Munich, Germany, Oct. 30, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Otonomo, the first neutral automotive data services platform, today announced the Anonymization Engine, an integrated service designed to dynamically protect driver data while simplifying anonymous automotive data integration for app developers and service providers. With the Anonymization Engine, OEMs are able to easily maintain driver privacy and comply with regulations such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). App and service providers gain access to valuable, anonymized data that they can confidently use to deliver a wide range of offerings, such as smart city planning and mapping, weather and hazard safety alerts, predictive maintenance and vehicle health management, and traffic pattern research for retail, media and many other use cases.
In May 2018, Otonomo announced the Consent Management Hub which validates driver consent with each personal data request from third-party mobility service providers. With the addition of the Anonymization Engine, Otonomo is poised to address both personalized or anonymized use cases in a single platform.
The Anonymization Engine utilizes sophisticated anonymization techniques to provide robust GDPR-compliant data privacy safeguards while preserving the commercial value of the data, based on its intended use. Service providers and app developers benefit from improved data usability and privacy by design in the Otonomo Platform. Drivers benefit from improved privacy protections and higher quality services available to them.
“Otonomo’s Anonymization Engine intelligently anonymizes driver data, which can be used for data-driven models for real-time traffic management and various mobility services,” said Carmen Nowack, Solution Director Data at PTV Group. “We commend Otonomo’s vision in creating the Anonymization Engine and respect its ability to dynamically select the proper techniques based on the individual use case which in turn, yields high-value data while resolving data privacy concerns”. PTV Group is a Karlsruhe-based software company enabling clients worldwide to catch their connection to the mobility of the future.
“Otonomo is helping redefine the nature of how automotive data creates value for drivers and the mobility community,” said Roger Lanctot, Director of Automotive Connected Mobility for Strategy Analytics, Inc. “Too many car makers are clinging to subscription-based models when the real value will be realized from the kind of anonymized data sharing and aggregation enabled by the Otonomo Anonymization Engine.”
A driver can be identified not only by personal information like their name and cell phone, but also indirectly by his or her VIN number, vehicle location, or trip patterns. The Otonomo Anonymization Engine begins by stripping out all personally identifiable information (PII) elements, followed by one or more additional anonymization techniques including: blurring location accuracy / frequency, vehicle ID changes, replacing raw data with trip aggregation, and more.
“In order to deliver valuable anonymized data, Otonomo understands different use cases require different anonymization techniques,” said Amir Freund, Chief Product Officer, Otonomo. “For example, parking use cases require precise locations, so location blurring is not a practical way to anonymize the data. However, vehicle ID can be blurred and changed very often. Other use cases such as in-vehicle and external media measurement allow for some location blurring but do not support frequent vehicle ID changes. The Otonomo Anonymization Engine can handle such complex scenarios, dynamically selecting the optimal anonymization technique for each data application.”
The Otonomo Anonymization Engine is available now as an embedded service within the Otonomo Automotive Data Services Platform or as an on-premise managed service for OEMs. To learn more about Otonomo, visit www.otonomo.io.
About Otonomo
Otonomo paves the way for new apps and services that make transportation safer, more convenient, and truly rewarding. We offer the first neutral automotive data services platform, which provides simple, secure data access and transforms data into actionable insights for services such as predictive maintenance, emergency services, on-demand fueling, in-vehicle delivery, insurance, and smart cities. With a research and development center in Herzliya, Israel, and presence in the United States, Europe, and Japan, we have more than 75 partners in our ecosystem. Leading venture capital and strategic investors include Bessemer Venture Partners, Aptiv, Dell Technologies Capital, Hearst Ventures, Stageone Ventures, and Maniv Mobility.