Your car and its mobile app are probably handing over all kinds of data to tech companies

Modern vehicles equipped with connected car technology, like WiFi and GPS, amass a significant amount of data about their owners. This information is not safeguarded, according to a study by Northeastern University researchers and Consumer Reports. The study, set to publish soon, examined 21 late-model vehicles from 17 manufacturers, including GM's Cadillac and Chevrolet, Ford, Lucid, Rivian, Tesla, Toyota, and more. Additionally, 30 companion mobile apps were analyzed to assess their privacy implications.

The results are alarming for consumers, as their data is shared with numerous tech companies, including Adobe, ContentSquare, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Snap, and Yahoo. Nineteen of the 21 vehicles sent data to at least one third party, while seven of the 30 apps disclosed sensitive data such as vehicle identification numbers, emails, phone numbers, and precise locations to tracking and advertising firms.

In many cases, multiple types of information were shared with the same third party, allowing advertisers and data brokers to create detailed consumer profiles.

These profiles are challenging for consumers to erase as they are sold to various entities, including insurers and banks. When the companion app was paired with the vehicle, the exposure to advertising and tracking companies roughly doubled. Automakers were informed of these findings, but most shifted the blame to consumers, with Honda being the exception.

Honda responded by improving its data collection practices after learning about the findings and ordered its vendor Amplitude to delete all geolocation data it had collected.

Several automakers revealed that some links within their companion apps directed users to external webpages, potentially exposing customer data through cookies. Regardless of the data collection method, drivers were not informed about the extent of their personal information being shared.