DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA — You probably know your phone is spying on you, but what you might not realize is that your car is doing it too.
The Washington Post reports that connected cars can track and monitor location, driving habits, fuel usage, and even music preferences, and relay this information back to automakers.
The data is supposedly meant to update car features and improve safety, and in some cases help law enforcement evaluate accidents or crashes.
But it can also put consumers at risk. Location data can be used to infer sensitive information about a person's health, religion, or political affiliation, and a unique profile can be developed with enough data points.
With no car privacy rule to regulate them, automakers can partner with data firms, and generate revenue when the information is sold to third party companies.
Car companies technically inform customers about the data collection, but they're often buried in lengthy contracts.
Despite claims that driver data is not shared without consent, a lack of transparency means customers don't know what happens to their data and how exactly it is used.
