New Study Claims Automakers Know When You're Getting Laid In Your Car

Thanks to Mozilla's Privacy Not Included survey, we know that automakers are using far more of our private information and data than they need, and what they're doing with it is not good. The survey takes a closer look at how much information automakers gather, how they use it, and how much control a person has over their personal data. And it goes way beyond the data a third-party shop needs to service a modern car.

We'll start with the creepiest fact we came across while reading the report. Nissan and Kia both collect data about your sex life. Yup, your Nissan Leaf knows exactly when you're going to get laid, which is probably never because you drive a Nissan Leaf.

But before we delve into the deep, dark world of data collection, a quick explanation of what Mozilla is. It's a non-profit that conducts studies across various consumer-based goods to see how secure a user's private data is. It has a standard methodology for conducting this test, and the main goal is to keep you and your data safe.

While the sexual activity data is creepy, it's far from the most concerning part of the study. Out of the 25 car brands surveyed, all received Mozilla's Privacy Not Included warning label, which makes the automotive industry the worst offender this non-profit has ever surveyed. A company gets a "ding" if it collects too much personal data, and somehow, the automotive industry managed to do worse than third-party mental health apps, which are notorious for collecting personal data.

And the brands surveyed aren't made in countries where privacy is non-existent. We're talking BMW, Subaru, Jeep, Dodge, Volkswagen, Toyota, Ford, Audi, Honda, Chevy, Cadillac, and Tesla. These are just a few of the brands (full list in the image block below), and Mozilla listed them from the least worst to the worst. Renault was the least worst, while Tesla was the absolute worst. Two-thirds of the brands involved received a negative rating for data use, data control, track record, security, and invasive AI.

Before we move on to some study highlights, it's worth knowing how modern cars learn so much about you. It's pretty simple, actually. To make modern safety and infotainment systems work, every vehicle needs an internal microphone and driver-facing camera.

Your car also knows what you listen to via the infotainment, which gives it a pretty good idea of where you are on the political spectrum. Your navigation knows where you go and how long you spend there. If you can run certain features via an app on your phone, the car has access to everything on there. Then, we have new connected services, over-the-air updates, and even vehicles with built-in selfie cams. Mozilla dedicated an entirely separate article to how this data is collected, and it's a worthwhile read.

And we're not just talking electric vehicles, just in case you want to use this as another reason to bash them. We did enough EV bashing earlier this month. This relates to any modern car with any connectivity, no matter how small.

Now for the shocking figures. 84% share your personal data in addition to using it for their own marketing and research. It's shared with service providers and data brokers, for example. Of the 25 automakers, 76% say they are legally allowed to sell your data. 56% said they'd share your personal information with law enforcement without a court order. A mere "informal request" is enough. And 100% of American brands give you no control or access to your data, and you can't force an automaker to delete it.

Only Renault and Dacia scored points for giving owners complete control over their data and the ability to delete it, but this is likely because these cars are only sold in Europe, where the strict General Data Protection Regulation privacy law, the toughest of its kind worldwide, mandates it. The other 92% of automakers offer no control.

This data is also vulnerable to hacking, as we've seen before. Late last year, a hacker found a way to start Nissans and Hondas remotely. According to the study, 68% of the automakers have a "bad track record" when it comes to hacking and data breaches.

With the general data done, let's look at specific brands. As mentioned earlier, Nissans and Kias collect data about your sex life. It's probably not a good idea to send your partner fruity messages anymore. Another six car companies admitted to collecting genetic information.

Hyundai's terms and conditions state that it will comply with "lawful requests, whether formal or informal."

Then there's Tesla, which is the worst of the lot. Mozilla says it's only the second product it has ever reviewed that received all its privacy dings, the first being the infamous AI chatbot. Tesla received a massive ding against its name for having an untrustworthy AI involved in 17 deaths and 736 crashes, which led to a high-profile federal investigation.

Mozilla also included a pull quote from Tesla's customer privacy notice to provide additional context.

"If you no longer wish for us to collect vehicle data or any other data from your Tesla vehicle, please contact us to deactivate connectivity. Please note certain advanced features such as over-the-air updates, remote services, and interactivity with mobile applications and in-car features such as location search, Internet radio, voice commands, and web browser functionality rely on such connectivity. If you choose to opt out of vehicle data collection (with the exception of in-car Data Sharing preferences), we will not be able to know or notify you of issues applicable to your vehicle in real-time. This may result in your vehicle suffering from reduced functionality, serious damage, or inoperability."

The above is bad, but Mozilla says that all car companies failed the consent test. In a Subaru, the privacy policy even allows it to collect data from passengers. And we all thought a Wi-Fi hotspot was a good idea.

Is there something you can do? Well, yes and no. As highlighted by the Tesla quote above, each car has a privacy notice, which is a hefty document. We all know these terms and conditions are ignored. We ignore them every time we buy a connected product. Instead of reading the terms and conditions novel, we all scroll to the bottom and click agree. Rather worryingly, Mozilla estimates that 95% of new vehicles sold globally will be connected by 2030.

Mozilla is asking to help spread the word to increase awareness. Make some noise and demand politicians do something to protect you.

Of course, your other option is to buy an older car with no connection to the outside world, but you'll have to go back to at least the 1990s. If you do this, you miss out on modern safety conveniences, and we're not talking about advanced driving assist. In that era, not even ABS wasn't a given...

Let us know your thoughts below, and send Nissan and Kia an e-mail telling them to get out of your bedroom.