Your car is spying on you and selling your data
The short version: A video on cars harvesting and selling driver data reminds us that vehicle surveillance doesn't stop at the dashboard — it extends to the plate readers watching from the road.
Our Take
The channel Digital ID, Mass Surveillance and Digital Currency lays out how modern cars have become rolling data-collection devices, feeding driver behavior and location history to manufacturers and data brokers who then sell it off with little oversight. It's a solid reminder that the surveillance built into your dashboard doesn't exist in a vacuum — it's part of a much bigger ecosystem that includes the cameras bolted to utility poles and street signs in your own neighborhood.
Automated license plate readers like Flock Safety's network do from the outside what your car's telematics does from the inside: they track where you go, when, and how often, then store it for law enforcement, private companies, and sometimes anyone with a subpoena or a data-sharing agreement. The car companies selling your trip history and the ALPR vendors selling 'public safety' subscriptions are running parallel businesses built on the same raw material — your movements, commodified without meaningful consent.
If this kind of video makes your stomach turn, don't stop at outrage. Find out what's actually watching you on the street with our camera map, and if you want to push back on the hardware end of this surveillance economy, check our take-action resources for ways to organize locally. Credit to the creator for connecting car data to the wider surveillance picture — it's a piece too many people still overlook.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Digital ID, Mass Surveillance and Digital Currency, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.