Connected Cars Are a Surveillance Platform

Researchers at Northeastern University, in collaboration with Consumer Reports, evaluated how much modern cars spy in their drivers:

The new Northeastern study shows, for the first time, data flowing among the vehicles, the vehicle apps you download when you buy your car, and third-party companies, documenting exactly what kind of data gets siphoned from our vehicles and which companies are receiving that information.

Basically, your car’s manufacturer has you under constant surveillance, and they use that data against you.

The companies on the receiving end of your data, our investigation has found, include car insurers and lenders that are partners in “telematics data exchanges,” which compile driving data on millions of drivers, thousands of data brokers that create personalized risk scores, companies selling infotainment and WiFi hotspot products, and even local and state government agencies working on planning, traffic, and safety initiatives.

Nearly every automaker sent data to outside companies.

Even more troubling, almost a quarter of the vehicle apps were found to be sending out personally identifiable information, including vehicle owners’ names, vehicle identification numbers (VINs), and precise geographic locations. That information can make it easy for companies to link driving behavior to personal data profiles created by data brokers and marketers. Such profiles are routinely sold to banks, insurers, pharmaceutical companies, lenders, and retailers, who can use it for personalized loan terms and filtered bank and insurance offers, a CR and CalMatters investigation found.

Remember the adage “If you’re not the customer, then you’re the product”? (The sentiment is older than you think.) Turns out that with modern internet-connected everything, you’re the product even if you are the customer.

Tags: , ,

Posted on October 1, 2026 at 7:06 AM • 23 Comments

Comments

Ferentarius • October 1, 2026 9:31 AM

Man, once the king of his carriage, now rides like a slave in a mechanical confessional. These connected cars, adorned with chrome and screens, are nothing more than moving altars to the new god of data. You buy the car, thinking you own it, but truly, it owns you; it kneels only to the silent priesthood of algorithms and insurance clerks peering into your daily habits. A society that willingly trades its freedom of movement for the illusion of convenience is already halfway to chaining its own soul. In the age when even your steering wheel is a witness against you, we have proven that modern man is not the master of machines, but their obedient servant, smiling as he is measured, mapped, and monetized.

From cr link:
Editor’s Note: Our work on privacy, security, AI, and financial technology issues is made possible by the vision and support of the Ford Foundation

Supreme • October 1, 2026 10:19 AM

It would be good to have both a privacy and security scorecard for car companies (and really any company providing services to customers). I recall seeing something a while back but something like this would ideally need to be maintained by independent reviewers, open-source community, etc.

Kurt • October 1, 2026 11:27 AM

Regarding the customer product trope, a related one comes to mind:

“If you’re at a table playing poker for money and you can’t identify the mark, you are the mark.”

Regarding the surveillance platform that is the modern vehicle, there’s a story on the Cowboy State Daily site regarding Matt Geouge developing a device (probably several devices) for sale that will sit between the transmitter and the rest of the vehicle to shut the emissions down. He’s expecting interference from car companies, of course.

Kurt

KC • October 1, 2026 11:35 AM

With the emergence of driverless vehicles, I don’t know that we’ll see less data collection. Maybe less on individuals. Who knows.

Unfortunately, automobile safety is still to some extent a people problem. And the research is forthcoming.

For example, here’s a recent paper: “A qualitative study of teens’ and parents’ perceptions of preventing teen drinking and driving.” (A takeaway: communication matters.)

Of course, the surveys and focus groups were voluntary.

Rontea • October 1, 2026 12:11 PM

@KC
Re: communication matters

It seems like the us government has finally understood the importance of communication and launched America.gov
On September 29. The promise should be that this tool will help with administrative burdens.

Clive Robinson • October 1, 2026 12:14 PM

@ KC, ALL,

With regards,

“Of course, the surveys and focus groups were voluntary.”

So very much the opposite of the “statistical Gold Standard” of a “double blind trial”…

In short those participating probably had strong emotional bias to be part of the research… Which most often means they are those who knee jerk to “Think of the Children” and such like “dog whistles” from Politicians, Astroturfers, and worse.

Wake Up Sheeple • October 1, 2026 12:49 PM

StingRays, Flock, Palantir, Cars that “call home” (but not your home, and even if it was what you thought was “your home” – IT IS NOT YOUR HOME).

A friend of mine was suspecting one of these
https://www.detective-store.com/smoke-detector-hidden-wifi-camera-dvr-252-tuya-discreet-monitoring-remote-access-via-the-tuya-smart-app-night-mode-4003.html

and he owns one of the more recently built homes with the “smart home” BS all over his house, and he was quite shocked to find that these smoke detectors were “networked” – hooked up to the network hub, whereas the old school ones were just pop in the battery and they do what they’re supposed to just fine, until you get the beeping warning that the battery needs changed.

Your home is spying on you.
Your car is too.
As soon as you leave your home – your neighbor’s Ring or other brand camera is watching you,
and then you drive off – BAM – FLOCK.

I N S A N I T Y. !!!!!!!!

RISE UP SHEEPLE – THIS IS MORE THAN ENOUGH.

Call me paranoid, schizo, etc – in 1, 2, 3, – GO!

John Michael Thomas • October 1, 2026 1:28 PM

And even if we opt out, the data may still be used against us.

Because if insurance companies can get this data on most drivers, but they can’t get it on everyone, they may consider drivers without the data a higher risk by default.

anonymouse random • October 1, 2026 1:48 PM

Opt out: replace the cellular antenna with a dummy load. Yeah, you’ll lose the nav system, “vehicle apps”, and over-the-air firmware updates. So?

Not really anonymous • October 1, 2026 1:55 PM

For now, people still have the option to own and maintain cars from before this crap was built into them.

lurker • October 1, 2026 2:23 PM

@Not really anonymous
“For now … ”

The next move will be legislation to ban cars older than YYYY for road safety reasons.

That's What Chi Said • October 1, 2026 5:12 PM

@Anonymous • October 1, 2026 3:01 PM,

“Clown.
Ugly Clown.”

That’s what Chi said about the orange one, when he returned back home to Gyna.

… but that blonde beach of yours – she sucked me dry, she good, I’ll use her again, and you keep drawing them cats Picasso, someone has to give her the sausage she wants too, to make her happy. That’s where I come in, for all lil boys like yourself, their tools aren’t big enough to please the hot moms, I take care of that, ya lil boy.

freedom • October 1, 2026 6:06 PM

It should be noted that things like cars, “smart phones” and any other kind of garbage connected to the Arpanet is not under the control of the users and alleged owners.

Ownership, that looks like a keyword. If the thing that you call “your” car is not under your control then it isn’t yours.

So, guess what. You don’t have any actual property rights. You live in a communist cesspool. Or a right-wing communist cesspool, also known as a fascist cesspool.

No property rights for serfs.

ALL TROLLS WILL BURN IN HELL • October 1, 2026 6:43 PM

I’m too sexy for my shirt
So sexy it hurts….
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I’m a model you know what I mean and I do my little dance on the catwalk, yeah on the catwalk, yeah

U GOT WHAT I NEEEED • October 1, 2026 6:51 PM

Have you ever met a girl that you tried to date
But a year to make love she wanted you to wait
Let me tell ya a story of my situation
I was talkin to this girl from the u.s. nation
The way that I met her was on tour at a concert
She had long hair and a short miniskirt
I just got onstage drippin, pourin with sweat
I was walkin through the crowd and gues who I met
I whispered in her ear, come to the picture booth
So I can ask you some questions to see if you are a hundred proof
I asked her her name, she said blah-blah-blah
She had 9/10 pants and a very big bra
I took a couple of flicks and she was enthused
I said, how do you like the show?
She said, I was very amused
I started throwin bass, she started throwin back mid-range
But when I sprung the question, she acted kind of strange
Then when I asked, do ya have a man, she tried to pretend
She said, no I dont, I only have a friend
Come on, Im not even goin for it
This is what Im goin sing

You, you got what I need but you say hes just a friend
And you say hes just a friend, oh baby
You, you got what I need but you say hes just a friend
But you say hes just a friend, oh baby
You, you got what I need but you say hes just a friend
But you say hes just a friend

So I took blah-blahs word for it at this time
I thought just havin a friend couldnt be no crime
cause I have friends and thats a fact
Like agnes, agatha, germaine, and jacq
Forget about that, lets go into the story
About a girl named blah-blah-blah that adored me
So we started talkin, getttin familiar
Spendin a lot of time so we can build up
A relationship or some undderstanding
How its gonna be in the future we was plannin
Everything sounded so dandy and sweet
I had no idea I was in for a treat
After this was established, everything was cool
The tour was over and she went back to school
I called every day to see how she was doin
Everytime that I ccalled her it seemed somethin was brewin
I called her on my dime, picked up, and then I called again
I said, yo, who was that? oh, hes just a friend
Dont gimme that, dont ever gimme that
Jus bust this

You, you got what I need but you say hes just a friend
And you say hes just a friend, oh baby
You, you got what I need but you say hes just a friend
But you say hes just a friend, oh baby
You, you got what I need but you say hes just a friend
But you say hes just a friend

So I came to her college on a surprise visit
To see my girl that was so exquisite
It was a school day, I knew she was there
The first semester of the school year
I went to a gate to ask where was her dorm
This guy made me fill out a visitors form
He told me where it was and I as on my way
To see my baby doll, I was happy to say
I arrrived in front of the dormitory
Yo, could you tell me where is door three?
They showed me where it was for the moment
I didnt know I was in for such an event
So I came to her room and opened the door
Oh, snap! guess what I saw?
A fella tongue-kissin my girl in the mouth,
I was so in shock my heart went down south
So please listen to the message that I say
Dont ever talk to a girl who says she just has a friend

JonS • October 1, 2026 8:30 PM

@Supreme
“It would be good to have both a privacy and security scorecard for car companies (and really any company providing services to customers).”

Indeed

However bear in mind that terms of service/terms of use for digital products tend to change on a whim.

Say you’ve paid US$60,000 for your shiny new Model Y because it has the best privacy and security scores available on the market.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Just go with it for the purposes of the example.

Anyway, you’re $60k in the hole. Then early next week they change their privacy rules a bit, so their privacy score gets a bit worse. What do you do? They they update the software again next month, and the privacy score gets a bit worse again. What do you do? Then over Thanksgiving Weekend they quietly push out yet another mandatory software update to improve braking performance which coincidentally lowers the privacy score still further – what do you do?

Maybe you are in the fortunate position where you can suck up the instant depreciation-on-purchase and ditch the car to replace it with something else which still has the level of privacy you demand. But a lot of people do not have that level of financial security, a group which probably includes the person who’s just bought your old, now un-private, Model Y.

Replace [Model Y] with [smartfridge], [TV], [etc.], …

H0rny Rabbid Doggie • October 1, 2026 10:16 PM

@ ALL TROLLS WILL BURN IN HELL • October 1, 2026 6:43 PM,

wow, Samantha, you’re sooo hot it hurts, woooowwww, meaowwwww, here kitty, c’m ‘ere kitty…

Nicolas George • October 2, 2026 11:20 AM

As a grateful user and proud author of Libre Software, I really dislike the unconditional broadness of the statement “If you’re not the customer, then you’re the product”. I can assure you nobody is Debian or FFmpeg’s product.

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