Your Car Is Selling Your Data
The Hidden Privacy Crisis on Wheels
By Andrew Hawkins | September 13, 2026
Modern vehicles have become smartphones on wheels—and like smartphones, they're constantly collecting data about you. But unlike your phone, your car may be selling that data to third parties without your meaningful consent.
The amount of personal information that many cars collect—and sell—is staggering. From your daily commute routes to your braking habits, from your weight to your sexual orientation, today's connected vehicles are gathering unprecedented amounts of data. And in most cases, drivers have no idea it's happening.
What Your Car Knows About You
Today's average connected car generates up to 25 gigabytes of data per hour, according to industry estimates. That data includes:
- Location history: Everywhere you drive, parked, and stopped
- Driving behavior: Speed, braking patterns, acceleration, cornering
- Biometric data: Weight (via seat sensors), heart rate (via steering wheel sensors), and even facial expressions (via driver-monitoring cameras)
- Personal details: Your name, address, phone contacts, and calendar entries synced via Bluetooth
- Inferred characteristics: Researchers have found that vehicle data can reveal sensitive information including religion, sexual orientation, and immigration status
The Data Broker Economy
Automakers have quietly built a multi-billion-dollar data economy. Companies like General Motors, Ford, Honda, and others sell vehicle data to data brokers, insurance companies, advertisers, and analytics firms.
In a 2024 investigation, the New York Times found that GM was selling data on millions of drivers to brokers, who then sold it to insurance companies—often resulting in higher premiums for drivers based on their driving habits. Similar practices have been documented across the industry.
By 2026, the market for connected car data has only expanded. Telematics data is now a core revenue stream for many automakers, who argue that data collection improves safety and enables features like usage-based insurance.
Why It Matters
The problem isn't just that data is collected—it's that:
- Consent is often buried: Data-sharing agreements are hidden in lengthy terms of service that few drivers read.
- Opting out is difficult: Many automakers make it nearly impossible to disable data collection entirely.
- Regulation lags behind: While the EU's GDPR and California's CCPA offer some protections, enforcement in the automotive sector remains weak.
- Sensitive inferences: Data brokers can infer deeply personal characteristics from seemingly innocuous driving data.
- Review privacy settings in your vehicle's infotainment system and companion app
- Opt out of data-sharing programs where possible (look for terms like "smart driver" or "usage-based insurance")
- Disable connectivity features you don't use, such as Wi-Fi hotspots or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication
- Request your data from automakers under GDPR or CCPA
- Support stronger regulation by contacting your representatives
The Mozilla Foundation's Privacy Not Included project has repeatedly ranked cars as the worst product category for privacy—worse than smartphones, smart TVs, or fitness trackers.
Regulatory Pressure Builds
Governments are beginning to take notice. In 2025, the FTC filed a lawsuit against GM and OnStar over deceptive data collection practices. Several states have introduced bills requiring explicit opt-in consent for vehicle data sharing.
The EU's Data Act, fully in force by 2026, grants drivers greater control over data generated by their vehicles. But enforcement and compliance remain uneven across jurisdictions.
What Drivers Can Do
While the system is stacked against consumers, there are steps you can take:
The Road Ahead
The connected car revolution offers real benefits: improved safety, better navigation, and the promise of autonomous driving. But those benefits shouldn't come at the cost of your privacy.
The question isn't whether cars should collect data—it's who owns that data, who profits from it, and whether drivers have a real choice. Until automakers and regulators prioritize transparency and consent, your car will keep selling your secrets.
Andrew Hawkins is a senior transportation and tech reporter covering the intersection of mobility, data, and privacy.
via The Verge