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Connected cars can collect and transmit sensitive information about a vehicle and its use—including precise location and driving behavior—but what a particular car gathers depends on its model, year, services, account links, and settings. To understand the risk, check not only what the car can collect, but where that data goes and which controls apply to your vehicle.
Why connected cars can function as surveillance platforms
A connected vehicle combines onboard computing with sensors, cameras, software, telematics, and external connections. Those systems can support navigation, emergency assistance, remote access, infotainment, internet connectivity, and software updates. Information generated in the process may describe the car, its driver or occupants, its surroundings, or a connected device.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) identifies potential connected-car data categories that include biometric, telematic, geolocation, video, and other personal information. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s connected-vehicle rulemaking document likewise describes vehicles as networks of computers, sensors, cameras, software, and external connections, and discusses possible privacy, cybersecurity, national-security, and public-safety implications. These sources describe capabilities and risks, not a standard inventory for every vehicle.
The practical meaning of “surveillance platform” is therefore about capability and risk: a vehicle’s data systems can create detailed records and send some information beyond the car. It does not mean every car continuously records everything, or that every manufacturer collects or shares the same information.
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What information may be collected—and how it can leave the car
Connected-car data can arise from several different systems. Distinguishing them helps you find the relevant settings and understand which organization or account may be involved.
| Data pathway | What it can involve | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle systems | Information generated by onboard equipment, such as telematics, location-related systems, sensors, or cameras. | Which categories the vehicle’s privacy notice names and whether in-car controls affect them. |
| Connected services | Information transmitted to a manufacturer or service provider to support features such as navigation, emergency assistance, remote access, or updates. | Which services are enabled, what information each uses, and whether enrollment or a subscription affects collection. |
| Manufacturer account or app | Information linked to an account associated with a vehicle, including location in some services. | Account privacy controls, linked vehicles, and unlinking or account-removal steps. Deleting an app may not end account-based sharing. |
| Paired phone or other device | Information brought into the car through a connected device or infotainment system. | What device data is stored in the car and how to remove pairings and stored information before transferring the vehicle. |
Location and driving behavior can be especially consequential because they can reveal patterns of movement and vehicle use. The recipient and purpose matter too: collection by a carmaker for a service is different from disclosure to another organization for a separate use.
What the FTC’s GM and OnStar case establishes
In January 2025, the FTC announced a proposed action against General Motors (GM) and OnStar. The agency alleged that enrollment in Smart Driver did not clearly disclose the collection and sharing of precise geolocation and driving-behavior information—including hard braking, late-night driving, and speeding—with consumer reporting agencies. The FTC said those agencies used the information to compile consumer reports that insurers used when setting rates or denying insurance. These were allegations in the FTC’s 2025 announcement.
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FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said the agency’s allegations involved monitoring and selling precise geolocation and driving-behavior information “sometimes as often as every three seconds.” That figure describes the agency’s statement about the GM matter; it is not a general measurement of connected cars.
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In January 2026, the FTC announced that it had finalized an order against GM and OnStar. The order’s terms apply to those companies, not to automakers generally:
- For five years, it bars specified disclosures of geolocation and driving-behavior data to consumer reporting agencies.
- For its 20-year term, it requires affirmative express consent before the companies collect, use, or share covered connected-vehicle data, subject to exceptions such as providing location to emergency first responders.
- It requires ways for U.S. consumers to request a copy of their data and seek its deletion, to disable precise geolocation collection where vehicle technology permits, and to opt out of geolocation and driving-behavior data collection or sharing, subject to exceptions.
How to check the privacy controls for your car
Use information for the exact make, model, model year, country, and connected services involved. A manual or privacy notice for a different model year may describe different features or menu paths.
- Read the vehicle privacy notice. Look for the types of information named—such as location, driving behavior, biometric, video or audio, account, and device data—and note the purposes and recipient categories described.
- Check the manufacturer account and app. Review connected services, linked vehicles, account privacy options, and any opt-in or opt-out controls. Do not assume that deleting the app removes a vehicle from an associated account.
- Inspect the in-car settings. Look for privacy, connectivity, location, data-sharing, or service settings, then consult the owner’s manual for what each control does on your model.
- Before selling or transferring the car, remove your links and stored data. Follow the manual’s instructions for removing the vehicle from accounts and performing a master or factory reset or connectivity reset. The FTC has published guidance reminding consumers to wipe car data before selling; Ford’s notice also points owners to reset procedures and in-vehicle settings or the manual.
Controls can be brand- and feature-specific. For example, Ford says that deleting its app alone does not stop sharing associated with a Ford or Lincoln account; its notice directs owners to account removal, vehicle resets, in-car settings, or the manual depending on the feature and model. Ford also says certain model-year 2024 vehicles with Ford Digital Experience display a Wi-Fi/cellular indicator for potential transmission of vehicle or driving data. These disclosures describe Ford systems, not a common interface across manufacturers.
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Compare the privacy terms and controls for the specific vehicles and services you are considering, rather than relying on a broad brand reputation or a single feature label.
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| Comparison point | Questions to ask |
|---|---|
| Data categories | Does the notice name precise location, driving behavior, biometric, video or audio, account, or device information? |
| Collection pathway | Does the feature use embedded telematics, connected services, an app or account, infotainment, or a paired phone? |
| Recipients and purposes | Does the notice identify the manufacturer, service providers, consumer reporting agencies, insurers, data brokers, or law enforcement as recipients, and explain why data is shared? |
| Available controls | Can you give or withhold consent, opt out, disable location collection, request access or deletion, unlink an account, change in-car settings, or reset stored data? |
| Conditions and limits | Do controls depend on model year, service enrollment, subscription, country or state, account status, or vehicle capability? |
A VIN-based Vehicle Privacy Report from Privacy4Cars may be a useful starting point: the Associated Press has described it as a free lookup that summarizes stated practices, including location collection and sharing with insurers, data brokers, or law enforcement. Treat it as a summary of published practices, not an independent inspection of a vehicle’s actual network traffic.
The available evidence does not establish a current, comprehensive privacy ranking of automakers or a universal way to turn off telematics. A privacy notice, lookup, or settings screen can help explain stated practices and available controls; none by itself proves every transmission a particular car makes in real-world use.
Why minimizing collection matters
Controls can help, but they may differ by service and vehicle. When a feature does not need sensitive information to serve your purpose, it is worth checking whether you can decline that collection or use the feature without it. In a 2024 FTC blog post, staff from its Office of Technology and Division of Privacy and Identity Protection wrote: “The easiest way that companies can avoid harming consumers from the collection, use, and sharing of sensitive information is by simply not collecting it in the first place.”
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