GM's settlement triggers Ford's pledge

General Motors agreed to pay $220 million to settle claims it illegally sold driver and location information to data brokers without authorization.

Ford's new privacy promise

Ford vowed never to sell customer driving data to third-party data brokers, using aggregating and anonymizing techniques while providing clear information about data use.

Trust must be earned, Ford says

Kristin Jones, Ford's chief privacy officer, wrote that protecting personal information is how the company intends to earn customer trust every day.

“We know that trust is earned.”

Industry-wide data sharing exposed

An examination of twenty-one vehicle brands found every single one transmitted data to at least one third-party domain over Wi-Fi, with over half contacting advertising and tracking firms.

Connected cars rank worst for privacy

Mozilla found that ninety-two percent of reviewed automakers provide drivers little control over personal data, with eighty-four percent sharing user data with outside parties.

Customer concern about auto data privacy

Ford surveyed over one thousand US customers and found forty-one percent were extremely or very concerned about data privacy in the auto industry.

FTC enforcement backs Ford's promise

If Ford breaks its public promise not to sell driving data, the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general can sue, impose binding agreements, and levy substantial financial fines.

Opting out comes with tradeoffs

Ford's official privacy policy allows data sharing for police requests and service providers. Turning off tracking often disables features like navigation, remote start, and wireless software updates.