A new car has over 1,400 microchips and runs on 100 million lines of code. Because it is connected, it can also collect a lot of data about you.
Your car is like your phone, computer or tablet now — always listening. What is your vehicle collecting? Way more than we’d all like to think.
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Your car is so nosey
The Vehicle Privacy Report is put out by a company called Privacy4Cars. They delete synched personal data from used cars before they’re resold — which is how carmakers comply with privacy laws and make money. But they offer tools for consumers, too.
One is a free privacy tool you can use. Your car’s maker might collect:
- Your name, address, email address, driver’s license number and other details.
- Location data that shows where you are and where you went.
- Biometrics collected by your car’s microphone and camera.
- Voice recordings collected by your car’s voice assistant.
- Data synched from your connected devices, like call records, text messages or contacts.
You’ll also see who your information is shared with — think insurance companies, the government and data brokers.
Go here to enter your car’s VIN. Depending on your car’s make and model, it can be pretty shocking.
One of my team members drives a Hyundai
Vehicle Privacy Report returned a rundown of the car. Hyundai collects information to predict your “preferences, characteristics, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, or similar behavioral information.” Uh, OK.
The carmaker shares and sells that info to its parent companies, subsidiaries, sister companies and service providers. That includes analytics partners, advertising agencies and social networks. Sheesh.
You can delete all that data from your car
Privacy4Cars also has a free iOS and Android app. With it, you can wipe out your phone book, call logs, text messages, navigation history, home address, garage door codes, passwords, biometrics and vehicle credentials.
My recommendation: Use Privacy4Cars after every rental and before selling, turning in or trading your vehicle. No, they didn’t ask me to tell you this. Just a smart privacy step.
Keep your tech-know going
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Plus, is your auto data for sale? Check out a free tool to see what info your car shares about you. A dad needs a way to monitor his kid’s iPad use — I give my advice. A crazy dating site based on “hotness,” how to stand out in video calls and protect your privacy before selling your old phone.
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