A connected car is connected to the Internet.
The internet is finding its way into more and more areas. Now that the intelligent telephone, or smartphone, has become the norm for most people, the "internet of things"and associated innovations such as the "smart home", new networks are being added all the time: the heating at home can now be regulated from work and the refrigerator independently orders food that is running low.
Roads and automobile traffic will not be excluded from this development either. The connected car (in german: vernetztes auto) is expected to bring improvements in security and comfort for drivers. But what is the connected car all about?? What exactly is this?? In the following, you can read what a connected car is, what the possible advantages are, and what the data protection situation is like. You can also find out about the IT security of these vehicles.
FAQ: connected card
It refers to cars that are connected to the internet in some way, e.g. by using the. B. Allowing passengers to connect to the internet or access the internet themselves.
To retrieve traffic data and thus z. B. to be informed about traffic jams. The vehicle can use this information to adjust the route or speed in order to increase the comfort and safety of the passengers.
Here, the vehicle "communicates" via the Internet with other vehicles that are also networked, in order to exchange information about speed, braking and direction of travel. This is to prevent collisions.
Connected car: there is no single definition
There are No generally valid definition from "connected car. This term is used to describe different types of cars, all of which have the common feature that they provide connected to the internet are. There are several possible forms:
- Internet is available in the car for the passengers.
- The car can access the internet, z. B. For traffic data.
- The car is completely networked and is part of the "internet of things.
A networked car collects a lot of data.
Car with internet access
Through the integration of mobile radio systems in the car all passengers can easily access the internet. This function can already be found in many vehicles today. This is realized, for example, by the fact that a SIM chip integrated into the car, which establishes the connection to the mobile high-speed internet of the current LTE standard (4G). The advantage for car passengers in terms of comfort is clear: they can conveniently access the internet while driving and z. B. Watch movies.
Ecall
As of april 2018, all new cars in the EU must be equipped with the emergency call system ecall be equipped. This can detect accidents with the help of sensors and call for help via the integrated mobile radio system automatically make an emergency call, which also contains the exact location data of the car.
Car accesses traffic data
But what is connected car in the true sense of the word goes even further. The next level of networking occurs when the car uses internet access to access traffic data access. The goal: optimizing the journey and increasing safety.
Specifically, this is done by the car communicating with its traffic environment, with the following possibilities:
- communication with other vehicles
- data exchange with the traffic infrastructure
A connected car can access services of various kinds.
The former, the so-called car2car communication, can primarily serve to, prevent collisions. For example, information can be exchanged about the direction of travel and speed, as well as possible braking procedures. The other vehicles – if they are cars in the "connected car" category – can then react accordingly.
The second point, the exchange with the infrastructure, can altogether lead to a better traffic flow guide. Because if the connected car is equipped with intelligent traffic guidance systems is connected and receives information about traffic light phases and current traffic jams, for example, it can adjust its route or speed accordingly.
Completely networked car
The fully developed stage of the connected car is the complete integration into the internet of things. Just like smart refrigerators that can reorder products such as milk or eggs when they run low, a connected car of this type can multiple interactions carry out. For example, it can book a parking space at the destination or – in the case of electrically powered vehicles – locate a free charging station.
What are the advantages of the connected car?
The digital networking of the car can bring different kinds of benefits. The most obvious and basic is a more comfort for car occupants. Through the integrated internet connection, they can – especially on longer journeys entertainment services use or simply access messages or e-mails conveniently.
Improved traffic flow
A connected car can improve the flow of traffic.
A significant improvement can be made for overall traffic. The fact that the connected car can access services that it has real-time information on the traffic situation the driver is in a position to respond to the situation. For example, he can then use the insights provided by the connected car to, avoid traffic jams or make way for approaching emergency services.
If the majority of vehicles were to consist of connected cars, this would also open up completely new possibilities for the steering the flow of traffic. Communication and interaction between vehicles, as well as with connected traffic signs and traffic lights, could improve the movement of road users optimal coordination. An intelligent traffic management system could thus reduce or even prevent traffic jams. The consequence: an overall improvement in traffic flow for everyone.
Increased safety
Another aspect that will be improved by the connected car is the road safety. Car2car communication, in which vehicles in the vicinity exchange data with each other, contributes to safer traffic. If a connected car knows how fast the car in front is traveling and when it is going to brake – possibly suddenly – it can adapt to this and, under certain circumstances, also provide the necessary information respond quickly, if a hazardous situation should arise. The exchange of data offers a wealth of information that is far superior to that of a normal human driver, who first has to see the situation and can only then react, perhaps too late.
Even the integration of an emergency call system the connected car offers advantages. The vehicle’s sensors can detect when an accident has occurred and automatically trigger an emergency call via the built-in mobile radio system. At the same time important information is sent along. This is because the connected satellite navigation system can be used to transmit the exact location of the accident and the direction of travel to the emergency services without any further action being required. This is especially helpful in situations where the accident victim is unable to make the emergency call himself.
Data protection: is the connected car a data monster??
Data protection is an important issue for the connected car.
An important point of criticism with regard to the connected car are the data, the costs incurred by the networked vehicle. While optimizing traffic flows is a desirable goal, sending traffic data to traffic control centers or commercial providers raises the question of how secure such a practice is. Even if the data anonymized transmitted, it nevertheless remains location data, by means of movement profiles and in this way it may be possible to identify specific persons.
Another possible use of data in the connected car can be found at personalized services. In the case of these, providers would like to access vehicle data in order to offer customers services tailored specifically to them. In this case, this personalization takes place primarily via localization, so the customer gets location-based services. Here, each driver must weigh up whether the advantage of the services offered outweighs the need to provide personal information in return.
Apart from tracking the location, there are other possible uses for the data collected by the connected car. In this way, conclusions can be drawn from various stored information about the driving behavior pull. This data is of particular interest to insurances. These could base their tariffs on how a driver behaves in road traffic. An incorrigible speeder, for example, would then have to pay more for his car insurance. From a data protection point of view, this approach is problematic because it leads to a permanent monitoring the driver leads. Whether such a practice would lead to motorists driving more carefully for financial incentive is another matter.
Is the connected car protected against hacking??
Is the connected car protected from hacking??
Some spectacular hacks have fueled doubts about the safety of connected cars. The hackers penetrated the connected car’s system and were able to control it remotely. The fact that this is possible is not only bad news for data protection, because the large amount of data stored by the vehicle can of course be read out in this way. It is also highly dangerous, since, theoretically, while driving, the control elements such as steering and brakes can be monitored manipulated could become.
A popular vulnerability, used by the hackers are wireless connection points, z. B. Via bluetooth or WLAN. The security problems with the connected car are mainly due to the fact that automotive manufacturers are moving into new territory in the IT field. If there is no cooperation with cybersecurity experts, this can quickly create a gateway for hackers.
In the meantime, a number of improvements have been made following the hacking scandals. This is how the manufacturers IT security increased staffing. In addition, there are also some software updates. It remains to be hoped that this approach will ensure the long-term safety of the connected car.