Your car’s data privacy problems are worse than you think
A new study by Northeastern University and Consumer Reports reveals that modern vehicles collect and transmit vast amounts of personal driving data. Researchers found that automakers often share this information with third-party trackers, leaving consumers with little visibility or control over their privacy.
Why it matters
As cars become increasingly connected, the lack of transparency regarding data harvesting poses significant risks to consumer privacy and digital security.
You hear it all the time: Modern cars are basically smartphones on wheels. And just like the phone in your pocket, the car in your driveway collects vast amounts of data — tracking where you drive, how fast you accelerate, how hard you brake, how aggressively you turn, and much more.
The legality of this data harvesting remains hotly debated. Last year, the Federal Trade Commission penalized General Motors for illegally collecting and selling precise location and driving behavior data without informed consent. Other automakers, like Ford and Honda, have faced minor fines for making it overly difficult for customers to opt out. While industry observers long suspected that other carmakers were doing the same, the practice hadn’t been systematically investigated — until now.
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