The topics of data sharing and privacy have been at the top of consumers’ minds for some time now, and for good reason. After all, with the rise of connected vehicle technology, the cars we own and drive are collecting and sharing more data than ever before. Problem is, it’s often difficult to tell precisely who that data is being shared with and for what reason, concerns that recently came to life when Ford’s cross-town rival General Motors was caught sharing data with insurance providers without owner consent or knowledge. Now, Ford is among a group of automakers being investigated by the state of Texas over its privacy practices, too.
According to Malwarebytes Labs, the Texas Attorney General’s Office has begun investigating how Ford – along with Hyundai, Toyota, and Stellantis – collect, share, and sell consumer data, expanding a probe that began last year. That entity sent letters to these automakers demanding that each reply with pertinent data under oath pertaining to the methods in which each uses to collect customer data, which third parties receive that data, if any restrictions were placed on how those recipients use the data, the number of customers affected, and how consent was obtained from customers.
This is just the latest such inquiry, as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton previously sent “civil investigative demands” to automakers including General Motors, Kia, Mitsubishi, and Subaru in April 2024, and the state has also gone after companies that purchase this type of data, including insurance provider Allstate, plus a variety of mobile apps.
Texas previously sued GM in August 2024, accusing the automaker of installing technology on 14 million vehicles that effectively siphons data from users, then sells it to third parties without their consent – the same problem that resulted in that company being banned from sharing such data with third parties by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) earlier this month. Meanwhile, Ford has been keen to make it clear that it never shared any customer data with those same entities, and it requires that owners explicitly consent to engage in things like usage-based insurance programs, too.
UPDATE: Ford issued a statement to Ford Authority about the Texas inquiry:
“We are aware that following news reports about other manufacturers’ data-sharing practices, the Texas AG opened an investigation into how auto manufacturers and other third parties collect and use vehicle information. Ford received a general inquiry in connection with this probe and is cooperating with the AG’s inquiry. Ford is committed to being a trusted steward of the personal information our customers choose to share with us and is confident that its practices are consistent with regulatory requirements and important privacy principles, including customer transparency and choice.
For example, Ford provides customers with a choice as to whether or not they wish to share connected vehicle data with us. Using in-vehicle settings, customers may turn vehicle connectivity off entirely (resulting in a disconnection from the cellular network) and may exercise granular settings that control sharing vehicle data (e.g., odometer, oil level), driving data (e.g., braking), and/or location data with Ford. Customers may continue to use services that do not rely on the data they choose not to share with us. For example, customers who choose not to share location data may not use the ‘Find my Vehicle’ feature on their FordPass or Lincoln Way app but can still receive vehicle health alerts.
Ford does not sell any connected vehicle data to data brokers. With respect to data-sharing in the insurance industry, while Ford did support customers who wished to take advantage of usage-based insurance policies with their insurance carriers, we made the decision last year to phase out our support of these products and focus on other priorities. Also, while Ford previously announced exploratory partnerships with both LexisNexis and Verisk, those exploratory agreements ended without launching any products and we never shared any connected vehicle data with them.
When we did offer usage-based insurance, the process required a double opt-in experience to secure customer consent. To become enrolled, customers had to opt in with their own insurance company and again through a separate consent screen on their vehicle’s touchscreen interface. Without a customer’s explicit consent through this two-step consent experience, Ford did not share any vehicle data with an insurance carrier.
For more information, we recommend that our customers read our Connected Vehicle Privacy Notice, available at
https://www.ford.com/help/privacy/.”
Comment
We Don’t TRUST Any of the Auto Manufactures!!!! They Lie, Cheat, Steal, Pilfer, and Pontificate every Day of the year. Just Like our Government has been doing for the Last 150 YEARS??? Pitiful. Really Sad to see it come to this…