Description

Episode: The 10-Centimeter Leak (Your Car is a Snitch)

If you bought a car after 2020, you didn't buy a vehicle—you bought a rolling sensor platform that weighs 4,000 pounds and has a direct uplink to a server farm wherever.

In this episode, Sudo breaks down the "Automotive Surveillance Complex." We moved from fearing the "spy in the bushes" to parking him in our garage. We discuss the massive amount of data modern "Software-Defined Vehicles" generate, how manufacturers are monetizing your driving habits through data brokers like LexisNexis, and the recent Volkswagen breach that exposed the precise movements of intelligence agents.

Most importantly, we cover the "Impractical" solutions: from navigating the maze of software opt-outs to the "nuclear option" of physically severing your car’s cellular connection.

Chapters:

• Intro: Why a dumb car is the ultimate 2025 luxury asset.
• The Paradigm Shift: Your car generates 25GB of data per hour.
• The Volkswagen Breach: How 9.5TB of unencrypted data exposed the "Pattern of Life" of spies and citizens alike.
• The "Smart Driver" Scam: How GM and LexisNexis are raising your insurance premiums based on "hard braking."
• The Hidden Trackers: Arity, GasBuddy, and the danger of Digital Redlining.
• Fighting Back: Software opt-outs, "Flight Mode," and the risks of "Modem Surgery."
• The Dad Perspective: Privacy is becoming a class issue.

Links & Resources Mentioned:

• EFF Guide: How to Figure Out What Your Car Knows About You
• Volkswagen Breach: Huge Data Loss Due to Lack of Encryption
• Investopedia: Is Your Car Spying on You?
• AP News: Auto Privacy Concerns
• Consumer Reports: How to Stop Your Car From Sharing Data

Connect with Us:

• Website: impracticalprivacy.com
• YouTube: @ImpracticalPrivacy
• X (Twitter): @The_IP_Podcast
• Instagram: @impracticalprivacypodcast
• Newsletter: Subscribe

Stay Impractical. Pull the fuse. Check your mirrors.