In the latest article from *The Slow New York Times*, a thought-provoking question was raised: "Where is the personal data collected by the car used?" This piece addressed comments from Intel CEO Brian Krzanich and Barclays Bank’s Brain Johnson on in-vehicle data. Krzanich mentioned that a driverless car can generate up to 4,000GB of data per day, while Johnson claimed that even regular driving can collect 100GB of data every minute. Let’s dive into what this means with insights from a car electronics expert.
The gap between autonomous vehicles and traditional cars is still significant, largely due to the high cost of advanced hardware and software. While ordinary cars currently gather minimal data, store very little, and transmit only basic information, self-driving cars are designed to handle massive amounts of real-time data. This difference isn’t expected to shrink anytime soon.
Many modern vehicles now come equipped with emergency data loggers that record critical information during accidents. For example, General Motors’ OnStar system automatically calls for help and sends the location and vehicle data when an accident occurs. While this feature is beneficial, it also raises privacy concerns.
There have been cases where people tracked their partners using systems like OnStar, BMW Assist, or Mercedes mbrace. After the Boston Marathon bombings, law enforcement even used similar technology to locate suspects. These examples highlight how in-vehicle data can be both useful and problematic.
When smartphones connect to cars, private data such as call logs and contacts may be accessed. Not all manufacturers prioritize user privacy when collecting data. Navigation systems can track where you’ve been, and if your car has wireless connectivity, your travel patterns might be sent to third-party servers. Vehicle performance data could be collected at any stage—whether you buy, use, or lease the car—and you may not have control over how it’s used.
However, companies like Otonomo and IBM are working with automakers to improve data handling practices. In the future, users may have more control over what data is shared, similar to smartphone privacy settings.
Autonomous vehicles process large volumes of data in real time, though only a small portion is transmitted wirelessly. Most data is stored for later analysis. Currently, OEMs struggle to balance data collection and transmission, as the full value of in-vehicle data is still being explored.
General Motors, for instance, sells wireless access rights or shares data with service providers. Vehicle condition and performance data, which is relatively small and low-bandwidth, could be a key area for monetization. Sharing this data with suppliers could help improve product quality.
By focusing on vehicle health and performance, automakers can detect issues early—such as engine misfires, unintended acceleration, or airbag failures—which could reduce accidents and recall costs. It could also help avoid regulatory scrutiny.
Component suppliers pay automakers for vehicle data, and consumers may eventually get access to it for free. Thus, personal privacy isn’t the main issue; rather, the core goal is for OEMs to collect and manage vehicle data effectively.
Collecting excessive, unorganized data isn’t helpful. If an OEM monitors your car’s performance, they should notify you before a problem arises—nothing more. Constantly gathering massive data from drivers and passengers isn’t necessary, and sending it in real time is even riskier.
Some may wonder if current driverless prototypes aren’t already collecting huge amounts of data. The answer is yes—but this is part of the development process for machine learning and technology advancement. It’s just a phase in the evolution of autonomous driving.
So, don’t worry too much about data collection affecting your privacy. The focus of car data collection isn’t on you—it’s on your vehicle.
This concludes our discussion on car electronics and the data generated by autonomous vehicles. For more updates and in-depth information, stay tuned to electronic engineering. We’ll keep bringing you the latest and most detailed content.
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