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 selling data to insurance providers without owner consent or knowledge. However, that isn’t the case at Ford.
At its 2025 Virtual Shareholders Meeting, Ford touched on this subject by confirming that it “does not sell any connected vehicle data to brokers, period.” While The Blue Oval has stated this on multiple occasions as of late, it’s still an important reminder in a world where much of our data is indeed collected and sold to third parties – sometimes with our knowledge and consent, and other times, without.
As Ford Authority reported back in January, GM’s deceptive practices designed to encourage customers to enroll in OnStar services such as Smart Driver – which in some cases have led to higher insurance rates for those same customers – prompted the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to reveal a new proposal that bans both GM and OnStar from sending data revolving around a driver’s location and behavior to consumer reporting agencies, with hefty fines for any violations that might occur.
As for Ford, it was among several automakers investigated by by the state of Texas over its privacy practices earlier this year, but it is cooperating with that query and maintains that the company “is committed to being a trusted steward of the personal information our customers choose to share with us.” FoMoCo later issued a statement adding that it “hasn’t sold or shared any connected vehicle data to LexisNexis (or Verisk). It’s up to you whether to share vehicle data with your insurer if you decide to seek a usage-based insurance policy. To become enrolled, you must both opt-in with your own insurance company, and AGAIN through a separate consent screen on your vehicle’s interface.”
Comments
Bullcrap
Lie lie lie, they sell it .
It was the entire agenda at connected vehicle.
That and ridiculous subscription push.
Farley is famous for hyping their data market potential during investor calls, it’s one of the reasons they made modems standard despite a relentless de-contenting spree.
Sorry, but the automotive industry deserves the blackeye they got on this issue. The whole point of connected cars is to get data and monetize it. If the industry wants our trust they must allow us to have full control of data not just talk about it. If you look at all the legal leaves on the screens in Ford vehicles make sure you have your lawyer with you to explain it all. A lot of of it is very sneaky and subtle such as when you pair your phone with your vehicle and allow Apple CarPlay or android auto you’ve just signed away all your rights to your data and they absolutely are using it. PROVE that my data is 100% private.
And I dated Marla Males!