Connected Cars Share Your Data: New Study Reveals Privacy Risks

Your Connected Car Is Collecting Your Data

Modern-day vehicles built with connected car technology such as WiFi and GPS collect reams of data about their owners. Every trip, every destination, and every connected feature can generate information about the person behind the wheel.

And that data is not staying private, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Northeastern University. The findings suggest that the information gathered by your car does not simply remain stored on board or with the manufacturer.

That conclusion isn’t new. There have been numerous investigations and lawsuits exposing how driving data is collected and shared with third parties, including insurance companies. What the study reveals is just how vast the problem is and how hard it is for consumers to avoid, short of not using the vehicle or its convenient features like remote start and unlock.

That Data Isn't Staying Private

Modern-day vehicles built with connected car technology such as WiFi and GPS collect reams of data about their owners. According to a new study conducted by researchers at Northeastern University, that data is not staying private. The conclusion itself is not new. Numerous investigations and lawsuits have already exposed how driving data is collected and shared with third parties, including insurance companies. What the study reveals is just how vast the problem is — and how hard it is for consumers to avoid. Short of not using the vehicle or its convenient features like remote start and unlock, drivers have few ways to keep their information to themselves. In other words, the very technology that makes a car convenient is also what carries your data beyond it.

This Isn't a New Problem

The Northeastern University study's conclusion may be striking, but it isn't new. There have already been numerous investigations and lawsuits exposing how driving data is collected and shared with third parties, including insurance companies. Those earlier probes established what many drivers suspected: the information generated by their vehicles does not always remain between them and the manufacturer.

What the new study reveals is not the existence of the practice but its sheer vastness. The problem is also extraordinarily difficult for consumers to avoid. Short of not using the vehicle at all, drivers have few meaningful ways to escape data collection, particularly if they want to keep the convenient features they have come to rely on, such as remote start and unlock.

In other words, the findings add detail and scale to a concern that has been documented for years, rather than uncovering a wholly unfamiliar issue.

The Scale of the Problem and Your Limited Options

The Northeastern University study reveals just how vast the problem of connected car data collection really is. Modern-day vehicles built with connected car technology such as WiFi and GPS collect reams of data about their owners, and that data is not staying private.

Perhaps the most troubling finding is how hard it is for consumers to avoid. Short of not using the vehicle at all, drivers have few real choices. Even convenient features like remote start and unlock contribute to the data being gathered.

In other words, the very technology that makes a car useful and comfortable is also what exposes its owner. There is no simple setting or workaround that lets you keep the convenience while opting out of the collection.