The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Connected cars may collect information about the vehicle, its location and driving, and how occupants use connected features. Depending on the vehicle and services enabled, that information may be handled by the automaker, connected-service or infotainment providers, apps, or third-party devices. What is collected, transmitted, and shared varies; no single list applies to every car.
What data can a connected car collect?
The Federal Trade Commission’s January 2018 staff report describes examples raised at a 2017 workshop. They illustrate possible categories, not a current checklist for any particular model.
- Location: real-time or precise geolocation used by connected features such as navigation or emergency assistance.
- Driving behavior: information such as speed, hard braking, or other driving events.
- Vehicle condition and performance: diagnostic information about vehicle systems, as well as performance or fuel-economy data.
- Connected-phone and infotainment activity: contacts accessed from a paired phone, browsing habits, and app use.
- Biometric identifiers: in some systems, fingerprint or iris patterns used for authentication.
- Safety messages: some vehicle-to-vehicle systems transmit information such as speed, direction, and brake status.
Collection can occur through manufacturer services, infotainment systems, or third-party devices plugged into a vehicle’s diagnostic port. Whether data stays in the car or is sent elsewhere depends on the feature and system design. FTC staff report on connected-car privacy and security.
Why is the data collected?
Data may support the service a driver expects, such as navigation, real-time traffic, emergency response, diagnostics, infotainment, or safety communications. It can also support traffic management and insurance services. A feature’s immediate purpose does not, by itself, tell you whether data will later be used for another purpose or shared with another organization. The FTC report notes that secondary uses, including targeted advertising, can raise privacy concerns.
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Safety-critical communications may work differently from non-safety features. For example, the FTC report discusses vehicle-to-vehicle messages about speed, direction, and braking separately from information accessed after a phone is synced with infotainment. The data involved and available choices depend on the system.
Who may be able to access connected-car data?
Potential participants include the automaker, connected-service provider, infotainment platform, apps, and providers of devices plugged into the vehicle’s diagnostic port. Depending on an arrangement, information may also reach insurers or consumer reporting agencies. The presence of a connected feature does not establish that every participant receives every type of data.
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A specific example comes from the FTC’s case against General Motors and OnStar. In January 2025, the agency alleged that the companies shared precise location and driving-behavior information with consumer reporting agencies, and that reports were used by insurers in decisions about coverage and rates. The FTC said some GM users’ precise geolocation was collected as often as every three seconds. These are allegations about some GM users, not a collection rate or sharing practice established for connected cars generally. FTC announcement of the GM and OnStar proposed order.
What does the final GM and OnStar order require?
On January 14, 2026, the FTC announced a finalized order against General Motors LLC, General Motors Holdings LLC, and OnStar LLC. It is a company-specific order, not a universal connected-car rule. The FTC says the order:
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- Bars the named companies from disclosing covered geolocation and driver-behavior data to consumer reporting agencies for five years.
- Requires affirmative express consent for covered collection, use, and sharing, subject to exceptions, for the order’s 20-year term.
- Requires a process for U.S. consumers to request a copy of their data and seek deletion.
- Requires an option to disable precise-geolocation collection where the vehicle has the necessary technology.
- Requires an opt-out for geolocation and driver-behavior collection, subject to limited exceptions.
The precise-geolocation control is conditional on the vehicle having the necessary technology, and the order’s requirements apply to the named companies. They should not be assumed to describe controls offered by other automakers. FTC announcement of the final order; FTC case docket.
How can you check or limit collection in your car?
- Read the current privacy notice. Find the notice for your vehicle and connected service, and check which data categories are collected, whether they are transmitted, who receives them, and any stated secondary uses or retention periods.
- Review connected-service and location settings. Look for consent, opt-out, and disable options. Check whether a setting applies to precise location, driving behavior, or only a particular feature; safety-related functions may have different limits.
- Check paired phones and apps. Review what contacts, app activity, or other phone information the infotainment system can access, and check the permissions and privacy terms of connected apps.
- Account for optional devices and programs. Check whether an insurance program or a plug-in diagnostic-port device receives driving data, and review that provider’s terms separately from the automaker’s notice.
- Before selling or transferring the car, remove personal connections. Follow the owner’s manual and account instructions to remove profiles, paired phones, saved destinations, and connected-service accounts. There is no universal reset procedure established for every model, and one reset should not be assumed to erase every copy of data held by a service provider.
For comparisons between vehicles or services, look at the same questions in each privacy notice: categories collected, whether information leaves the vehicle, named recipients and purposes, consent and opt-out choices, access and deletion processes, retention, and controls for phones, apps, and optional devices.
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What the available evidence does not establish
The FTC materials provide a U.S. federal perspective: a 2018 staff report based on a 2017 workshop, the 2025 GM and OnStar allegations, and the finalized 2026 order. They do not establish a current inventory of every automaker’s practices, a universal retention period, or what laws apply in every state or country. They also do not provide a reliable population statistic for how many cars collect any particular category of data. Check the current vehicle- and service-specific notices for the applicable details.
Quick Recap
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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