Your Newer-Model Car Is Probably Spying on You, Research Finds

Onboard technology has made our lives easier in many ways, with vehicle navigation systems and even the ability to take calls and stream music right from our driver's seat. But that convenience has come with a price: our personal data. At least that's according to Mozilla, which found that modern cars are a "privacy nightmare."

As part of a project called *Privacy Not Included, the open source non-profit organization researched 25 car brands. Every single car brand failed the test, and cars in general landed as the "official worst category of products for privacy" ever reviewed. Modern cars were found to not only collect more personal data than necessary, but use that information for reasons other than to operate your vehicle and manage a relationship with you.

Popular global brands including BMW, Ford, Toyota, Tesla, Kia, and Subaru were found to collect "deeply personal data" on their users, such as immigration status, race, facial expressions, weight, health and genetic information, and where you drive. Mozilla's researchers found that data is being gathered by a combination of sensors, microphones, and cameras; as well as the car's app, which provides a gateway to information on your phone; and third-party apps like Sirius XM and Google Maps.

To add some stark context, the organization notes that just 63 percent of mental health apps—another product category that has relatively low marks when to comes to privacy—got dinged in the study, compared to 100 percent of car brands.

And worse, we don't know what car companies are doing with this information. Of the brands surveyed, 84 percent said that they can share your personal data with service providers, data brokers, and other businesses; while 76 percent said that they can sell your personal data. An additional 56 percent also said that they can share information with government or law enforcement agencies with something as simple as a breezy "informal request."

But while car drivers may inadvertently agree to having their personal data harvested through intentionally convoluted privacy agreements, the waters of consent are muddied even further when it comes to passengers. Subaru, for instance, states that passengers are considered "users" which have consented to the company's privacy policy just by entering the car. Other brands say that it's the driver's responsibility to inform passengers of the vehicle's privacy policies, even though many typically do not fully understand them in the first place.

"Many people think of their car as a private space—somewhere to call your doctor, have a personal conversation with your kid on the way to school, cry your eyes out over a break-up, or drive places you might not want the world to know about," *PNI Program Director Jen Caltrider said in a statement. "But that perception no longer matches reality. All new cars today are privacy nightmares on wheels that collect huge amounts of personal information."

The research project found Nissan to be the worst offender; the company admits to collecting a wide range of information in its privacy policy including sexual activity, health diagnosis data, and genetic data. However, it doesn't say exactly how it collects this information.

Other brands that fared poorly include Volkswagen, Kia, Toyota, and Mercedes-Benz. The latter brand even manufactures certain models with TikTok pre-installed—an app that has likewise raised concerns about data security and privacy.