What information are you sharing?
Photo: MUC

The privacy nightmare of modern driving.

DASHCAMS UNDER FIRE

New concerns have emerged surrounding the privacy of internet-connected dashcams, with digital privacy advocates claiming that live camera feeds and vehicle locations of some users could be viewed online – prompting an investigation by manufacturer, BlackVue.

The findings centre on BlackVue’s cloud-connected dashcam platform, which allows owners to remotely access live video, recorded footage, and GPS information through a mobile app.

Researchers claim that some cameras can be viewed through a publicly accessible map inside the BlackVue cloud service, exposing live video streams, audio and real-time locations.

This issue could allow unauthorised individuals to identify where users live, work, or travel, raising concerns over both personal privacy and physical security.

The potential implications are significant. A combination of live video and location data could reveal a driver’s daily routine, indicate when a property is unoccupied, or expose the identities of passengers and members of the public captured by the camera.

Vehicle registration plates and other identifying information may also be visible in footage, as can be seen in the following demonstration video below:

The company responsible for the device says there is currently “no evidence” that the vulnerability was exploited by malicious actors, or that customer data was accessed.

BlackVue has also stressed that its dashcams are “private by default”. Users must actively enable public sharing features before their cameras appear on the service’s public map.

The company said it was investigating the concerns raised by researchers.

The incident has sparked debate over whether the issue represents a security vulnerability or a consequence of users opting into public sharing features without fully understanding the privacy implications. Either way, the implications remain the same.

Critics argue that, even if public access is technically ‘optional’, the platform’s design may not make it sufficiently clear when a camera is being shared publicly.

This particular case highlights the broader risks associated with internet-connected consumer devices. Security analysts have long warned that these platforms should adopt privacy-first settings and make any public sharing choices explicit and easy to understand.

As more vehicles become ‘connected’, critics have urged manufacturers to ensure robust safeguards are in place, including secure authentication, encrypted communications, and clear privacy controls that minimise the risk of accidental data exposure.

For users, it is recommended that you regularly update device firmware, use strong and unique passwords, enabling multi-factor authentication where available, and review privacy settings to ensure cameras are not unintentionally sharing live footage or location data.

While BlackVue’s investigation continues, this episode serves as a reminder that connected devices can introduce privacy risks – regardless of whether it is a design flaw, a misunderstanding of existing features, or something in between.

In a world where every single piece of technology is spying on you, or gathering data in complex ways to be analysed and sold, we must continuously be vigilant when adopting.

We must fight to keep cars as a place of unrestricted liberty and adventure – something that the elitist parasites who ‘run the show’ are trying to change with each passing day.

PRIVACY AND VEHICLES

Cars have always represented a symbol of freedom. You can jump in and drive to wherever you want – a testament to how far we have come since the horse-and-carriage era.

However, the state is now coming for that symbol.

Like most gadgets that have been normalised over the decades, our cars are also spying on us on a daily basis – part of a much larger transformation to shift the way we travel.

One that involves us giving up trenches of our sensitive information to major conglomerates.

The proof is already here. Let’s not forget that all new models sold beyond July 2024 must now be equipped with black-box-type ‘Event Data Recorders’, following an update of the United Nation’s World Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (WHVR).

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In 2023, the Mozilla Foundation examined the hidden terms of 25 major car manufacturers to find that the industry is: “The worst product category for privacy ever reviewed”.

They also found terms that allowed this information to be passed on to third parties, including from cameras, microphones, sensors, and connected phones and apps.

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I have routinely argued that the tech elite are attempting to transform the automobile from a symbol of freedom into yet another node in their surveillance system.

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Electric vehicles, AVs, ride-sharing, car-sharing, and a wider range of public transport options will negate the need for personal vehicles in the future.

Economic modelling predicts ‘innovative’ transport systems led by AVs will generate $62 billion in Australia, and with this change, you will be in the minority if you own a car.

The Australian government is supporting this with an overhaul of the way electric vehicles contribute to road funding, the banning of new petrol cars, and other radical policies.

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More digital, more interconnected, and under more control – a future vision for a grid that connects to the surroundings itself in newly decked out ‘smart cities’.

Who is also sitting behind the lenses and algorithms of these devices?

We already know that Chinese-made video surveillance companies have become entrenched in Australia’s government and public systems, including secret monitoring of military bases, front entrances of political complexes, town CBDs, and much more.

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Are we supposed to believe the companies behind in-car devices aren’t the same?

In fact, prior investigations have uncovered extensive collaborations between Australian universities and Chinese entities involved in Beijing’s increasing surveillance apparatus.

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This story is yet another example of the dangers of modern technology, and serves as a reminder as to why this transformation of our vehicles needs to be addressed at all costs.

We don’t want anyone spying on our personal business, whether it is via governments – domestic or foreign – or via shady actors accessing public and private databases.

It seems, however, that people are much more trusting of gadgets and devices these days – regardless of where they come from – to their own detriment.

For those of you who have dashcams connected to your cars, make sure you double-check the settings, the manufacturer, and the capabilities of what you have installed.

Your personal privacy – and that of your friends and loved ones – may depend on it.