I recently got into a Hertz car that appeared to have a camera in the corner of the Neverlost system. Are they watching me?

The newest variation of Hertz’s GPS, the Neverlost (NL6) does indeed have a camera – but it is not operational. The camera is in the top right corner of the device behind a dark window. The smaller clear window to the left is the flash. The knob on top of the unit allows the driver to rotate the camera to three different positions or turn it off. This is part of Hertz’s long-term plan to turn the car into the rental location. The vision is to allow a renter to get a car anytime from anywhere without needing an open rental location and a live rental agent (think Zipcar). Instead the traveler can make a reservation on a mobile device, get a code to unlock the car, and then interact with the tablet in the car to select options (GPS, insurance, etc.). The camera would allow a traveler to hold his or her license up for a picture that is transmitted to a rental agent. If the car is in an accident the tablet will know it and alert a Hertz representative who can pop onto the tablet to ask if help is needed (think OnStar). That’s all down the road – for right now and for the foreseeable future know that whether you turn them off or not, the cameras are not operational.