Cars collect startling amounts of personal data about drivers
Original: Cars collect a startling amount of data about you
Why This Matters
Data collection in vehicles represents massive privacy implications for millions of drivers
Modern cars collect intimate personal data including location, weight, facial expressions, and driving habits. Car companies sell this data to insurance companies and other buyers, potentially raising costs for drivers. Most consumers remain unaware of extensive data collection happening in their vehicles.
Car manufacturers harvest detailed personal information through connected vehicles, including precise location data, passenger information, radio preferences, seatbelt usage, and driving behaviors like speeding or hard braking. Some vehicles can detect weight, age, race, and facial expressions through interior cameras pointed at drivers. Insurance companies are major customers for this data, using it to charge higher premiums. Car companies admit to selling personal data but don't disclose buyers. A federal law will soon require American automakers to install infrared biometric cameras and systems to monitor driver behavior for impairment detection. Brookings Institute's Darrell West notes that cars can recreate lives 'on a second-by-second basis' while most consumers remain unaware of the extensive surveillance occurring in their vehicles.