Cars collect a lot of our personal data, and car companies disclose a lot of that data to third parties.
A recent New York Times article highlighted how data is shared by G.M. with insurance companies, sometimes without clear knowledge from the driver.
In some cases, you may even be able to opt out of some of that sharing of data.
A car can collect all sorts of data in the background with and without you realizing it.
The list of data collected is long and dependent on the car's make, model, and trim.
Some usage data may be shared or used internally for advertising.
Your daily driving or car maintenance habits, alongside location data, is a valuable asset to the targeted advertising ecosystem.
Surprise insurance sharing is the thrust of The New York Times article, and certainly not the only problem with car data.
Every state except California currently allows the use of telematics data for insurance rating, but privacy protections for this data vary widely across states.
Some car makers might share only small amounts of data, like an odometer reading, while others might share specific details about driving habits.
There's little doubt that many cars sell other data for behavioral advertising, and like the rest of that industry, it's nearly impossible to track exactly where your data goes and how it's used.
Once you enter your car's VIN, the site provides a rough idea of what sorts of data your car collects.
Check the Privacy Options In Your Car's Apps and Infotainment SystemIf you use an app for your car, head into the app's settings, and look for any sort of data sharing options.
Be mindful that, at least according to Mozilla's report on Tesla, opting out of certain data sharing might someday make the car undriveable.
File a Privacy Request with the Car MakerNext, file a privacy request with the car manufacturer so you can see exactly what data the company has collected about you.
Every company tends to word these requests a little differently, but you're looking for options to get a copy of your data, and ask them to stop sharing it.
Check for Data On Popular Data Brokers Known to Share with InsurersFinally, request your data from data brokers known to hand car data to insurers.
In most states, within 45 to 90 days you should receive an email from the car maker, and another from the data brokers, which will often include a link to your data.
That's why we need much more than these consumer rights to know, to delete, and to opt-out of disclosure: we also need laws that automatically require corporations to minimize the data they process about us, and to get our opt-in consent before processing our data.
As The New York Times' reporting revealed, many people were surprised to learn how their data is collected, disclosed, and used, even if there was an opt-in consent screen.
This Cyber News was published on www.eff.org. Publication date: Fri, 15 Mar 2024 17:13:05 +0000