DETROIT – If you bought a new car in the last five years, you might be sharing more than just the road. A new Consumer Reports investigation reveals that automakers could be tracking and selling your driving data, often without you even knowing it.
That new car of yours isn’t just tracking your mileage—a new Consumer Reports investigation reveals that nearly every major automaker in the U.S. is collecting so-called “driver behavior data”-everything from how hard you brake to how fast you accelerate.
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CR pored through thousands of pages of automakers’ privacy policies and questioned 15 major car companies selling vehicles in the U.S.
Consumer Reports investigative reporter Derek Kravitz says that BMW, Ford, Toyota, Honda, and others gather this information, often without drivers fully understanding what they’ve agreed to. Most drivers simply click “agree” on privacy forms when setting up their car’s infotainment system, unknowingly giving permission for their data to be collected and shared.
Read more: How to stop your car from collecting and sharing your data
Many automakers say they get your consent before sharing data and only pass it on to trusted partners. But when Consumer Reports asked them to name these companies, nearly all refused to say who.
CR found that your driving data often ends up with insurance companies and lenders who can use it to determine premiums and loan terms. This creates what experts call a “driver score” similar to a credit score.
There is a way to take control of your data. Most automakers allow consumers to submit requests to limit data sharing or delete their information completely. You can often complete an online form on the automaker’s website or change privacy settings through your car’s connected mobile app. But there’s often a trade-off - opting out could mean losing access to features like roadside assistance, crash detection, or remote door locking.
Taking just a few minutes to check your privacy options could prevent your driving habits from becoming someone else’s profit. Sixteen states now have privacy laws requiring companies to let customers opt out of data collection, with more states expected to follow suit.
More: Consumer Reports
Ford Motor Company reached out to Local 4 and shared the following statement:
Ford does not sell any connected vehicle data to brokers, period.
Ford provides customers with a choice as to whether or not they wish to share connected vehicle data with us. Using in-vehicle settings, customers may turn vehicle connectivity off entirely (resulting in a disconnection from the cellular network) and may use granular settings that control sharing vehicle data (e.g., odometer, oil level), driving data (e.g., braking), and/or location data with Ford. Customers may continue to use services that do not rely on the data they choose not to share with us. For example, customers who choose not to share location data may not use the ‘Find my Vehicle’ feature on their FordPass or Lincoln Way app but can still receive vehicle health alerts. Consumers can exercise their privacy rights through webforms that are available on our website.
Customers can learn more about the connected vehicle data we collect, use and share in our Connected Vehicle Privacy Notice, available at Ford® Privacy Policy | Ford.com. The Connected Vehicle Privacy Notice supplements Ford’s general U.S. Privacy Notice. Customers may also choose to download the FordPass and LincolnWay apps and associate their vehicle with their FordPass or LincolnWay accounts so that, for example, they can use the app to “Find My Vehicle” or enable other connected services. These customers can learn more about Ford’s relevant privacy practices by reviewing The FordPass Terms and Privacy Policy[1] and The Lincoln Way Terms and Privacy Policy.
We also provide persistent data sharing icons to indicate when the vehicle is transmitting data, as well as notices on window etchings, the window sticker, the owner’s manual, info buttons on the settings, and on an in-vehicle screen when someone associates their VIN with their Ford Pass account. On some model year vehicles, consumers can tap on the icon and it brings them right to their connectivity settings.
