Audio By Carbonatix

Ford says it doesn’t sell your driving data to companies like LexisNexis or Verisk. Sounds nice, right? Except when you realize the company’s actual privacy documents let them track everything from your braking habits to your ethnicity—and send it to a wide circle of “partners,” from ad agencies to SiriusXM.

What your Ford data privacy agreement really says

Ford told investors it “does not sell any connected vehicle data to brokers, period.” This was a great statement to drum up applause. But it’s in now way legally binding. Mozilla’s deep dive paints a different picture.

Mozilla dinged every car brand it reviewed for collecting “more personal data than necessary” and using it for reasons “other than to operate your vehicle.” That includes everything from “your genetic information” to your “sex life.”

Ford’s own privacy docs say the car can collect your VIN, odometer, location, usage stats, app usage, and more. It “may also receive information from commercially available sources” including “data brokers,” “social media,” and “marketing agencies.”

What about when you connect a phone to the vehicle? Ford warns that even “others who use your vehicle may have access to this information.” They also collect data “about the mobile apps you use.”

Want to opt out? Ford says, “if you disable location services,” it “may result in certain features not being available.”

Oh, and that off switch in your infotainment screen? Mozilla couldn’t confirm whether it even works. They said: “We reached out to the company… and received no response.”

The truth behind Ford data promises

Ford says your data goes nowhere unless you “opt-in with your own insurance company, and AGAIN through a separate consent screen.” If that screen is “greyed out,” Ford claims it’s off by default.

But Mozilla warns this kind of consent is often just a legal trick. Some automakers—Nissan included—say passengers “consented” just by getting in the car.

Ford may not sell your data now, but nothing in the privacy policy stops it from flipping the switch later.

The reality is that Ford—and most automakers—operate in a gray zone where your privacy exists only until it’s inconvenient. Even if they don’t sell your data to insurers yet, nothing in the privacy policy prevents them from doing so tomorrow. A real promise doesn’t need fine print. If Ford really wants to make a data privacy stand, it needs to change its default agreements.