This study looks at how and with whom connected cars share your data
- This week, researchers from Northeastern University in collaboration with Consumer Reports published findings showing all 21 tested vehicles transmitted data to at least one third-party domain over Wi-Fi, with over half contacting advertising, tracking, and analytics firms including Adobe, LexisNexis, and Amplitude.
- Modern cars collect vast amounts of data tracking location, acceleration, braking, and turning patterns through connected WiFi and GPS technology, a concern the 2023 Mozilla Foundation called 'the worst product category we have ever reviewed for privacy.'
- Tesla's Model 3 topped the chart by contacting 34 advertising and tracking domains plus 37 infotainment domains, while seven companion apps including HondaLink and MyNissan transmitted sensitive vehicle identification numbers, emails, phone numbers, and precise locations to third-party trackers.
- Honda responded by requesting its analytics provider Amplitude delete geolocation data and updated HondaLink to cease transmitting location, while all other automakers except Honda shifted blame to consumers or embedded browsers, claiming data transmission aligned with third-party service contracts.
- Researcher David Choffnes argued automakers must rebuild trust through explicit opt-in rather than opt-out mechanisms, as data sold to insurers and banks creates persistent consumer profiles that are difficult to escape, raising consumer protection concerns.
16 Articles
16 Articles
SCIENCE & TECH: Major report says it’s now impossible to ‘buy a new car that does not track you’ — as Tesla is branded one of the worst offenders for privacy breaches
Consumer Reports has released a study on car privacy practices The report found huge privacy breaches across the board Big Tech firms are some of the largest recipients of your personal data Your car could be leaking personal information to Big Tech data brokers and invading your privacy without your knowledge. That’s the conclusion of a new study from Consumer Reports, and it will be uncomfortable reading for anyone who’s concerned that their c…
TechCrunch
BizTocYour car and its mobile app are probably handing over all kinds of data to tech companies
Researchers at Northeastern University found vehicles and their companion apps regularly shared detailed data with some of the largest tech companies.
Your car’s data privacy problems are worse than you think
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 […]
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