Tonight | Four Corners on ABC: Asleep at the Wheel probes Chinese EV data – Four Corners examines the privacy and cyber-security questions around Chinese EVs in Asleep at the Wheel tonight. It airs on ABC and ABC iview on Monday 21 September at 8:30pm.
Chinese-made electric vehicles are becoming more common on Australian roads. They offer many smart features, but those also rely on cameras, microphones and an internet connection.
Those features raise questions for motorists. What can a connected car see or hear? What data can it collect, and who can access it?
Chinese EVs in the Four Corners spotlight
Chinese EVs have changed the car market and given drivers more choice. They can also collect information about people and places. Four Corners looks at the privacy issues this creates.
The programme asks how connected cars handle data. It considers risks raised by experts, including surveillance, cyber security and national security. These are questions about potential vulnerabilities and safeguards, not a claim that any particular vehicle is spying on its owner.
Reporter Angus Grigg investigates the laws intended to protect consumers. He also examines whether those laws have kept pace with the technology now arriving in Australia. That makes the programme especially relevant as connected cars become a more familiar sight on local roads.
The episode looks beyond a single model or brand. Instead, it considers the systems behind connected vehicles and asks what protections drivers should expect. The same questions can matter to passengers and to people who simply pass a camera-equipped car in public.
As more Chinese EVs enter the market, questions about data collection become more urgent. Four Corners puts the focus on what motorists need to know before they get behind the wheel.
Watch Four Corners on ABC tonight
Four Corners – Asleep at the Wheel
Monday 21 September, 8:30pm
ABC and ABC iview
Find more ABC TV news and current affairs coverage at TV Central.
