Your car may be doing much more than taking you from one place to another. Modern connected vehicles can collect information about where you drive, how you drive and, in some cases, details from your smartphone.
A recent Gadget Review report has highlighted several systems through which cars can gather and transmit data, raising fresh questions about vehicle privacy.
The black box is only the beginning
Many modern vehicles have an Event Data Recorder, commonly known as a black box. It records technical information around a crash, including speed, braking, throttle position and seatbelt status.
Unlike connected systems, this data is generally stored inside the vehicle rather than continuously transmitted to outside servers.
Your car can send data while you drive
Connected vehicles can have telematics units containing cellular and GPS technology. These systems may transmit location, speed, vehicle diagnostics and driving information to manufacturer servers.
They also support useful features such as emergency services, remote locking, stolen-vehicle tracking and software updates. But the same connectivity can create a continuous stream of vehicle data.
Insurance can track driving habits too
Usage-based insurance programmes can monitor braking, acceleration, mileage, driving times and, depending on the system, location.
Drivers who use such programmes can receive discounts, but the information is also used to assess driving risk. Owners who do not want this type of monitoring can decline participation or cancel an existing programme and ask about deleting collected data.
Your phone may leave a trail behind
There is another privacy risk many drivers overlook. When a phone connects to a car’s infotainment system, contacts, call records and message previews can be stored in the vehicle.
Simply disconnecting the phone may not remove this information. Drivers selling a vehicle, returning a rental or handing it over for service should manually delete stored data and consider a factory reset.
A few settings can make a difference
Owners can review their car’s privacy and connectivity settings, disable unnecessary connected services and check what information is being shared through their vehicle account.
The important lesson is simple: convenience features can come with a data trail. Knowing what a car collects is the first step towards deciding what information you are comfortable sharing.