Modern cars are rolling data collection devices. They record where you drive, how fast, how hard you brake, when you leave home, and — in many cases — the content of your phone calls and text messages. And much of this data gets sold.
What Your Car Collects
A 2023 report from the Mozilla Foundation reviewed the privacy policies of 25 major car brands and found that all 25 collected more personal data than necessary, with 76% sharing or selling that data to third parties. The data collected includes:
- GPS location and driving routes
- Driving behavior (speed, acceleration, braking)
- Time and frequency of trips
- Contacts, call logs, and text messages synced via Bluetooth
- Voice commands given to in-car assistants
- Video from exterior and interior cameras (in some models)
Nissan's privacy policy, Mozilla found, claims the right to collect and share "sexual activity" and "immigration status" among other sensitive categories. General Motors sold driving behavior data to insurance companies, resulting in higher premiums for drivers who didn't know they'd opted in.
The General Motors Data Scandal
In 2024, it was reported that General Motors had been sharing detailed driving data — through a program called OnStar Smart Driver — with data brokers LexisNexis and Verisk, which then sold it to auto insurance companies. Drivers who enrolled in OnStar saw their insurance premiums increase significantly. Many had no idea they'd enrolled or that their data was being shared.
What You Can Do
Don't connect your phone via Bluetooth or USB for contacts and messages. You can use Bluetooth for audio without syncing your contacts and call logs. When your car prompts you to sync contacts, decline.
Review your car manufacturer's connected services settings. Many cars come with data-sharing features enabled by default. Log into your car manufacturer's app or owner portal and review what data sharing you've opted into.
Opt out of telematics programs. If you have OnStar, Hyundai Blue Link, Toyota Connected Services, or similar, review the data sharing settings and opt out of programs that share driving data with third parties.
Use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay for navigation. These keep your phone's data on your phone rather than in the car's system.
When You Sell or Trade In Your Car
Before selling your car, perform a factory reset through the infotainment system to clear your synced contacts, navigation history, and any paired device information. This is often overlooked and means buyers — or dealers — can access your personal data from the previous owner's connected phone.