When cars were not yet data octopuses
05/06/2021
Recently, drivers have been advised to delete their personal data in modern cars (e.g. search histories in the navigation system, Bluetooth connections, saved address books, etc.) when the car is sold or returned (at the end of the leasing period). Depending on the model, this can take some time and is often only possible after consulting the manual, if that is sufficient at all.
Oh, it used to be so easy! If you wanted to sell your BMW 2002 ti or Opel Kadett, you simply had to collect/remove all the personal items in the car (you still have to do this today, of course) and that was that.
The fact that you occasionally forgot something in a hidden compartment was usually only noticed much later. And the forgotten cassettes or CDs on the radio were only annoying in retrospect ...
But you could be sure that no unexpected traces of personal data were left for the next owner. Today, this is almost impossible to prevent with a manageable amount of effort ...
