Senators Ron Wyden a Democrat from Oregon, and Edward Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, want the Federal Trade Commission to investigate how car companies collect data and punish them if they’ve violated the law. The two senators called on the commission to look into auto manufacturers in a July 26. Hyundai, GM, Honda, and other manufacturers outfit their vehicles with sensors that gather reams of telemetric data which is then sold on to third-party brokers.
Two of the big companies buying customer data are LexisNexis Risk Solutions and Verisk, data brokers that work with insurance companies. The data is a valuable resource for insurance companies that provide information about a driver’s habits on the road to adjust their premiums. Often, this leads to people paying more for insurance than they would if their car weren’t spying on them.