A Northeastern University and Consumer Reports study of 21 vehicles across 19 brands found that nearly every automaker sends driver data to outside companies — precise GPS for every trip, braking and acceleration, even in-cabin camera footage. In 2026 the FTC found GM sold geolocation from millions of cars without proper consent.
nearly all shared driver data
of cars' geolocation sold (GM/FTC)
precise GPS collected
Northeastern and Consumer Reports tested 21 vehicles from 19 brands; nearly all transmitted driver data to third parties, including some of the world's largest ad companies. Collected data spans precise GPS per trip, speed/braking/acceleration, seatbelt use, infotainment usage, seat-sensor biometrics, and in-cabin camera footage. In 2026 the FTC's order against GM/OnStar found it collected and sold precise geolocation and driving behavior from millions of vehicles without adequate consent — data that flows on to banks, insurers, and lenders.
Your car knows where you sleep, work, worship, and shop — and it's selling that map. You can't opt a modern car out of the internet; the data pipe is wired in at the factory, and the buyer might be your insurer.
Precise GPS for every trip, routed to data brokers.
In-car footage and seat-sensor biometrics are in scope.
Driving data becomes your risk profile — and your rate.
The rule people who run infrastructure live by: never connect the things you care about to the internet. If a product can phone home, assume it does — and assume someone's buying.
Intelligence that doesn't log your life.
Aura runs entirely on-device — no telemetry pipe, no broker feed, no profile built from your day. It hears only you, and nothing it hears leaves the room. The product isn't the data; the product is the device. Nothing leaves the room.