If you follow the links, the first thing it tells you is "Download the app".[1]<p>Vehicle Data Sharing appears to be opt-out, not opt-in. They do say "If you’d like to ensure you’re not sharing data, check Vehicle Connectivity in your Settings menu in-vehicle and toggle it off." After doing that, someone should check to see if the wireless modem is still emitting.<p>[1] <a href="https://www.ford.com/data-and-privacy/manage-your-settings/connect/" rel="nofollow">https://www.ford.com/data-and-privacy/manage-your-settings/c...</a>
You know who really needs to do this? BMW.<p>First thing it told me when I was setting up the customization area was something around ...if you enable BMW account sync, this car will transmit all audio, video and any other data recorded to BMW for its use blah blah...<p>Ugh
Personally I would like a car that simply does not generate any "data" in the first place.
I don’t want a privacy policy. I want my data, and I don’t want them to have it.
All I can read from that title is double-speak about how it's your responsibility to opt out, your problem if you don't.
Even better, knowing someone with one of these trucks - every time it does a software update (which it does over the air, and which apparently cannot be disabled), it re-enables a bunch of shit and forces you to opt-out again.<p>Super creepy.
Don't let Ford PR crowd out the primary message that they collect and sell your data.
OK, so what's the punishment if they do it anyway? What's their skin in the game beyond and oopsie-apology?
"Your data is safe with us."<p>No, our data is barely even safe with ourselves. It's definitely not safe with anyone else!
Easiest way to control your data is to pull the telemetry unit out of of your car and never take the car to the dealership. This isn't easy, but it's worth it.
Why is there even data
I really have one big question about connected vehicle privacy: do you provide the data to insurance companies? This website is opaque enough that I can't even find the answer to that question. What a joke to be celebrating your privacy principles when that isn't even answerable.
I'm not going to say I'm not suspicious, but the third bullet point under "Our Privacy Promise" says "We also never sell data about how you drive your vehicle to data brokers". Then further down the page we have the FAQs, which has:<p>Q: "Does Ford sell customer data about your personal vehicle's driving behavior to data brokers or insurance companies?"<p>A: No<p>Again: I don't know how much I trust them, and when I get a new car I'll probably be doing some research to see which ones will still run after I physically disconnect the wireless modem, but they DO answer that question
> do you provide the data to insurance companies? This website is opaque enough that I can't even find the answer to that question.<p>It is <i>literally</i> one of the few specific questions they address:<p>"Does Ford sell customer data about your personal vehicle's driving behavior to data brokers or insurance companies?" And their answer was one word.
It's in one of the questions you have to open to see the answer to. The answer they is simply "No".
I'll guess they timed the announcement, to contrast with GM paying out 9 figures for selling consumer data - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/10/gm-to-pay-220-million-after-selling-customer-smart-driver-data/" rel="nofollow">https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/10/gm-to-pay-220-million-a...</a><p>It'd be lovely if other automakers followed suit, but I wouldn't actually bet on Ford keeping its Promise.
These fuckers don't even allow anonymous access from Tor to this very site where they claim to honor your privacy.
I fully expect a Louis Rossmann video by tomorrow detailing every privacy fuck-up Ford has done in the last 3 months and how this promise is really just a promise to take away ownership in the name of protection.
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