How cars became the worst product category for privacy

If you own a modern car, it’s probably spying on you in ways you’ve never imagined 🕵️

With increasingly advanced technology integrated within them to enhance convenience, safety, and entertainment, cars have become rolling computers. Unfortunately, as in nearly every other industry where personal user information becomes available, car companies have taken advantage of this trend as an opportunity to collect it and exploit you.

According to the Mozilla Foundation, cars are the worst product category they’ve ever reviewed for privacy. Yet, the general public seems largely unaware of just how much data these vehicles are collecting—and how invasive this surveillance really is.

Cars as a Vector for Data Collection

When you think about cars, you probably think about… driving. But for the companies who build them, vehicles represent something else too: a vector for gathering personal information. The collection and sale of personal data has become a bigger industry than manufacturing cars—so naturally car companies want a piece of the action.

Modern cars come equipped with sensors and systems designed to improve the experience of driving, but the actual scope of this data collection is staggering. GPS systems log your every move, from your daily commute to your late-night fast food runs. This data paints a detailed picture of your life—where you work, where you live, and who you spend time with.

Connecting your phone to your car’s hands-free system may seem like a harmless convenience, but in doing so, you’re handing over your call logs, contacts, and even text messages. Six months ago, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen, and General Motors faced a class action lawsuit in Washington State for intercepting text messages—but it was dismissed because it didn’t meet the threshold for an “illegal privacy violation.”

What Your Car Knows About You

Cars today monitor much more than just your location. Many collect data on your driving behavior, such as speed, braking patterns, and the features you use most often. Some even include health monitoring systems that track your heart rate, stress levels, and fatigue. All of this information about you is collected without any clarity about how securely it’s stored.

Want to know exactly what data your car collects? Good luck. Most manufacturers bury this information in lengthy, convoluted privacy policies designed to confuse rather than inform. Even if you manage to parse the legalese, you’ll likely discover that the data is shared with unnamed third parties—usually insurance companies, advertisers, and, in some cases, law enforcement agencies.

The Dangers of Shared Data

The implications of this data sharing are unsettling. Insurance companies could use driving or biometric data to adjust your premiums. Police may access location data without a court order, tracking your movements without your consent. And then there’s the ever-present risk of data breaches. In the Mozilla Foundation’s study, not a single car manufacturer could confirm whether locally stored data in their vehicles was encrypted.

It gets worse. Some manufacturers are exploring ways to integrate this data collection into systems of  financial control. Ford, for instance, filed a patent last year for a system that could repossess cars autonomously if a payment is missed. Imagine your vehicle locking you out or driving itself back to the dealership because of an overdue bill. This isn’t science fiction; it’s an imminent reality.

Opting Out Is Not an Option

Frustratingly, there’s no easy way to opt out of this surveillance. These privacy policies aren’t optional, and every major manufacturer engages in similar practices. Your only real alternative is to drive an older, pre-digital car. But this comes with its own downsides, such as missing out on modern safety features that could save your life in a crash.

This trade-off is emblematic of a larger issue: we’re being forced to choose between safety and privacy, an absurd paradigm that benefits corporations while leaving consumers stuck.

Fighting Back Against Invasive Practices

So, what can you do about it? On an individual level, options are limited. The real solution lies in collective action. Grassroots activism has successfully pushed for stronger privacy protections in other industries, and the same can happen here. By raising awareness and pressuring lawmakers to hold car manufacturers accountable, we can demand better privacy standards.

The fact that you’re reading this is already a step in the right direction. Staying informed, speaking out, and supporting initiatives that prioritize privacy can help shift the balance of power back to consumers. The more noise we make, the harder it will be for companies to sweep these practices under the rug.