Quote:How law enforcement and intelligence agencies leverage data from connected vehicles, and what your car might be leaking about you.
 
It’s best to think of the modern car as a computer on wheels — one that constantly offloads diagnostic data to the manufacturer or dealer’s servers. On board, you’ll find dozens of sensors: everything from GPS, speedometers, and hands-free microphones, to external cameras and the less obvious (but highly active) sensors for pedal pressure, tire pressure, engine temperature, and more. Even if this data isn’t beamed to the manufacturer in real-time, it’s logged in the car’s internal memory, and can reveal a wealth of information about a driver’s trips, habits, and surroundings. We’ve already taken a deep dive into how automakers collect data for commercial use, and who they sell it to (spoiler alert: insurance companies are the biggest buyers of telemetry), but today we’re looking at how law enforcement and intelligence agencies tap into this goldmine.

Digital evidence

Police departments across the globe have recognized the immense value of data stored within vehicles. If a car or its owner is potentially linked to a crime, investigators do more than just check for prints or DNA. Car Intelligence (CARINT) technology allows them to essentially scour all onboard computers, extracting data such as:

• GPS-based trip history
  
• Call logs, media player activity, and voice commands
  
• Lists of paired devices and synced contact lists
  
• Driving statistics: mileage, engine performance modes, and other technical parameters
  

There are numerous precedents where this data has served as evidence and dismantled alibis. In one U.S. criminal case, a recorded voice command became a smoking gun, proving the suspect was behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle.

With the rise of connected cars equipped with their own SIM cards and direct links to the manufacturer, law enforcement no longer needs physical access to the vehicle. Key data, such as GPS location history, can be pulled directly from the manufacturer’s servers. Furthermore, a U.S. Senate investigation revealed that nine out of 14 surveyed automakers were providing this data without a warrant.

Major suppliers of car intelligence software, such as Ateros, Berla, TA9/Rayzone, and Toka, sell their solutions exclusively to government and law enforcement agencies, which is why they’ve remained largely out of the public eye.

Continue Reading...