VW Group Collects Vehicle Movement Data
Volkswagen Group’s connected cars are reportedly collecting highly detailed location and personal data and, due to security failures, exposing some of it online with identifiers like names, emails and birth dates. Commenters link this to a broader trend of modern vehicles acting as always‑online tracking devices, driven by built‑in SIMs, emergency-call mandates and subscription services, with few practical ways for owners to opt out. The exchange highlights tensions between consumer privacy, weak enforcement of regulations such as GDPR, and corporate and governmental incentives that favor data collection over security and user control.
VW data collection and leak
- VW Group vehicles collect fine-grained location and other telemetry; a series of security failures allegedly exposed this data online, including names, emails, and birth dates.
- Commenters stress that the scandal is not just collection but the combination of mass tracking and poor protection of PII.
- Some note that other manufacturers likely collect similar data; the difference is that VW’s implementation visibly failed.
Corporate incentives, security culture, and regulation
- Several argue that security and privacy rarely get prioritized because they don’t generate revenue; “priority 3” items never get done.
- Some see this as a cultural problem in German car companies: management is described as political, not technical.
- Others emphasize that only strong legal incentives (GDPR, product bans, liability) will force better practices; GDPR is said to exist but not be enforced strongly against big players.
Dealers, service, and warranties
- Discussion of how dealer servicing is used to control customers: manufacturers often make warranty coverage de facto contingent on dealer-only service, even where law allows independent garages.
- In practice, consumers often must litigate to enforce their rights, so many accept dealer terms despite privacy concerns.
Comparisons with other automakers and Chinese EVs
- Some see VW as emblematic of a failing, scandal-prone industry; others note that Tesla and others also collect extensive data.
- One branch debates whether Chinese EVs pose a special national-security risk versus similar surveillance risks from Western brands; views range from “serious threat” to “fearmongering and hypocrisy.”
Consumer responses and right to repair
- Suggestions include buying older “dumb” cars, refusing tracking add-ons, and using GDPR erasure requests in the EU.
- Others foresee “ECU jailbreaks” and performance shops bypassing subscriptions, though there are concerns about legal crackdowns (DMCA, emissions rules) and secure boot.
Telematics stack and regulation
- New cars in the EU must have an SOS/eCall system, implying a built-in SIM and pan‑EU data plan.
- That connectivity is then reused for navigation, apps, remote control, speed-limit beeping, and continuous telemetry upload.
- Some see this as a government-encouraged surveillance infrastructure; others frame it as safety and convenience that has been “weaponized.”