Guide How to turn Mazda connectivity off and disable data collection

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Jack Rabbit

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18 Mazda CX5 AW
There was a discussion on Unobtainium's thread "Remember when..." concerning Mazda data collection and using it to track people and deny warranty coverage for normal daily driving.

He posted a reddit thread of another Mazda owner. Whether the reddit thread was completely truthful concerning the circumstances is irrelevant to this thread.

What is relevant:

Mazda connectivity and data collection is always on and it collects alot of information. Mazda can use the data as well as share it with anyone.

Just looked it up.

To turn it off, you must call Mazda customer care @ 1-800-222-5500 and request to disable all data collection.

Assume you will need to drive to Mazda dealership to have it turned off after Mazdausa prepares some type of work order.
 
yea unfortunately thats how it is with pretty much any car that has connected capability. Any car that has LTE modem nowadays. If one wants the connected services the data from the car is transmitted to the mothership. Can be sold or shared. Same with the smart phones or smart tv.

There is no dealer work, its remote signal that disables it. Similar to kind of how sirius updates work just its two way direction in this case. And If data is disabled all the fancy connected services and mymazda app/remote dont work as well.
 
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yea unfortunately thats how it is with pretty much any car that has connected capability. Any car that has LTE modem nowadays. If one wants the connected services the data from the car is transmitted to the mothership. Can be sold or shared. Same with the smart phones or smart tv.

There is no dealer work, its remote signal that disables it. Similar to kind of how sirius updates work just its two way direction in this case. And If data is disabled all the fancy connected services and mymazda app/remote dont work as well.
I dont use any of that stuff anyway. As long as it doesnt disable the fm radio or sirius.

Best part is looks like they are gonna charge new cx owners a subscription fee. Lmao. I want rid of it. Why would I pay $120 year for it ??
 
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About 3 cars ago, I got my wife a 2006 Saturn Vue (it was literally the cheapest thing I could find, and we were desperate, so that's why). It had OnStar in it.

I read the Terms of Service, and holy cow it sent shivers down my spine. Even if you *weren't a subscriber*, it still collected all of your data.

I promptly went out to the car, found the Stasi Box, and physically removed it from the vehicle, because I wasn't having any of that nonsense. Nope.jpg

It's this kind of BS why I'll never own a Tesla.
 
Mazda connectivity and data collection is always on and it collects alot of information. Mazda can use the data as well as share it with anyone.

Just looked it up.

Quoted from the manual:

Data handling

Mazda and its subcontracting parties may obtain and use the recorded data for vehicle malfunction diagnosis, research and development, and quality improvement.

Mazda will not disclose or provide any of the obtained data to a third party unless:

  • An agreement from the vehicle owner (agreements from lessor and lessee for leased vehicle) is obtained
  • Officially requested by the police or other law enforcement authorities
  • For statistical processing by a research institution after processing the data so that identification of the owner or the vehicle is impossible
 
All that makes me not trust Mazda will not collect and use the data anyway. There is no way I could verify the data collection is "off". No new Cxs for me!

Sure, how you choose to interpret it is up to you. I just posted it to clarify that Mazda doesn't actually give or sell the data to just anyone, as implied previously.
 
actually one could verify that its off :)
What it collected prior to that point is what one cant verify.
But every new car is/will be like this very soon. Every single EV is like this too. No choice to escape that in 5-10yrs and when they stop making parts for older cars (already happening) you see you wouldnt have a choice.
Its like the smart phone evolved in the past 20yrs
 
I can jam those signals using the power of my mind alone. I do it ALL the time.

For a modest fee, I can use my power to jam the signals for your car as well. I'll need your VIN and access to your bank accounts.

For those with multiple cars, ask me about a volume discount.

Who wants to sign up first?
 
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I can jam those signals using the power of my mind alone. I do it ALL the time.

For a modest fee, I can use my power to jam the signals for your car as well. I'll need your VIN and access to your bank accounts.

Who wants to sign up first?

Can I pay in crypto? I have these tokens, they aren't worth much now, but they will explode in value soon, the guy I bought them from told me so.

(Kidding! Lol)
 
I think there is a bit of a misunderstanding here. Mazda CANNOT share your data (location, acceleration, speed, steering/brake input, odometer, fuel level etc.) with anyone. They can only share it with other Mazda companies, dealers, and law enforcement if they are required to. (source) The reasons for sharing your data are explicitly explained in the privacy policy, and they cannot legally use it for anything else.

They can't sell your data. Data privacy laws have evolved quite a bit over the last 5-6 years.

Security of the shared data is another concern, but that's also getting better as companies absolutely don't want your data to be leaked (so they won't take a reputation hit and have to pay the fine)

I work at a privacy-focused company and honestly Mazda's privacy policy isn't bad at all. I don't know about their data security practices but the policy is fine.

Hopefully, the shared data can be used to discover problems/faults before they cause accidents. I am sure they are doing this.
 
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