THE DATA DILEMМА - HOW MUCH DOES YOUR CAR KNOW A BOUT YOU?

Our cars' computers record more details about your personal life than you probably know about, and the risks to your privacy could be devastating

- Graham Hope

MOST drivers are aware that today's cars collect - and share - data about all manner of things. But there's a general ignorance about the specifics that could be cause for alarm.

Research conducted by Uswitch last year revealed that 72 per cent of motorists were unaware of cars collecting data related to how and when they are driven; 67 per cent didn't realise that data pertaining to their use of GPS and infotainment could be gathered; 54 per cent were in the dark that some cars amass data on speed; and 53 per cent that route history is also accessible. Even a car's current location can be tracked and stored; something that 44 per cent of drivers are apparently not wise to.

If that little lot doesn't concern you, also consider that when you connect your phone, all manner of data-including call records, messages, location histories and more - can migrate to the car, often in unencrypted form.

Combine this with the reality that there's a vast marketplace for this data, and even the most technically illiterate driver will appreciate that the potential for problems is vast, should it be exploited, misused or fall into the wrong hands.

What happens to the vast amount of data being generated by modern vehicles is an issue that is coming into clearer focus with each passing month, and one that a new company, Privacy4Cars, is specifically trying to address.

CEO Andrea Amico's advice for Auto Express readers is simple: "Educate yourself about your car or the car you are looking to buy. What type of sensors does it have? What type of services? Stop thinking of a car as a mechanical thing. It's a super-powered laptop."