We all know automakers want to keep tabs on their cars. Stolen vehicle tracking? Sure. Fleet management? Fine. Microphone eavesdropping to serve more ads? Hate it, but OK, that’s a thing. Hold onto your tin-foil hats: Ford just filed a patent for something that takes vehicle tracking into full-blown Twilight Zone territory. Always-On Tracking… In Your Car, or Somebody Else’s.
They know you’re not a European. You bought and drive the car in America and presumably park it in America at night. It’s not like they don’t know where it goes.
In the “News of the Strange,” we do have Europeans in the USA :) Being located in the USA is not a universal guarantee that you are not eligible for GDPR protections.
If you’re European but residing in America long term, using American companies from on American soil are you still subject to European GDPR protections? I don’t actually know, I could understand an argument being made either way I think. I guess if you’re an active European citizen you got me there, but I don’t think many of those are here in America buying new cars are they?
Also, I needed an ID and credit card to buy a car… The dealer definitely knew who I was. I don’t know if you can just buy those cash anymore.
I could also just be wrong on all counts, but I think a car dealership has many ways to ensure whether or not you are subject to GDPR protections. Faking it probably isn’t going to get you very far.