Ford privacy promise raises questions about your car data

Ford has announced a privacy initiative intended to make it easier for drivers to understand and control how their vehicle data is used. The company says it will not sell information about customers’ driving to insurers or data brokers, but switching off some data sharing may also disable connected features.

The information collected varies by vehicle, equipment and settings, and can include location and diagnostic data used for services such as roadside assistance, maintenance alerts and technology development. Ford says many privacy controls already existed and its new initiative makes them easier to find; the announcement comes amid growing scrutiny of automakers’ data practices.