Ford officially announced its commitment not to sell customer driving data to third-party data brokers, as part of a new privacy policy through which it seeks to present itself as a safer choice for consumers in a sector that has recently witnessed a wave of legal and regulatory scrutiny related to the collection and tracking of driving data without explicit authorization.
Christin Jones, Ford's Chief Privacy Officer, explained that the company will adopt aggregation and anonymization techniques to protect customer information, alongside providing clear and simplified information on how personal data is initiated and used. Although Ford will continue to use data to improve safety standards, the new policy gives customers the ability to control the amount of data they prefer to share.
Context of regulatory pressures and major settlement
This pledge comes in the wake of General Motors (GM) reaching a massive financial settlement totaling 220 million dollars to resolve allegations related to the illegal sale of driver and location data to data brokers, a case that imposed restrictions on data collection and mandated obtaining prior explicit consent.
Recent reports and surveys involving dozens of automotive brands revealed that the vast majority of them transmit user data via Wi-Fi networks to domains specialized in advertising, tracking, and analytics with the goal of reselling it to insurance companies or using it in targeted advertising.
What changes practically for users?
- General Commitment: A public pledge not to sell driving data to brokers, with these promises subject to oversight by federal regulatory bodies such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
- Data Control: Providing options for customers to adjust the level of data sharing, bearing in mind that disabling tracking features may disable essential vehicle functions such as built-in navigation and over-the-air updates.
- Legal Policies: Actual compliance remains governed by the official privacy policy and connected vehicle terms, which include legal exceptions to respond to law enforcement requests or third-party service providers.