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Is your car listening to you? It may capture voice commands when a connected voice assistant is actively listening, but that is only one kind of vehicle data—and it does not mean every car continuously records conversations. A connected car can also send location, driving, diagnostic, camera, media-use and app data. What it collects and who receives it depend on the vehicle, model year, equipment, software, services, region and settings.
What does “listening” mean in a connected car?
There are two different things people may mean by listening. A voice assistant may capture a command while its voice-recognition system is in an active-listen state. Separately, “media analytics” can describe information about what you play without meaning that the car records a conversation. Ford’s U.S. Connected Vehicle Privacy notice, effective July 1, 2026, describes both categories: voice commands captured while connected voice recognition is actively listening, and media details such as radio presets, volume, channel, source, title, artist and genre. The notice says collection varies with connectivity, software, settings and services.
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Even when no conversation is being captured, a vehicle may generate location and driving telemetry. Connected-car data can also include identifiers, diagnostics, feature use, camera images and, in some cases, biometric information. The FTC has noted that location data can reveal visits to sensitive places; that possibility does not establish that any particular car collected such information about its driver.
What information might leave the vehicle?
Ford’s U.S. notice gives a concrete example of the breadth of data a connected vehicle may produce. The categories below describe what that notice says Ford may collect; they are not a universal list for every automaker or model.
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| Data category | Examples described in Ford’s U.S. notice |
|---|---|
| Vehicle and service information | Identifiers, diagnostics, maintenance information and feature-use analytics |
| Driving behavior | Speed, accelerator and braking activity, steering, driver-assistance use and seat-belt information |
| Location | Precise vehicle location |
| Voice and camera | Camera images and voice commands captured while connected voice recognition is in its active-listen state |
| Media analytics | Radio presets, volume, channels, source, title, artist and genre |
Vehicle data may be associated with an identifiable vehicle or owner. Ford says information transmitted from a vehicle is generally linked to its VIN or another identifier that can be associated with the owner, although some information may be transmitted in de-identified form. De-identification does not mean that no data was collected.
Who can receive a car’s data?
The answer depends on the automaker, service and settings. Ford’s U.S. notice names several recipient categories, subject to the purposes and legal limits it describes:
- Ford affiliates and contracted service providers.
- Organizations that provide services to drivers or work jointly with Ford, and product-promotion partners.
- Authorized dealers receiving VIN-based vehicle-health information.
- Professional advisers, courts, regulators, government authorities and law enforcement where applicable.
- Parties involved in corporate transactions.
There can also be another route through your phone or accounts. If you direct vehicle information to a third-party app or service through infotainment, Bluetooth, tethering or account linking, that provider’s own privacy terms apply. A dashboard setting may not control what a separately linked service collects.
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There is a documented insurance-related case, but it concerns General Motors and OnStar—not every automaker. In a January 2025 release, the FTC alleged that OnStar Smart Driver enrollment did not clearly disclose collection and sharing of precise location and driving behavior, including hard braking, late-night driving and speeding. The FTC said some users’ locations were collected as often as every three seconds and that consumer reporting agencies used information in reports that insurers used in insurance decisions. The FTC finalized an order in January 2026. It restricts specified sharing of geolocation and driver-behavior data with consumer reporting agencies for five years and imposes consent, access/deletion and consumer-choice requirements for 20 years, subject to exceptions. Those obligations apply to the GM matter; they do not establish an industry-wide practice.
What can you do to limit collection and sharing?
- Find the notice for your exact vehicle and country. Check the automaker’s privacy notice for the make, model year and region. Policies and features can change between vehicles and markets.
- Review settings by data type. In the vehicle’s privacy, connectivity or data-sharing menus, look separately for voice assistant, media analytics, location, driving or telematics, camera, app and diagnostic controls. A single privacy switch may not cover every category.
- Check accounts and phone connections. Review the automaker’s connected-service account and phone app as well as dashboard settings. Remove linked third-party accounts or app permissions you no longer want to use.
- Ask the automaker about your data. Ask what is enabled and how to request access, deletion or an opt-out. Available rights and controls depend on the manufacturer and jurisdiction. The Associated Press has reported that Privacy4Cars offers a VIN-based report and a service that can direct or submit data requests; check its current availability, geography and terms before relying on it.
- Weigh feature trade-offs. Ford says some connected services may not work correctly or be available when connected-vehicle information is withheld. The Associated Press reports that disabling location can affect roadside assistance or remote-app features. The precise impact depends on the vehicle and service.
Lauren Hendry Parsons of Mozilla told the Associated Press, “There are permissions in your settings that you can make choices about,” and advised drivers to “Go through on a granular level and look at those settings where you can.” The practical point is to inspect individual controls rather than assume one setting governs every data path.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should you do when a connected car changes hands?
Before selling or returning a vehicle, follow the owner’s-manual procedure to reset it, remove associated accounts, and clear paired phones or imported personal data. If you buy a used connected car, check that the previous owner’s accounts and paired devices have been removed, then set up only the services you want. Ford says deleting its phone app alone does not disable data sharing from the vehicle.
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How much should broad privacy ratings tell you?
In 2023, the Mozilla Foundation assessed privacy practices at 25 auto brands and called cars the worst product category it had reviewed for privacy, according to the Associated Press. That figure describes the scope and conclusion of Mozilla’s 2023 review; it is not a current audit of every brand, model or car on the road. For a decision about your own vehicle, the most useful details are its country- and model-year-specific notice, whether data is processed locally or transmitted, how it is linked to an account or VIN, who receives it, how granular the controls are, which features depend on sharing, and how to access, delete or reset information.
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A car can transmit location and driving telemetry without recording a conversation. Voice-command capture, media analytics and other connected-vehicle data are distinct categories, and a named automaker’s notice is not proof of what every car collects. Tesla, for example, says in its privacy notice that camera AI is processed on the vehicle by default and that sharing recordings for fleet learning requires consent through the touchscreen. That is Tesla’s stated policy, not independent verification of processing in every model or setting.
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