Data Privacy Wake-Up Call: Auto Manufacturers' Selling/sharing All Personal Data

[Cos]

Just picked up (well, leased) a '26 Land Rover Defender last week and figured I'd do the responsible thing and shop around for insurance. First surprise? GEICO, my current provider, was only $15 more every six months compared to what I was paying on my 2024 BMW M440i. That was a happy surprise.

Here's where it gets interesting. When I started getting quotes from other insurance companies websites, they already had my current mileage on the car (82) I leased five days ago. They had it, and they were using that to calculate my estimated annual mileage. WTF

Between web history, cell phone data, connected car systems, card transactions, and lord knows what else these companies are pulling, it's a lot. I knew some of this was happening in the background, but when you're in the middle of closing a deal and throwing money around, I should have known better.

It was enough to make me pump the brakes. I went and found the opt-out page on their site, then used Claude.ai to draft a proper opt-out email based on US and Illinois privacy laws. Sent it off. Now they're limited to sharing my data only with Emergency Services, Towing Companies, and Jaguar/Land Rover internally.

Lesson Learned. Take the Time to read the T&Cs and Data Privacy associated with your auto's mobile app and check their web site. They already made $$$$ from my car, the can live without my Data!

For those using the Land Rover, or any car manufacturer's phone apps, which I am sure is a lot of us, I'd strongly suggest doing a data privacy audit. It takes maybe 30 minutes and it's worth it.

- Opt Out & Have them delete any data currently held

 

[GO-NAD!]

Just picked up (well, leased) a '26 Land Rover Defender last week and figured I'd do the responsible thing and shop around for insurance. First surprise? GEICO, my current provider, was only $15 more every six months compared to what I was paying on my 2024 BMW M440i. That was a happy surprise.

Here's where it gets interesting. When I started getting quotes from other insurance companies websites, they already had my current mileage on the car (82) I leased five days ago. They had it, and they were using that to calculate my estimated annual mileage. WTF

Between web history, cell phone data, connected car systems, card transactions, and lord knows what else these companies are pulling, it's a lot. I knew some of this was happening in the background, but when you're in the middle of closing a deal and throwing money around, I should have known better.

It was enough to make me pump the brakes. I went and found the opt-out page on their site, then used Claude.ai to draft a proper opt-out email based on US and Illinois privacy laws. Sent it off. Now they're limited to sharing my data only with Emergency Services, Towing Companies, and Jaguar/Land Rover internally.

Lesson Learned. Take the Time to read the T&Cs and Data Privacy associated with your auto's mobile app and check their web site. They already made $$$$ from my car, the can live without my Data!

For those using the Land Rover, or any car manufacturer's phone apps, which I am sure is a lot of us, I'd strongly suggest doing a data privacy audit. It takes maybe 30 minutes and it's worth it.

- Opt Out & Have them delete any data currently held

On Saturday, we had a family gathering at my sister-in-law's house. My parents-in-law were driving there in their new Honda CRV Hybrid and arguing about the route to take, when the navigation system woke up and told them the route to take...

 

[highfigh]

I watched a video about the built-in tracking used by automakers and insurance- they can't even get it to work correctly, yet they (GM and others) have been installing it without mentioning it for at least two years. The guy in the video showed that he had removed his, but I bet that voided his warranty.

Another way we're being tracked is via insurance company apps. Another problem is the kill switch-

And people are concerned with Flock cameras- I think this is far worse. Location services in smart phones allow this to work, too.

YouTube has so many videos, but pick a few.

I think fleet vehicles with GPS, etc is fine- I also believe that fobs for starting cars is ridiculous because too many people leave them in the vehicle and don't store them out of range for starting it without having one. They could have used an underseat pressure switch that shuts off the keyless starting with a bypass, but "I only did it for convenience" would become the excuse. Storing extreme driving activity might be OK, if it's used correctly, but of course, it reacts to short bursts that are caused by other drivers and are meant to avoid collisions.

Tin foil hat? Nah, sheet metal.

 

[highfigh]

On Saturday, we had a family gathering at my sister-in-law's house. My parents-in-law were driving there in their new Honda CRV Hybrid and arguing about the route to take, when the navigation system woke up and told them the route to take...

A bit too similar to 2001, when HAL asked "Just what do you think you're doing, Dave? Dave, I really think I'm entitled to an answer to that question."

 

[panteragstk]

Just picked up (well, leased) a '26 Land Rover Defender last week and figured I'd do the responsible thing and shop around for insurance. First surprise? GEICO, my current provider, was only $15 more every six months compared to what I was paying on my 2024 BMW M440i. That was a happy surprise.

Here's where it gets interesting. When I started getting quotes from other insurance companies websites, they already had my current mileage on the car (82) I leased five days ago. They had it, and they were using that to calculate my estimated annual mileage. WTF

Between web history, cell phone data, connected car systems, card transactions, and lord knows what else these companies are pulling, it's a lot. I knew some of this was happening in the background, but when you're in the middle of closing a deal and throwing money around, I should have known better.

It was enough to make me pump the brakes. I went and found the opt-out page on their site, then used Claude.ai to draft a proper opt-out email based on US and Illinois privacy laws. Sent it off. Now they're limited to sharing my data only with Emergency Services, Towing Companies, and Jaguar/Land Rover internally.

Lesson Learned. Take the Time to read the T&Cs and Data Privacy associated with your auto's mobile app and check their web site. They already made $$$$ from my car, the can live without my Data!

For those using the Land Rover, or any car manufacturer's phone apps, which I am sure is a lot of us, I'd strongly suggest doing a data privacy audit. It takes maybe 30 minutes and it's worth it.

- Opt Out & Have them delete any data currently held

This made me realize I don't plan to own a new vehicle until we figure out how to delete all the tech. As a "tech guy" the one place tech isn't needed is vehicles. Just more stuff to break.

 

[mtrycrafts]

This made me realize I don't plan to own a new vehicle until we figure out how to delete all the tech. As a "tech guy" the one place tech isn't needed is vehicles. Just more stuff to break.

WOW. Are there lawsuits against Ford yet for this undisclosed sensors?

 

[mtrycrafts]

This made me realize I don't plan to own a new vehicle until we figure out how to delete all the tech. As a "tech guy" the one place tech isn't needed is vehicles. Just more stuff to break.

That number he mentions first, 0104469, doesn't hit at the patent office. not sure what else or where to search.

 

[Cos]

On Saturday, we had a family gathering at my sister-in-law's house. My parents-in-law were driving there in their new Honda CRV Hybrid and arguing about the route to take, when the navigation system woke up and told them the route to take...

Skynet has gone live!

 

[ski2xblack]

A data privacy audit is good advice, @Cos .The sort of surveillance new cars are doing should require a damn court order!

Give me an old tj or 3rd gen 4runner. No Big Brother style surveillance, no unwanted data sharing, no remote kill switches.

I wonder if the 70 series Land Cruisers you can buy everywhere except the USA come without built in "Big Brother"/"mother-in-law" spy tech. That would be the perfect vehicle for me. I'm tempted to just go buy one and smuggle it into the country. (Uh, oh, activate the Pre-Crime Bureau, that ski bum from the audio forum is clearly a menace to society.).