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A Mozilla Foundation review of privacy policies for 25 popular car brands found that many allowed vehicle data to be shared or sold to third parties. The figures describe what the reviewed brands’ policies permitted—not proof that every brand made those transfers, or that every new car collects the same data.
What did the car privacy review find?
A 2023 Mozilla Foundation review examined the privacy practices of 25 car brands, according to carsales.com.au’s report on the study. The report names brands including Toyota, Tesla, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Hyundai, Kia, Honda, Subaru and Volkswagen.
As relayed by that article, Mozilla concluded that every brand in the review collected more personal data than necessary to operate the vehicle and manage the customer relationship, and used it for additional purposes. The article reports that 84% of the brands’ policies allowed vehicle data to be shared, and 76% allowed it to be sold to third parties, at least in the United States. It also says more than half could provide information to government or law-enforcement agencies when requested.
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These are findings about what policies allowed in the reviewed sample. They do not establish that each company actually shared or sold data in every instance, nor do they establish a universal rule about government access or warrants. The percentages should not be read as applying to every vehicle, model year, market or policy in force today.
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What does it mean for a car to share data?
Connected-car data flows can involve several distinct steps: a vehicle or service generates or collects information; the automaker or a vendor receives or processes it; and the applicable privacy notice describes how those parties may use or disclose it. Those steps are related, but collection, sharing and sale are not interchangeable terms.
Connected features may rely on vehicle data, and automakers can work with vendors and other entities in providing them. The ecosystem varies; a general explanation of connected-car data does not establish the practices of a particular make or model. See the Privacy4Cars connected-car data explainer for an overview.
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What data might a connected car collect?
The review’s reported summary does not provide a complete, vehicle-by-vehicle inventory of information collected. The type and use of data can depend on the car, its connected services and the applicable policy. To find out what applies to your vehicle, check the privacy notice for its make and model and for any associated app or connected service. Look for separate descriptions of information collected, who receives it, the purposes for use, and the circumstances for disclosure.
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How can you check your own vehicle?
- Identify the relevant notices. Check the automaker’s privacy policy and any notices for the vehicle’s app, connected services or optional features.
- Search for specific data practices. Look for sections on vehicle data, location, sharing, sale, vendors, service providers, retention and government or law-enforcement requests.
- Check settings and account choices. Review the vehicle’s infotainment and connected-service settings and your online account for privacy controls. What is available varies by vehicle and service.
- Ask the automaker about uncertainty. If a notice is unclear, ask what information your specific vehicle and enabled services collect, which parties receive it, and what choices are available.
A secondary report mentions Privacy4Cars’ Vehicle Privacy Report as a possible vehicle-investigation resource, but it does not establish the service’s current availability, coverage or geographic scope. Treat any third-party report as a starting point, and check whether it identifies the make, model year, evidence and update date it covers.
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Should you be worried about data your car collects?
The review raises a legitimate reason to examine connected-car privacy policies, especially because a policy may permit uses beyond operating the vehicle. But the reported percentages are not evidence that a particular car has transmitted information to a particular company. A practical first step is to identify the connected features you use, understand the relevant notices and settings, and decide which features are worth enabling based on the information involved.
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