Carmakers are selling out their customers for as low as 26 cents
Following reports revealing car manufacturers’ sales of driver data to insurance companies and data brokers, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden and Massachusetts Sen. Edward Markey sent a letter today (the third such letter from lawmakers) to FTC Chair Lina Khan urging the agency to investigate the practice.
In the newest letter, Wyden says his staff’s investigation revealed some hard numbers for how much the driver data — which includes events like braking and acceleration — was actually worth to companies such as General Motors, Honda, and Hyundai.
Verisk, a data broker described as “a credit agency for drivers,” purchased driving behavior data from connected vehicle manufacturers, scored them for risk, then sold them to insurance companies. Versik shuttered this particular program after the New York Times reporting.
Hyundai told Wyden’s office that between 2018 and 2024 they shared data from 1.7 million cars with Verisk and were paid 61 cents per car. Hyundai also confirmed they had enrolled customers in its “Driver Score” program without their permission.
Honda said that from 2020 to 2024 it sold data from 97,000 cars to Verisk for 26 cents per car, and also admitted it did so without driver permission. General Motors refused to disclose the numbers behind their data sales.
The connected vehicle data industry monetizes driver behavior data, but also collects driver location data, though the industry has struggled to deliver on its estimated potential.
