The modern car long ago ceased to be merely a means of transportation. A study by Northeastern University, conducted jointly with Consumer Reports, showed that 19 of the 21 tested cars from model year 2023 and newer, upon their very first connection to Wi-Fi, send signals to dozens of third-party domains, among them advertising and analytics platforms.
The researchers recorded that the Tesla Model 3 contacted 34 advertising and tracking domains plus another 43 third-party resources — more than any other in the sample. It was followed by the Cybertruck, Cadillac Lyriq, Lucid Air and Chevrolet Blazer. Thirteen cars connected to Google, twelve to Amazon, eight to Spotify, and three to Meta. Many of these requests, for example to doubleclick.net or googlesyndication.com, have nothing to do with the car's basic functions.
Particularly alarming is that the researchers were unable to fully analyze traffic over the built-in eSIMs: cellular connections remain practically opaque to outsiders. Moreover, even without mobile apps, the cars actively exchange data. And when apps do connect, the volume of leaks doubles: seven of the thirty tested apps transmitted the VIN, phone numbers, precise location and email address directly to advertising networks.
Behind this picture lies a simple business model. Car manufacturers have turned into data suppliers for big technology platforms. Advertisers and data brokers gain the ability to build detailed profiles of drivers — from driving habits to music preferences and routes. These profiles are then sold to insurers, banks and marketers. As the study's co-author Sarah Elizabeth Gillespie notes, buying a new car that does not track its owner is apparently no longer possible.
The situation is reminiscent of the old saying: "He who pays the piper calls the tune." Only now the price for the "music" is not money but personal data, which the driver gives away automatically, simply by starting the engine. Manufacturers point to consent in the terms of use, yet most buyers do not read the multi-page documents and have no idea how deeply their everyday movements become a commodity.
Regulators are still lagging behind. Unlike smartphones, where rules on tracking transparency at least partially apply, the automotive industry remains a zone of minimal oversight. Until strict standards and a right to disable all non-essential data transmissions appear, every new car will continue to operate as a quiet informant in the pocket of the advertising industry.
Check the privacy settings of your car and the manufacturer's apps.
