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EV brand BYD erases 'China' and 'surveillance' from its privacy policy

1 min read Rewritten in plain language

Electric VehiclesData PrivacyCyber Security

Changed after publishing · 1 edit
  • the headline was changed: EV brand BYD cuts references to erases 'China' and 'surveillance' from its privacy policy

Outlets edit stories after they go out, usually without saying so. We keep what we saw the first time.

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  • Electric vehicle maker BYD removed any reference to "China" and "surveillance" from its Australian privacy policy, just days after questions from Four Corners.
  • When Four Corners asked about its privacy policy, BYD replied two days later saying it had "undergone a review and been updated".
  • The new policy was uploaded to BYD's Australian website just an hour and sixteen minutes before the company sent it to Four Corners.
  • The Australian Privacy Act allows for data to be transferred to China.
  • In April, Australia's privacy watchdog confirmed it was investigating Toyota and Hyundai over whether they were managing customer data from connected vehicles in accordance with the law.

5 sentences from our version of the report, chosen to cover it. Nothing here is written; every line is in the article below. How

BYD has been selling vehicles here since 2022. The Australian Privacy Act allows for data to be transferred to China.

The report’s most important sentence, shortened and in plain words. How

Headline check

All three things this headline claims are in the report.

Figures, names and quoted words in the headline, looked for in the report itself — not in the summary above. How this is checked

Electric vehicle maker BYD removed any reference to "China" and "surveillance" from its Australian privacy policy, just days after questions from Four Corners.

The policy named China as one of 16 countries where the data of Australians could be sent.

BYD has been selling vehicles here since 2022.

When Four Corners asked about its privacy policy, BYD replied two days later saying it had "undergone a review and been updated".

All references to China were gone, along with any mention of surveillance.

The new policy was uploaded to BYD's Australian website just an hour and sixteen minutes before the company sent it to Four Corners.

Confusingly, the website said its new policy no longer applied to vehicles and directed users to a separate document on its app.

While all references to China have been removed, there is nothing to stop it transferring data overseas, including to China.

The Australian Privacy Act allows for data to be transferred to China.

BYD said Chinese authorities had no access to the data of Australians.

BYD's new policy begins with the company saying it values and "respect our customer's privacy".

Ms Kemp said she could not remember reading a connected car privacy policy that "consistently meets requirements of fairness and reasonableness".

In April, Australia's privacy watchdog confirmed it was investigating Toyota and Hyundai over whether they were managing customer data from connected vehicles in accordance with the law.

Last month the government released draft legislation to update Australia's Privacy Act, acknowledging the risks posed by emerging technologies, including connected vehicles.

Ms Kemp said an overhaul of the Privacy Act was much needed.

Shortened to 1 minute of reading, this version reads 7.9 on the Niral Score.

You are reading our version, not theirs. This is ABC News (Just In)'s report shortened to its most important sentences, in plainer words, with verdicts and loaded words taken out. Plain description stays, and so do adjectives that carry a fact, such as "former" or "federal". The reporting, the facts and the quotations are theirs — quotations are never edited — and the indicators beside it measure this version. Hover or tap Adjectives to see every one left in the text.

How this outlet filed it, and how we rewrote it

No other newsroom we read has filed on this event, so there is nothing to compare it with yet.

Outlet Niral ScoreAdjectivesSourcingSentimentHappiness
ABC News (Just In)as they published this story 8 11 80 0.1 50.5
Mundane Readneutralized from ABC News (Just In) 8 11 80 0.1 50.5

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