driving information without proper consent
https://www.carscoops.com/2026/01/toyota-tracking-lawsuit-insurance-data-privacy/Open linkView original on lemmy.zip
10 replies
Sorry bud, you clicked the button.
What if it was the salesman or his kid? How can the company prove it was him?
The salesman, twice? The kid? Lock your phone. We know it was him.
But I don’t like how easy it was to basically transmit your life to an insurance company.
This is why my TCU got wrapped in a faraday cloth.
We need basic data privacy rights. 1) they shouldn't be mass sold. 2) there should be an easy opt out ( which should be the default, not opt in) 3) outlaw these endless EULAs. I would spend my whole life reading these if we actually stopped to look through every one that comes across daily life.
I think this has been going on for quite a while. my 2010 Toyota I believe has a mobile data unit, but only has 3G and is thus forever unable to phone home. With a new car, you could just remove the mobile data module and not allow it a WiFi connection or anything, then it has no way to report to Toyota even if it wants to.
Imagine if they brick your car cause it can't phone home ...
This is a legitimate issue with modern cars. All the systems tie in and communicate with each other and many won’t run unless the signals all check out. Many will go crazy with dashboard lights and limp mode without lots of custom work on the ECU.
Surely they still work in areas without cellular service though? Perhaps it's better to Faraday cage the module than remove a sim card or fuse, so the car just thinks it has no service.
Your health insurance will be next. Walmart sold your shopping details to your insurer. Bought too many cookies and chips? Your rates go up
All carmakers are doing that, not just Toyota. If someone posts a similar report about China's BYD you are whatabouted to death, but if it is about a non-Chinese carmaker, there are no whataboutisms.
Is the data collection good or bad now? Should we have digital sovereignty in Europe and other democracies or just import ChEaP cHiNeSe CaRs?
[Edit typo.]