INDIANAPOLIS (CONSUMER REPORTS) — Last year, a Consumer Reports investigation revealed your car may be collecting data about how you drive. Now, a new study using Consumer Reports’ own vehicles shows where some of that data is going, and you might be surprised how it could be connected back to you.
Your car is a critical part of your everyday life. But unbeknownst to you, your car and its connected apps may be double agents, spying on you and sending what they learn to some of the world’s biggest tech companies.
A team of researchers at Northeastern University actually came up to CR’s auto test center in Connecticut and tested all of the data and signals that emanate from your vehicle. Among the Top recipients: Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft. It can create a really detailed dossier about who you are. And that can inform banks, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies.
Several automakers told CR that drivers opt in and that some apps take users to external websites that can collect data. GM, Honda, Nissan, and Stellantis says some partners are barred from using or selling the data on their own. But after seeing the researchers’ findings, Honda told one vendor to delete the location data it received.
Surveys have shown that when consumers look at those terms and conditions, they unquestioningly accept them. So what can you do? Read before you tap “agree.” Check your automaker’s website or connected app to opt out of data sharing or delete your data. And turn off location sharing in the app if you can.
Just keep in mind that opting out could mean losing certain connected features, such as roadside assistance. Some automakers only accept opt-out requests from drivers in states with privacy laws. California was the first to pass one, and more than a dozen states have followed.
