Kia and Hyundai collect voice recognition data from inside their cars and sell it to an artificial intelligence software training company.
An investigation by consumer advocacy group Choice found most of Australia’s popular car brands collect and share “driver data”, ranging from braking patterns to video footage.
Now, an investigation by Australia’s CHOICE magazine has detailed which carmakers are collecting data locally, and what they’re doing with it.
The publication wrote to 10 of Australia’s best-selling carmakers to explain their policies regarding how they collect and, in some cases, distribute customer’s data.
Toyota and Ford both said they collect and share driver data with third-party providers, but not biometric data. Ford further advised CHOICE it doesn’t sell data to brokers.
MG said it collects driver data and shares it with unspecified “service providers” but doesn’t share with third parties “other than to provide functionality”
The above four brands were given a yellow traffic light status for their respective approaches, but Korean brands Kia and Hyundai were deemed to be worthy of a red light.
Both brands collect and share voice recognition and other data with third-party provider Cerence, a US firm which claims to be a “global industry leader” in AI-powered interactions for the transport industry.
