Your car is tracking you, and the data trail is massive

Researchers analyzed 21 late-model vehicles across 19 different brands to map the flow of information. While the team could not decrypt the specific payload data without hacking the onboard systems, they successfully identified the destination domains for traffic leaving the cars. These destinations often included third-party tracking firms, confirming that sensitive driving behavior is being broadcast far beyond the manufacturer.

This investigation follows a series of regulatory crackdowns, including a notable Federal Trade Commission penalty against General Motors for selling precise location data without informed consent. Other manufacturers, such as Ford and Honda, have faced scrutiny for creating labyrinthine opt-out processes. David Choffnes, who led the Northeastern project, noted that the sheer scale of the tracking poses significant privacy risks for consumers who remain largely unaware of the extent to which their vehicles function as surveillance tools.