Modern cars are safer, faster and more efficient than the vehicles they replaced. They’re also heavier, harder to repair, more expensive to own and increasingly interested in everything their drivers do.
A connected vehicle can potentially record where it travels, how quickly it accelerates, how hard it brakes, which phone connects, when its doors open and whether the driver appears attentive. Some vehicles contain microphones, interior cameras, biometric sensors and permanent cellular connections.
That data can support useful features. It can automatically summon emergency assistance, locate a stolen vehicle and warn about mechanical problems.
It can also be collected, transmitted, retained and shared in ways the owner barely understands.
The modern automobile is becoming a rolling surveillance device wrapped in leather, financed for 72 months and protected by a privacy policy longer than its warranty.
What Data Do Modern Cars Collect?
Depending on the manufacturer and equipment, a connected vehicle may collect or generate:
- Precise vehicle location;
- Complete trip histories;
- Speed and acceleration;
- Braking intensity;
- Steering inputs;
- Seat-belt use;
- Door and window activity;
- Diagnostic trouble codes;
- Battery and charging information;
- Fuel consumption;
- Driver-assistance events;
- Phone contacts and call history;
- Voice-command recordings;
- Infotainment searches;
- Driver-camera information;
- Biometric identifiers;
- Seat and occupant data;
- Crash and event information.
The Federal Trade Commission has warned that connected vehicles can collect sensitive information including precise location and biometric data. It has also raised concerns about automotive information being used to affect insurance rates or facilitate stalking.
This is no longer theoretical concern from people who cover their webcams with electrical tape.
In January 2026, the FTC finalized an order settling allegations that General Motors and OnStar collected and sold precise location and driving-behavior data from millions of vehicles without adequately notifying consumers or obtaining proper affirmative consent.
The alleged information included hard braking, rapid acceleration, speeding and trip details. According to the FTC, some of that information was supplied to consumer-reporting agencies.
The car didn’t merely judge the driver. It allegedly helped create a report card.
Your Car May Know Where You Sleep, Work and Worship
Location data is among the most sensitive information a vehicle can collect.
One isolated coordinate reveals very little. A continuous history can reveal:
- Where someone lives;
- Where that person works;
- Which school their children attend;
- Which medical facilities they visit;
- Where they worship;
- Which political events they attend;
- Who they regularly visit;
- When their home may be empty.
Connected services need location data for navigation, emergency response and stolen-vehicle recovery. Those uses are understandable.
The problem begins when information collected for one purpose becomes valuable for another.
A navigation feature may require a current location. It does not necessarily require the manufacturer to preserve a long-term record of every destination, attach it to an identifiable driver and make it available to a chain of service providers.
Automotive data becomes especially concerning because drivers cannot realistically avoid creating it. A person can choose not to install a social-media app. Driving to work is somewhat less optional.
Driving Behavior Has Financial Value
Manufacturers and insurance companies are interested in behavior such as:
- Hard braking;
- Sudden acceleration;
- Speed;
- Cornering forces;
- Time of travel;
- Annual mileage;
- Phone interaction;
- Driver-assistance warnings.
Telematics-based insurance can reward drivers who voluntarily accept monitoring. Some people may consider that a fair exchange.
Consent becomes much less convincing when a driver enables a harmless-sounding connected feature without understanding that vehicle data could travel beyond the manufacturer.
A customer may think they’re activating navigation, maintenance reminders or an app that locates the parked vehicle. Buried several screens deeper may be permission for “product improvement,” “business purposes,” “affiliates” and other phrases polished until they reveal almost nothing.
Apparently, informed consent now means clicking Accept while a salesperson waits beside the delivery desk.
Driver-Monitoring Cameras Deserve More Scrutiny
New vehicles increasingly contain cameras pointed inside the cabin.
These systems may monitor:
- Eye direction;
- Eyelid closure;
- Head position;
- Facial movement;
- Attention;
- Distraction;
- Occupant activity.
Driver monitoring can provide legitimate safety benefits, especially when a partially automated system requires the person behind the wheel to remain attentive.
But the camera is still inside a privately owned vehicle, continuously evaluating the driver.
Important questions include:
- Are images processed locally?
- Is raw video stored?
- Are only numerical attention scores retained?
- Can footage leave the vehicle?
- Can the manufacturer retrieve event data?
- Can software updates expand what the camera analyzes?
- Does the camera continue operating when driver assistance is disabled?
- Can the owner physically disable it?
- What happens when it fails?
Manufacturers frequently say these systems are designed around privacy. Owners should not be expected to accept that promise without technical disclosures and enforceable limits.
A lens pointed at your face does not become noninvasive because the dashboard calls it “Driver Support.”
Connecting a Phone Creates Another Data Pipeline
Pairing a smartphone may expose the vehicle to:
- Contact lists;
- Call history;
- Text-message metadata;
- Device identifiers;
- Calendar information;
- Frequently visited locations;
- Voice commands;
- Media preferences.
Some of this information is necessary to make hands-free calls or display messages. The vehicle does not necessarily need to retain it indefinitely.
Rental cars illustrate the problem. Drivers routinely connect their phones, return the vehicle and leave contacts or call records stored in the infotainment system.
Selling or trading a personal vehicle creates the same concern. Resetting the infotainment system should be treated like wiping a smartphone—not as an optional courtesy performed after removing the floor mats.
Modern cars contain personal information. Ownership transfers need to be treated accordingly.
The Enshittification of the Automobile
The problem isn’t simply that cars contain computers. Electronic fuel injection, ABS, stability control, engine management and modern diagnostics provide enormous benefits.
The problem is what the industry has chosen to build around them.
Vehicle technology increasingly brings:
- Subscription-locked features;
- Touchscreens replacing basic controls;
- Online accounts required for ordinary functions;
- Telematics that are difficult to disable;
- Replacement parts requiring digital pairing;
- Software support with expiration dates;
- Remote feature removal;
- Advertising and promotional notifications;
- Manufacturer-controlled app access;
- Data collection buried inside broad agreements;
- Repairs that require paid online authorization.
The customer buys the car. The manufacturer keeps the relationship, the software keys and an impressive interest in how the vehicle is used.
A mechanical switch works until it physically fails. A software-defined switch works until the module fails, the network loses communication, the subscription expires, the server closes or an update develops a personality.
This is presented as progress because “more expensive and less under your control” did poorly in focus groups.
More Electronics Don’t Automatically Make a Better Car
Modern electronics can improve performance. Precise engine management, adaptive suspension, active differentials and advanced transmission controls can produce capabilities older vehicles could not match.
But complexity has consequences.
A simple feature may now depend on:
- Several electronic modules;
- A vehicle gateway;
- CAN communication;
- Configuration data;
- Online programming;
- Security authorization;
- Manufacturer servers;
- Software support.
A failed module can prevent unrelated systems from operating because the controllers depend on one another’s messages.
Our guide to testing CAN-bus resistance at the OBD-II port explains how a single wiring fault or failed module can disrupt communication across an entire network.
The mechanical component may be fine. The vehicle simply cannot obtain digital permission to use it.
That is a remarkable technological achievement if the goal was turning a minor electrical failure into a tow bill.
Software Can Make Working Hardware Obsolete
Mechanical components generally become obsolete when parts are no longer available.
Software-defined vehicles introduce more creative possibilities.
A feature can stop working because:
- The mobile application is discontinued;
- Cellular technology changes;
- The manufacturer closes a server;
- An account cannot be authenticated;
- A certificate expires;
- An update removes compatibility;
- The manufacturer abandons the platform;
- A third-party service shuts down.
The vehicle may remain mechanically healthy while its advertised connected features slowly disappear.
Owners are then left with cameras, antennas and modules built into the car but no longer supported by the service that justified their cost.
The industry calls this a product lifecycle.
Owners may call it purchasing permanent hardware attached to temporary permission.
Repairs Are Becoming Software Negotiations
Replacing a conventional component once involved removing the failed part and installing a working one.
Modern repairs may require:
- Physical installation;
- Module programming;
- Security authentication;
- Network configuration;
- Online manufacturer access;
- Sensor calibration;
- Subscription-based diagnostic software.
This affects independent shops and owners trying to maintain vehicles outside the dealership network.
A replacement body module may be physically identical yet refuse to function because it has not been digitally paired. A windshield replacement may require camera calibration. A battery replacement may require registration. A steering component may need an angle relearn.
None of those procedures is automatically illegitimate. Systems need accurate configuration.
The concern is manufacturers using necessary calibration as a convenient doorway into repair control.
When every component requires permission from a server, ownership starts looking suspiciously similar to a long-term rental with property taxes.
Diagnostic Data Isn’t the Same as Surveillance Data
Cars need data to operate.
An engine controller must know crankshaft position. The transmission needs vehicle speed. The ABS module needs wheel-speed signals. The battery-management system needs current, voltage and temperature.
That information serves an immediate mechanical purpose.
The privacy line is crossed when data is unnecessarily:
- Connected to an identifiable individual;
- Transmitted outside the vehicle;
- Stored beyond its functional need;
- Sold to another company;
- Used for unrelated profiling;
- Hidden behind vague consent;
- Made difficult for owners to access or delete.
A diagnostic trouble code stating that a sensor circuit failed is not equivalent to a detailed location and behavioral history.
Pro Street’s P-Code OBD-II library focuses on information required to diagnose powertrain faults. That data helps fix the vehicle.
Knowing that the driver visited an address at 9:42 p.m. and accelerated aggressively while leaving is not required to repair the fuel system.
Safety Is Becoming the Universal Justification
Most intrusive automotive systems arrive beneath the word “safety.”
Safety can justify:
- Driver cameras;
- Behavioral monitoring;
- Location tracking;
- Automatic intervention;
- Persistent event logging;
- Remote connectivity;
- Restrictions on modifications.
Some of those features genuinely reduce crashes. But a safety purpose should not grant unlimited permission to collect, retain or monetize unrelated data.
The questions should always remain:
- Does the feature work?
- Is the data necessary?
- Can the system operate locally?
- Is the owner meaningfully informed?
- Can unnecessary collection be disabled?
- Is the information sold?
- Who remains accountable when the system fails?
“Safety” should begin the evaluation—not end it.
Modern Features Can Also Make Cars Worse to Use
Technology is supposed to reduce effort. Automakers have somehow used it to make basic tasks require additional attention.
Functions once controlled by dedicated switches are now placed inside touchscreen menus:
- Climate-control adjustments;
- Heated seats;
- Drive modes;
- Vent direction;
- Mirror settings;
- Lighting;
- Defrosters;
- Glove-box releases.
Physical buttons can be operated by feel. A touchscreen usually requires the driver to look away from the road, locate a graphic and hope the software registered the touch.
Manufacturers then install a camera to monitor whether the driver is distracted.
The car creates the distraction, observes the distraction and warns the driver about the distraction.
That is vertical integration.
Older Cars Feel Honest by Comparison
Older vehicles were not universally better.
They produced more emissions, offered less crash protection, required more maintenance and lacked many modern conveniences. Nostalgia has a habit of deleting breakdowns and keeping only the good exhaust note.
But older cars generally established a clearer relationship:
- You bought the machine;
- Its controls remained available;
- Repairs did not require an online account;
- Features did not become subscriptions;
- The dashboard did not watch your face;
- The manufacturer rarely knew where the vehicle was;
- A software update could not rewrite the ownership experience.
A 1990s tuner car may have questionable wiring and a check-engine light that has achieved permanent residency. At least it is not quietly assembling a behavioral profile.
What Vehicle Owners Should Do
Owners cannot eliminate every form of collection, but they can reduce unnecessary exposure.
Review Connected-Service Settings
Look for settings involving:
- Location history;
- Driver scoring;
- Insurance programs;
- Product improvement;
- Voice recording;
- Personalized services;
- Advertising;
- Data sharing;
- Remote diagnostics.
Disable anything unnecessary.
Don’t Automatically Activate Every Trial
Complimentary connected-service trials often request broad permissions during enrollment. Decide whether the feature is worth the information it may collect.
Free services frequently have another payment method. It is usually data.
Reset Vehicles Before Selling or Returning Them
Before selling, trading or returning a rental:
- Delete paired phones;
- Remove contacts and call history;
- Clear navigation destinations;
- Sign out of applications;
- Remove garage-door codes;
- Delete digital keys;
- Perform the proper factory-data reset;
- Remove the vehicle from manufacturer accounts.
Request Your Data
Manufacturers subject to applicable privacy laws may provide methods for requesting, correcting or deleting personal information.
The FTC’s order involving GM and OnStar requires expanded consumer access, deletion options and controls over certain collection.
Ask Before Plugging In Diagnostic Devices
Insurance dongles, fleet trackers, aftermarket telematics and inexpensive diagnostic accessories may collect or transmit vehicle data.
Use reputable hardware and understand what it sends. The OBD-II connector provides useful access to vehicle systems. It is not a decorative USB port.
What Better Automotive Technology Would Look Like
Useful vehicle technology should give owners:
- Local processing by default;
- Clear disclosure of collected information;
- Explicit consent before external transmission;
- Easy deletion;
- No sale of precise location or behavioral data;
- Full diagnostic access;
- Independent repair support;
- Physical controls for essential functions;
- Long-term offline functionality;
- Security updates without feature removal;
- Hardware that remains useful after servers close;
- The ability to opt out without losing unrelated functions.
Technology should serve the owner.
The owner should not become the product, the test subject and the unpaid source of training data simply because the vehicle has a cellular modem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do modern cars collect personal data?
Yes. Connected vehicles may collect location, driving behavior, phone information, voice commands, biometric information, diagnostic data and other details, depending on their features and privacy settings.
Can car manufacturers sell driving data?
Manufacturers and connected-service providers must comply with applicable privacy and consumer-protection laws. The FTC has taken enforcement action over allegations involving the collection and sale of precise location and driving-behavior information without adequate consent.
Can car data affect insurance rates?
Vehicle telematics and driving-behavior data can be used in insurance programs. Drivers should determine whether participation is voluntary and who receives the information before enrolling.
Do driver-monitoring cameras record video?
Some systems process images locally, while data handling varies by manufacturer and feature. Owners should review whether raw images, derived attention scores or event records are stored or transmitted.
Can you disable connected-car data collection?
Some vehicles allow owners to disable certain services or categories of collection. Other functions may be built into the vehicle or tied to safety and emergency systems.
Should you reset a car before selling it?
Yes. Remove phones, accounts, contacts, navigation history, digital keys, garage codes and other personal information before selling, trading or returning a vehicle.
Are older cars more private?
Generally, vehicles without embedded cellular connections, cloud services and driver-monitoring systems collect and transmit less personal data. They may still contain event recorders and diagnostic information.
The Bottom Line
Modern automotive technology is not inherently bad. Electronic engine control, ABS, airbags, stability control and advanced diagnostics have made vehicles safer and more capable.
The problem is that useful technology has been bundled with surveillance, subscriptions, restricted repairs and diminishing owner control.
A car does not need to record every destination, profile every acceleration event and observe the driver’s face to perform its basic purpose. It especially does not need to share that information through a web of manufacturers, service providers, data companies and insurers hidden behind one cheerful consent screen.
Vehicles are becoming computers on wheels.
Unfortunately, the industry also imported everything people hate about computers: forced updates, discontinued support, locked features, unreadable agreements, data harvesting and hardware that mysteriously needs permission from somewhere else.
New technology should make cars better to own. Too often, it makes them better at owning us.