As new vehicles become more like computers, what car shoppers need to know

Today’s new cars are packed with high-tech features for car buyers, from their own operating system to navigation and remote unlocking.

But the progress raises questions about driver privacy, said Ivan Drury, chief information officer at Edmunds, an auto site.

“Even though we’ve made progress with new features, a lot of them are data-dependent,” he said, whether through a in-car computer or a GPS service on your phone that connects to your car’s systems.

Almost all new vehicles collect different types of details about you — and they will share and sell that data, according to a September report from data privacy advocate Mozilla, which examined the privacy practices of 25 different car brands .

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Most of the brands examined, 84%, share personal data with service providers, data brokers and other unnamed parties, according to the report. Around 76%, or 19 of the brands surveyed, say they sell customer data to third parties.

Only two automobile brands currently allow users to delete their personal data, Mozilla found: Renault and Dacia.

“It’s still kind of the ‘Wild, Wild West’ when it comes to data collection and aggregation,” said Theresa Payton, founder, president and CEO of Fortalice Solutions, a cybersecurity consulting firm.

“There remain several challenges ahead for consumers,” she said, as drivers try to find the best car that fits their budget and their own privacy concerns.

To be sure, the data collected by cars these days may not be much different from that shared by the “cell phones already in our pockets,” said Tom McParland, editor for the automotive website Jalopnik and operator of the data service. vehicle purchase Automatch Consulting.

Drury said: “Think about how you use your phone. There are a lot of things people don’t realize that they’ve already given up on when it comes to data. »

While it’s still difficult to do your own research, car buyers can take three steps to evaluate potential new cars, experts say.

Once you’ve narrowed your options to a specific vehicle, the first thing you can do is talk to the dealership and see what insight they can give you into that brand’s data collection practices, experts say.

You can ask dealership representatives about an automaker’s privacy policies and whether you have the ability to opt-in or opt-out of data collection, data aggregation and monetization – or the sale of your data. to third-party vendors, Payton said. .

Additionally, ask if you can be anonymized and not have the data grouped under your name and your vehicle’s unique identification number, she said.

People at the dealership “might even direct you to the service manager, who often has to deal with repairs, aftercare and technical components,” Drury said.

“Your service provider or service advisor will actually have a little more information than the salesperson,” he said.

It may also be worth asking your auto insurance provider about collecting auto data, Drury said. Auto insurers may receive data of this nature when car manufacturers share or sell it.

Even if people at the dealership have some knowledge about a specific vehicle, the insurance provider could give a better overall view of it because it covers many different makes and models, he said.

“I would ask the insurance company, ‘Are you using this and do you have the ability to turn different devices on or off to monitor,'” Drury said.

Nowadays, many recent vehicles essentially have an on-board computer. If you do not want to be tracked or have your vehicle data collected and shared, you may find instructions in your owner’s manual on how to erase your data and personalized information from the on-board computer, a Payton said.

“This can be a great way if you’re already in a car and you like the car, but you don’t like the data tracking,” she said.

Although you may not know if the data has already been collected and sent to third parties, you can do so periodically, she said.

Some separate online tools could also help: An online resource called Privacy4Cars can help users delete personal data stored by automakers, including text messages and geolocations, Payton said.

“They provide this tool to help users understand the data their cars collect and to give them the ability to protect their privacy,” she said.

In a recent episode of The New York Times podcast “The Daily,” a woman paid a mechanic $400 to remove the device from her vehicle that provided an Internet connection. She essentially disconnected her car to eliminate its ability to share her location, and in doing so, Lost features such as navigation services and the ability to call roadside assistance.

While it’s possible to isolate and remove a car part or chip like this, you can’t just pull the processor out of a car, McParland said.

“Nowadays, almost everything will have these systems built into it,” he said.

Drury agrees: “These systems are so integrated into everything your vehicle does. (The) sensors…that help with (a) semi-autonomous functionality of the vehicle, those are connected to your accelerator, to your steering, to your brakes. It can be extremely dangerous for someone to walk out there and start unplugging appliances.”

Drivers can still tap the older used car market to find a vehicle without high-tech features, but those cars can carry their own risks the older they are, McParland said.

Additionally, the car’s on-board computer can provide many safety features such as car alerts, Payton said: “If you were to conspicuously turn off the on-board computer, you might miss something.” It’s about finding the right balance, it’s risk versus reward.