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If your TV rats you out, what about your car?

Vizio, the TV manufacturer, recently had to pay a $2.2-million fine to the FTC recently because it was discovered that its sets were collecting data about viewers' watching habits and then using the information for its own benefit. Last year, it was revealed the Samsung smart TVs were busy listening to what was being said, even if the conversations in question had absolutely nothing with switching the channel away from the Matt LeBlanc Top Gear. Nowadays, auto manufacturers seem to be tripping over each other pointing out that they offer Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto. And more recent phenomenon are announcements—from companies including Ford and Hyundai—that they are offering Amazon Alexa capabilities. You talk. It listens. In late January, General Motors said it is releasing a next-generation infotainment software development kit (NGI SDK) to software developers to write apps for GM cars. The NGI SDK includes native Application Program Interfaces (APIs) that allow access to expected things - like oil life and tire pressure and whether lightbulbs are burned out - but unexpected things, as well. Like the presence of passengers in the vehicle. When your TV set is ratting you out, isn't it likely that your car will? In making the announcement of the NGI SDK, GM pointed out that it has the largest connected fleet on the road, some 12-million vehicles. The company also noted: "From 2015 to 2016, GM has seen data usage by customers increase nearly 200 percent. Mobile app use for GM vehicles also hit an all-time high in 2016, with more than 225 million interactions." Is it not plausible that they know more those interactions than simply the number of them? GM's privacy agreement is like most privacy policies, which boils down to: You use it (the device, software, etc.), you potentially give up a portion of your privacy. While on the subject of apps, coincident with this year's CES, Subaru announced that it has added eight cloud-based apps to the STARLINK multimedia system in the 2017 Impreza. Some are familiar, like Yelp. Some are a bit narrow in focus, like eBird, which was developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for birdwatchers. And one ought to give a bit of pause: RightTrack. According to Subaru, "RightTrack Test Drive from Liberty Mutual Insurance monitors driving habits and provides customers with tips on driving safer to help lower their insurance rates and improve their safe driving skills." Or said more simply: You drive. It watches.

Porsche updates 919 Hybrid LMP1 for 2015 assault [w/video]

Last season, Porsche returned to the top level of endurance racing with the 919 Hybrid, picking up a mantle that has seen the German marque win the 24 Hours of Le Mans a record sixteen times – more than any other manufacturer ever to compete at the legendary French race. Of course, Porsche didn't beat its sister company Audi right out of the box, but managed to win the last race in the FIA World Endurance Championship in Brazil before the season was done. This year it undoubtedly hopes to do even better, and this is the machine with which it will endeavor to take the top honors. Newly revised and optimized for the 2015 season, the new 919 Hybrid was just revealed on the eve of the first test session of the season at the Paul Ricard test track in the South of France. It may look largely the same as the model it succeeds, but benefits from numerous advancements made to help Porsche catch up with Audi and Toyota. For starters, Zuffenhausen has opted to step up to the eight-megajoule category, favoring the electric side of its hybrid powertrain over the internal combustion engine. So the compact 2.0-liter turbocharged V4 now drives in excess of 500 horsepower to the rear wheels, and the electric motor – powered by two energy recovery systems and a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery – kicks in upwards of 400 hp to the front wheels. The rest of the package has been comprehensively updated as well, giving it a lower weight, improved rigidity, revised suspension and reshaped aerodynamic elements. Porsche will field two cars at most of the races this season, but will increase its team to three cars for certain races – one in black, one in white and one in red. Following the "prologue" test session at Paul Ricard this weekend, the season kicks off with the 6 Hours of Silverstone on April 12, when the new Porsche 919 Hybrid will take on the similarly revised Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro and Toyota TS040 Hybrid for the first time in earnest. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) LMP1 presentation 2015 Porsche 919 Hybrid – proven base was extensively optimised Suttgart. At the Paul Ricard Circuit in France today, Porsche presented the second generation of its Le Mans Prototype 919 Hybrid race car as a technical evolution in a three-colour concept. Porsche also confirmed it will switch to the highest of the four energy categories in the LMP1 class.

Drive-up bank robbery perpetrated with Cayenne and WRX

Thieves carried out what appears to be a movie-script-perfect robbery of a bank in Sydney, Australia early on Friday morning, using two stolen high-performance vehicles in the process.
At around 11:15 AM local time, in near mid-day light, reports say that two men in masks smashed into the side of a Westpac bank in a confirmed-stolen black Porsche Cayenne. The perpetrators were armed with sledgehammers according to witness reports, and took only about five minutes to take what they were after inside of the bank.
The rapid getaway was executed in a Subaru WRX, also confirmed as a stolen vehicle, while witnesses snapped camera phone images of the illicit goings on. One Twitter user posted a few of the images to his social media feed; you can take a look at them in our small gallery below. Follow on down for the full video report, from The Sydney Morning Herald.