With the current political climate between Canada, the United States, and other geopolitical actors, it may be appropriate for all Canadians to ask themselves some serious questions. Are we overexposed to various forms of disruption, or even potential coercion, that the United States could trigger remotely? What about China or other countries?
A new political environment
In this day and age, I do not believe that any single actor is deliberately trying to abuse the information they hold—but the amount of information they possess is enormous.
Soon, the United States, through companies like Palantir and what is effectively a national security database, will know a great deal about almost every Canadian. After crossing the border even once, we may be required to provide our social media IDs, most of which are issued by U.S.-based companies that are likely ready to supply information when requested. Providing a Facebook ID, for example, can expose most of our family, friends, acquaintances, and even people we barely know. Computers can then map relationships across much of the Canadian population.
With requirements to disclose all social media accounts—Facebook, YouTube, Gmail, and others—you effectively allow the U.S. government not only to legally link all of your online identities, but also to correlate them with other information that is routinely sold by various data brokers.
The long-standing problem: Our personal data is routinely sold
For many years, a significant amount of our private information has been sold by companies we depend on. I find the sale of customers’ personal information highly abhorrent, yet banks do it, telecom companies do it, retailers like Canadian Tire do it, car dealers do it, and even neighbourhood garages do it.
They justify this by pointing to services like CARFAX, but in my view, no garage, bank, or telecom company should have the right to sell personal information. CARFAX reports should not exist at all; this information does not belong to them—it is effectively stolen information. This activity should be declared criminal, and any bank president, telecom executive, or mechanic who sells personal customer data should face mandatory jail time.
The future is even worse
Not long ago, they merely sold our information. Now, the United States may use these practices to track individuals. And soon, they will control your computer and cars to steel even more information.
And it does not stop there.
Soon—either now or when you buy your next vehicle—you may have no right to repair your own car. That may sound acceptable until you realize that the person who can unlock your car if your key fails is not a locksmith. It is a U.S.-based individual, working for companies you do not know, who authorizes a locksmith or mechanic to work on your vehicle.
This is already happening with some Hyundai vehicles (for example, the IONIQ 5), where owners have discovered they cannot even change brake pads without being registered with NASTF, AutoAuth, or similar systems. These entities will be extremely difficult, if not impossible for a Canadian to sue, yet they have full control over the vehicle’s diagnostic interface.
A fundamental principle
A car sold in Canada belongs to the owner. No foreign company, manufacturer, or third party — including U.S.-based telematics or service providers — should ever have the right to unlock, control, or disable that vehicle. Ownership means full control. Remote access or authorization by outside actors violates the fundamental principle of property and vehicle sovereignty.
So, provide the owner with a key to unlock the diagnostic systems.