Car data factsheet
You probably know your phone, computer and other devices are constantly collecting your data. Did you know your car does this, too?
Most new cars collect data and send it wirelessly to the car manufacturer. Your car gathers information on:
- How you drive, including things like steering, acceleration and braking
- When it needs repair and maintenance and what it needs done
- Your GPS location
- Vehicle health, including fuel use, emissions and engine hours
- And more
Why You Should Care
For now, independent repair facilities can access your onboard computer to get data to help with maintenance and repair. However, because of advanced technologies, car data is now transmitted wirelessly and sent directly only to auto manufacturers, which denies technicians the ability to do their jobs.
For car manufacturers, they’re the only ones who have direct access to and control of your car data. This means they could control who gets the data.
For car owners, this means greater inconvenience, greater cost and fewer maintenance and repair options.
Who Should Have Direct Access and Control?
Regardless of what they know or expect about car data, the vast majority of consumers believe car owners should have direct access to their car data and control over who has access to it.
Know Your Rights
Drivers are unwittingly generating new revenue streams for car manufacturers every time they get behind the wheel. The vast amounts of data from driver behavior to GPS location could be sold to third parties, including advertisers, without your consent or knowledge.
Drivers demand the right to transparency around the data collected from their cars, including what was collected, how it was used and with whom it was shared. Read the full Driver Bill of Rights on our website.
Learn more at YourCarYourData.org to sign our petition and learn more about car data and how it impacts you.