‘Why I Signed the Your Car Your Data Petition, and Why You Should Too’

My relationship with cars may run deeper than the average person’s. From my first car at 16, to the dragster I now race professionally, the amount of time, care and hard work put into my vehicles by me and the professionals I trust has been something special.

So you can imagine the shock and frustration upon learning that I am not in control of my own car data — and neither are you.

The vast amount of data generated by your car is personal to you. Just like my crew chief studies my data, whoever has access to your car data will analyze it, too. They’ll know the places you visit, how fast you get there and can even tell who you talked to on the way. That’s why you want personal data in trusted hands, and that’s why it should be your choice as to whom you share it with.

One of the consequences of not controlling your own car data is that it may end up costing you, and your local mechanic, more money.

When the data your car produces is sent straight to the auto manufacturer who made your car, they can influence and direct where you take your car to be serviced and repaired. The options they give you can be more expensive than your local independent auto shop or doing the work yourself. Or they could charge your mechanic to access the data necessary to work on your car, and that charge might get passed on to you.

Worse, if auto manufacturers control where you can get your car repaired it creates an unfair playing field in the repair and service industry that puts the local independent shops and businesses at an extreme disadvantage. I’ve been going to the same mechanic since I got my first car at 16. I trust that he gives me the best service at a fair price, and has built a business that I can fully support. I know that without access to my car data, he may not be able to do his job – and that’s why so much is at stake.

Read the opinion piece from Clay Millican on aapexshow.com.