Modern cars are being branded “a privacy nightmare” by Mozilla Foundation in the United States.

In its latest “Privacy Not Included” report, it says car makers have been bragging about their cars being “computers on wheels” for years to promote their advanced features but that the conversation about what driving a computer means for its occupants’ privacy hasn’t really caught up.

“While we worried that our doorbells and watches that connect to the internet might be spying on us, car brands quietly entered the data business by turning their vehicles into powerful data-gobbling machines,” researchers say. “Machines that, because of their all those brag-worthy bells and whistles, have an unmatched power to watch, listen, and collect information about what you do and where you go in your car.”

The research says all 25 car brands they researched earned their “*Privacy Not Included” warning label which they say makes cars the official worst category of products for privacy that we have ever reviewed.

They say car brands they researched are terrible at privacy and security, all of them collecting too much data, most of them share or sell data and give drivers little to no control over their personal data. Furthermore they say they couldn’t confirm whether any meet minimum security standards.

The researchers say they hope by publicising their findings and increasing awareness will encourage others to hold car companies accountable for their “terrible privacy practices” too.

Read it here.

(Picture – Yay Images)