Ford promises never to sell personal data after GM’s $316 million settlement

Ford has pledged never to sell customers’ driving data to data brokers, days after arch-rival General Motors agreed to pay a US$220 million (A$315.6 million) settlement in the United States over allegations it sold customer data without permission.

In a Ford blog post, chief privacy officer Kristin Jones said the automaker’s Privacy Promise makes “an explicit commitment to customers that their vehicle data is safe with us and they’re in control of what they share”.

“We understand the trust you place in us every time you drive our vehicles and are dedicated to protecting your privacy,” Ms Jones said.

The Ford Privacy Promise was launched after the automaker surveyed more than 1000 consumers in the US, including owners of Fords as well as other brands, and found the overwhelming majority (91 per cent) rated data privacy as ‘highly important’.

“We believe using vehicle data to raise the bar on safety and quality is the right thing to do,” Ms Jones’ post said.

“We offer vehicle privacy settings that allow you to control what data you want to share, subject to the features and services you wish to enjoy.

“We also never sell data about how you drive your vehicle to data brokers.”

For now, the Privacy Promise applies only to the US, with Mexico and Canada to follow in the coming weeks and "more geographies to come".

Ford’s new Privacy Promise comes after GM confirmed it will pay US$220 million (A$315.6 million) in a settlement with 36 US attorneys general to resolve allegations it sold customer data to third parties without customer consent.

As reported by TechCrunch, the settlement followed a US Federal Trade Commission order finalised in January 2026, which imposed a five-year ban on GM disclosing location information and driving-behaviour data to consumer reporting agencies.

It also required GM to obtain express customer consent for collecting, using or sharing connected-vehicle data, subject to exceptions, while enabling US consumers to access their data and request its deletion.

In announcing its Privacy Promise, Ford also launched a website “to help drive awareness of a customer’s responsibility and choices when it comes to their data”.

Ford launched FordPass, a smartphone app, in Australia in 2020 after its US release in 2016. The app enables functions such as remote vehicle start and unlocking, vehicle status checks – including fuel or battery levels and tyre pressures – and vehicle location access via a smartphone.

Many vehicle brands offer similar apps, with BMW and Tesla among the early adopters in Australia in 2014. Toyota introduced Toyota Connected Services here in 2020, initially offering emergency and security functions, with brands including Kia, Hyundai, BYD and GWM subsequently introducing connected services apps.

The Ford survey found more than half (56 per cent) of respondents said they value privacy but accept some data sharing for the benefits of modern technology.

In Australia, Toyota and Hyundai have been named as the two brands under investigation by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) over potential breaches of Australia’s privacy laws, including how they collect and use customers’ personal data and obtain consent.

There have been no findings of wrongdoing by either automaker. Earlier this year, Toyota Australia told CarExpert sensitive customer data is "never transmitted" beyond the company.

This was followed by a controversial episode of current affairs program Four Corners, in which a cybersecurity expert accessed a Chinese-made BYD Shark 6 ute as part of an investigation into data security and vehicle vulnerabilities.

It prompted calls for greater transparency around data collection, as well as more government regulation to hold automakers to account.

“An electric vehicle made by a company headquartered in China is subject to the laws of China, and particularly the national security laws, which oblige them to assist China's intelligence agencies,” Shadow Minister for Defence James Paterson told Four Corners.

“So, a connected EV [electric vehicle] from China is the highest-risk product in the marketplace, and right now there's nothing that says to that brand what data you can collect on Australians, how it can be stored, when it can be transmitted.”

This month, Ford Australia is set to launch the Chinese-made Ford Transit City into local showrooms. This will be followed by a second model from China, the Ford Bronco Basecamp, scheduled to arrive in mid-to-late 2027.

The Australian Government recently said it had not moved to restrict Chinese electric vehicles at military bases, despite restrictions on vehicle access at sensitive defence sites in countries including the US, Poland and Switzerland.

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