Nearly all 19 car brands send driver data to third parties (Northeastern/CR)

A study by Northeastern University and Consumer Reports examined 21 vehicles across 19 brands and found that nearly every automaker transmits driver data to outside companies, including major advertising firms and data brokers. The information sent includes precise GPS traces for every trip, speed and braking/acceleration metrics, seatbelt usage, infotainment interactions, seat-sensor biometric signals, and even in-cabin camera footage. A 2026 Federal Trade Commission order against GM confirmed that geolocation and driving-behavior records from millions of cars were collected and sold without adequate consent, and those feeds are shared downstream with banks, insurers and lenders.

The practical effect is continuous, factory-installed surveillance: modern cars are networked by default, buyers cannot realistically opt out, and the streamed telemetry builds profiles used to price insurance and influence lending. The argument is straightforward and urgent: anything connected can and likely will be monetized. The responder offered here proposes an alternative architecture - intelligence confined to the device with no telemetry pipe, no broker feed, and no stored profiles - as a way to preserve functionality without selling intimate daily-location and behavior data.