Jonny Lieberman, writing for Motor Trend:
So much for “Do No Evil.” There’s no technological reason the 991/2 doesn’t have Android Auto playing through its massively upgraded PCM system. But there is an ethical one. As part of the agreement an automaker would have to enter with Google, certain pieces of data must be collected and mailed back to Mountain View, California. Stuff like vehicle speed, throttle position, coolant and oil temp, engine revs—basically Google wants a complete OBD2 dump whenever someone activates Android Auto. Not kosher, says Porsche. Obviously, this is “off the record,” but Porsche feels info like that is the secret sauce that makes its cars special. Moreover, giving such data to a multi-billion dollar corporation that’s actively building a car, well, that ain’t good, either. Apple, by way of stark contrast, only wants to know if the car is moving while Apple Play is in use. Makes you wonder about all the other OEMs who have agreed to Google’s requests/demands, no?
Two different core approaches to privacy, now playing out in the marketplace.
[via Apple Insider]
Very interesting. Joe Consumer either doesn’t know, doesn’t care or doesn’t understand the privacy compromise with Google. But the Internet of Things industry necessitates a partner with precious data that may include intellectual property.
I really used to like Google.
I am surprised that any of the automotive OEMs are so willing to hand that data to Google. When I worked in the diagnostics world almost 10 years ago, the automakers were pretty much forced by the regulators to hand over OBD information. They tried very hard to keep to keep unapproved third parties off the diagnostic bus. Interesting to see that Porsche sees a competitive advantage in not feeding Google’s algorithms.
I can see in the future Google selling this data to Police so anyone going just over the speed limit can be tracked and mailed a ticket that uses Android auto!
Who cares if VW sends Google it’s data? You know it’s gonna be fake.