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Your car is a smartphone on wheels: A team of researchers tested 21 vehicles and found that all of them transmitted data to a third-party domain. And over half were pinging advertising companies. (www.consumerreports.org)
submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/tech/p/1432229/your-car-is-a-smartphone-on-wheels-a-team-of-researchers-tested-21-vehicles-and-found-th

Data sent by vehicles and companion apps included locations, VINs, and other identifiers. Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft were among the top receivers of driver data.

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[–] 5 points 1 week ago (4 children)

My wife just got a newer car last week so I'm asking you because you know more than I.

We never connected a phone to it but the GPS worked right off the bat. Do cars have standalone GPS now? As long as we don't connect a phone, it can't reach the internet, right?

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  • [–] 21 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

    Cars have had standalone GNSS (GPS) for quite a while. GNSS itself doesn’t require internet. Its output is coordinates and elevation - it’s the “gotta have internet to load the map in which I’ll show you the coordinates” that makes people associate GNSS with internet. Offline maps solve this.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    Unless it has local maps like mine that are now a decade out of date. It's completely useless now but i refuse to pay several 100 for the update.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 week ago

    Ya a lot will have gps built in but as others have said, the map will be static (whatever version was put in when built). Unless you have it updated by connecting it or buying an updated USB or whatever is required for your car

    So ya it's likely yours has both a gps antenna and navigation built in.

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