#IndustryTrends

While the driving masses are gradually becoming aware that automakers are using connected vehicles to sell off user data to third-party data brokers, there isn’t a lot of public information on exactly how this business is being conducted. However, headway is indeed being made.

A letter to the Federal Trade Commission has revealed that these automakers are not only selling off your personal data, they’re doing it for a pathetically small sum of money. Penned by U.S. senators Ron Wyden and Edward J. Markey, the document pertains to data broker Verisk and an earlier story that roped in several major manufacturers.

With so many manufacturers retreating from their earlier promises of electrification, the public has begun to take notice. While industry targets often go missed, the EV debate has grown rather contentious due to the strong rhetoric used by automakers for years. Companies weren’t just vowing to sell all-electric vehicles, they were claiming a fundamental shift in transportation was about to happen.

Many of the latest automotive trends seem designed to hurt the feelings of enthusiasts and appease various government ordinances. A prime example of this is companies quieting down exhaust noises and piping simulated sounds into the cabin. This has gradually evolved into automakers hiding the exhaust ports altogether, sometimes replacing them with plastic veneers that do nothing while looking the part. But it hasn’t gone over well with drivers, encouraging some brands to walk the practice back — including Audi.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) just praised seven out of eight crossovers it tested with rear automatic braking. This comes as the group has pivoted its focus toward pedestrian safety. However, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute (IIHS-HLDI) also published a paper expressing safety concerns over automated driving systems. The takeaway from that piece was that alleged self-driving systems added nothing in terms of safety, but that partially automated safety systems (like automatic braking) were a net positive.