TECH NEWS

Study Finds Many New Cars Share Your Data With Third-Party Companies

The report analyzed traffic from 21 vehicles and 30 automaker apps.

Metamorworks/Getty Images

Pinterest probably doesn't need your car's VIN, but General Motors' apps were sending it there anyway — and to Snap, Yahoo, Meta, Google and the data broker Acxiom. At least, that's according to a recent study from Northeastern University, which tested 21 late-model cars and 30 automaker apps on Consumer Reports' fleet between October 2024 and August 2025.

Nineteen of those cars sent data to at least one third-party company via Wi-Fi, with seven of the apps passing identifiers like VINs, email addresses and precise locations to advertising and analytics companies. Four of those seven belong to GM, which has been under a 20-year FTC privacy order since January.

Those four GM apps are myCadillac, myChevrolet, myBuick and myGMC, and each sent VINs to 10 companies including Microsoft and Adobe. Meanwhile, HondaLink sent VINs and location...

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OpenAI Dot Vs. Meta Muse: How Do These AI Agents Compare?

Q&A with Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar on the Iran school strike and AI targeting, the DOD dropping Anthropic, AI liability, effective altruism, and more

Mbps Vs MB/s: What Do These Speeds Mean?

The Reason The Xbox Series S Is So Much Cheaper Than The Series X