Are you worried about the privacy of your data? If you have been focusing on your smartphone or online platforms as the major offenders, you might be surprised to learn that your car could be a huge breach of your privacy, according to a new study by Mozilla.
Modern cars have become computers on wheels. However, the extra intelligence might come at a cost. Mozilla conducted a study on 25 popular car brands to determine the amount of personal data they collect from their client and concluded they all gathered more information than they needed. In comparison, only 63 percent of mental health apps offended as much.
A significant majority (84%) of the car brands admitted to sharing or selling personal data, including sharing it with service providers, data brokers, other businesses, and even government or law enforcement upon informal requests. Furthermore, the study revealed that most car brands (92%) offered little control to drivers over their personal data.
Only two brands, Renault and Dacia, owned by the same parent company, allow customers to delete their data.
Mozilla called out Tesla for failing every category of data privacy tested. This was tied to its AI-controlled Autopilot, under investigation by multiple government agencies.
Here are the full rankings of all 25 car brands tested by Mozilla. You can read their full study here.
