Connected cars raise privacy questions across the industry

Across British roads, feature-packed Chinese SUVs from Jaecoo, Omoda, Great Wall Motor (GWM), and BYD are attracting buyers with a luxury feel at a lower price. Their spread has renewed debate about China, data harvesting, and personal privacy.

TechRadar says the concern is not limited to Chinese vehicles. Citing the BBC, it reports that consulting firm McKinsey found 50% of cars on the road in 2021 already had internet connections, with experts expecting that figure to reach 95% by 2030.

Connected cars can gather data through cameras, sensors, microphones, smartphones, companion apps, dealership systems, and telematics. Land Rover's UK policy, for example, says it logs a vehicle's last-parked location by default, along with journey details such as duration, distance, average speed, route, and fuel efficiency. Kia's US policy says it may collect and store voice data for voice control and voice inputs.

In 2023, Mozilla researchers reviewed 25 car brands, including BMW, Ford, Toyota, Tesla, Kia, Nissan, and Subaru, and found that all failed its consumer privacy standards. The researchers said some brands collected details including facial expressions, weight, health status, and location history.

Mozilla privacy expert Jen Caltrider called the vehicles “information-collecting monstrosities.” TechRadar contacted Jaecoo, Land Rover, and Kia for comment but had received no response before publication.