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.
Interesting to see Subaru at the very bottom - barely anything, but Toyota is the opposite, sucking up big data like they’re General Motors
Edit: can confirm my car isn’t doing anything - when I upgraded my head unit, I discovered unconnected wires where a telemetry module would be
Doubly interesting because the Subaru Solterra is a Toyota. But I guess Subaru has their own infotainment in it? I haven’t really test driven one.
Subaru definitely uses the same hardware, but I know their software is different. Even the PCM performs very differently on the dinosaurs, even though they use the same Denso computers as Toyotas - just look into how aggressively Subarus fast idle when cold for an example… how many cars do you know of are programmed to hit fast idle come hell or high water? Most cars will cancel fast idle if you engage a gear, or limit the fast idle throttle, but the Subaru will send it if you try to keep the RPM below fast idle when cold. Also the “clear flood start” feature that deliberately doesn’t fire the injectors when you put your foot to the floor when starting the engine.