Your car could put your privacy at risk
Are you thinking of selling or trading in your vehicle? Beware. New cars are like computers on wheels and you need to wipe the data before you get rid of it. Otherwise, your privacy could be at risk.
Start erasing the data the old-fashioned way. Check the trunk and glove box, and look under the seats for any valuables, loose change and paperwork.
“So we used a diaper box, and got all of our stuff out of the car -- got it pseudo-detailed. We got ‘the works’ at a car wash,” said vehicle owner Mike Trapasso.
Before handing over the keys to a new owner, clean out the internal computer too.
“Kind of like a phone, as you use the car, it’s logging data about what features you access and it logs addresses you’ve been to. And now there are even things like Wi-Fi hotspots, where you like to log in and all these different connected features you need to remember to log out of before you sell the car,” explained Alex Knizek, Consumer Reports auto expert.
Make sure to delete Bluetooth connections, remove contacts saved on the car and then do the same thing within your phone. Delete or forget the pairing and the association of the phone and the vehicle.
In addition, do not forget to remove hardware, like your automatic garage door opener so the new driver cannot get into your garage after they find your home address stored in the navigation system, or found on stray paperwork. If you use a built-in system like HomeLink for your garage door, make sure to reset it.
“There’s also telematics services -- which connect you directly to automakers. There usually you can find an SOS or call button on the rearview mirror, or sometimes on the ceiling near the mirror, and those connect you to a live operator. And so you can press this button and they will help you remove the vehicle or remove yourself from the telematics account with the vehicle,” added Knizek.
You should also log out of any installed apps on your phone that let you connect to your car. Depending on the automaker, those apps could store driver data, navigation destinations and driving history.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada, G7 urge 'all parties' to de-escalate in growing Mideast conflict
Canada called for "all parties" to de-escalate rising tensions in the Mideast following an apparent Israeli drone attack against Iran overnight.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
Taylor Swift drops 15 new songs on double album, 'The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology'
On Friday, the pop star released her 11th album and at 2 a.m. Eastern, she released "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology," featuring 15 additional songs.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.