carmakers have turned on a powerful spigot of precious personal data, often without owners’ knowledge, transforming the automobile from a machine that helps us travel to a sophisticated computer on wheels that offers even more access to our personal habits and behaviors than smartphones do. Automakers say they collect customer data only with explicit permission, though that permission is often buried in lengthy service agreements.
There are 78 million cars on the road with an embedded cyber connection, a feature that makes monitoring customers easier, according to ABI Research. Some privacy experts believe that with enough data points about driver behavior, profiles as unique as fingerprints could be developed. But it’s location data, experts say, that already has the greatest potential to put customers at risk.
— source washingtonpost.com