Nearly all automakers spy on car owners in the USA, study finds

Consumer Reports has published a rather worrying report shedding light on the ways car companies track customers and their lives.

The results are not reassuring, if not exactly unexpected. As it turns out, nearly all automotive brands represented in North America are actively collecting exhaustive data on driver behavior and sharing it with third parties – largely insurance companies.

Simply put, if you find that your insurance premium skyrocketed for no apparent reason, try remembering all the instances of reckless driving you indulged in over the past months. Chances are good your car collected the relevant telemetry and snitched on you.

If you think that’s bad, consider that the data being collected also goes to marketing agencies. They study it and create a profile based on your personal data, habits, preferences and so on. This profile may later be used in targeted advertising.