The BYD app can access your phone's microphone and camera. In 2024, an Australian owner discovered someone could call the car's hidden SIM card and listen to conversations inside the vehicle — with no warning on the dashboard. The car couldn't even hang up the call. Combined with a security flaw that lets attackers bypass the car's security, there are multiple ways someone could spy on you through your car.
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BYD publicly told Australian customers they don't collect driving data, but their own privacy policy says they collect your speed, braking, acceleration, where you go, and how far you drive. The company is directly contradicting its own written privacy statement.
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BYD promises 'privacy first,' but as a Chinese company they are legally required by China's intelligence law to hand over data if the Chinese government asks. Multiple governments including Australia, the UK, and the US treat Chinese connected vehicles as security threats. BYD cannot guarantee 'privacy first' while being legally compelled to cooperate with Chinese intelligence.
BYD says they don't record your voice, but their app has permission to use your phone's microphone, and they send voice data to two companies (including Chinese AI company iFlytek) for processing. If they don't capture voice, why do they need microphone access and voice processing partners?
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The BYD Seal has 12 cameras, 5 radars, and 12 ultrasonic sensors watching everything around and inside the car, powered by an AI processor. But BYD's privacy policy barely mentions this massive surveillance capability and doesn't explain what happens to all that camera footage or whether it's sent back to BYD for AI training.
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The BYD car app is supposed to help you check your car's battery and lock the doors remotely. But it also asks to read your calendar, access your phone camera and photos, scan nearby WiFi networks, and use ultra-wideband tracking. A car app doesn't need to read your calendar or scan your surroundings.
A BYD owner in Australia dialled his own car's SIM number and could listen to everything happening inside — conversations, music, arguments. Nothing appeared on screen. He couldn't hang up from the car. Turning off cellular didn't help. Anyone who knew that number could silently listen to your family driving to school. BYD said they'd fix it, which means it was broken the whole time every other owner drove around with an open microphone.
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BYD's Australian boss says no customer data goes to China. In the same breath, he confirms "diagnostic data" goes back to the manufacturer — which is in Shenzhen, China. What counts as "diagnostic"? Your GPS coordinates, driving patterns, battery usage, charging times. They drew an invisible line between "customer data" and "diagnostic data" that lets them say both things with a straight face. Meanwhile, their privacy policy lets them share with advertisers and AI developers.
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Chinese law literally says every company must cooperate with intelligence agencies when asked. BYD is a Chinese company. Two US Senators wrote to BYD in September 2024 and asked point-blank: is the data you collect from vehicles subject to China's spy law? BYD never publicly answered. They can promise Australian drivers anything they like — but Chinese law overrides company policy, and there's no mechanism to refuse a secret request from Beijing.