dedzip
New Member
- Joined
- February 16, 2022
- Messages
- 7
- Reaction score
- 4
- City, State
- Parma Heights, Ohio
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2014 Explorer XLT 4WD
I've seen a few threads here about driver data collection, and I'd like to share what I've found out so far after doing a little bit of digging. The main reason for sharing this knowledge is because there is no explicit & easily found information anywhere about which Explorers send data to Ford and which don't- only a general consensus that newer vehicles are more likely to.
Because it can be used against you. GM is currently being sued for providing driving data to a data broker, who sold that data to an insurance company. The data was used to raise a driver's insurance rates based on vehicle information such as speed, hard acceletation, hard braking, etc. The user had no idea this data was being collected or sold at all.
Look up 'GM Privacy lawsuit' to read more.
I found a website called vehicleprivacyreport.com that allows you to run VINs through and see what data any given vehicle collects and what the maker's current privacy policies are. I don't know exactly how accurate it is, but given what I already know, it seems to be roughly correct. I then found salvage auction listings for different model year 5th gens, and used those VINs to generate reports for each of the different years. I also did a lot of other research to suppliment the basic information gathered from that site, made some educated guesses, and here's what I've come up with.
www.broncosportforum.com
Why should you care about how your data is collected and who it is sold to?
Because it can be used against you. GM is currently being sued for providing driving data to a data broker, who sold that data to an insurance company. The data was used to raise a driver's insurance rates based on vehicle information such as speed, hard acceletation, hard braking, etc. The user had no idea this data was being collected or sold at all.
Look up 'GM Privacy lawsuit' to read more.
I found a website called vehicleprivacyreport.com that allows you to run VINs through and see what data any given vehicle collects and what the maker's current privacy policies are. I don't know exactly how accurate it is, but given what I already know, it seems to be roughly correct. I then found salvage auction listings for different model year 5th gens, and used those VINs to generate reports for each of the different years. I also did a lot of other research to suppliment the basic information gathered from that site, made some educated guesses, and here's what I've come up with.
From what I can tell, 2011-2015 Explorers all collect data internally and store it inside the computer, but they do NOT have the capacity to send it wirelessly to Ford or anyone else.
My best guess is that this information is mostly for diagnostics and features like adaptive shifting/etc. as well as any information stored in the on-board navigation system such as home addresses or frequently visited places. These are all for the benefit of the user. The only way for a third party to access this information would be to plug a computer directly into the vehicle.
The only third party service that you can enable with these is SiriusXM. However, this seems to be a one-way connection, similar in function to a traditional Radio. It can recieve signals but cannot send them. SiriusXM may sell the data YOU provide them when you sign up for a subscription, but that does not come from the vehicle.
It is possible to connect these cars to your phone via bluetooth with SYNC 2- however compared to systems like CarPlay, Ford's hands-free bluetooth connectivity from back then probably does not collect much data from the car through your phone. I couldn't find any information on it though, I'll update the post if I do. You could always just not connect your phone if you're worried about it.
There was also an option to send a vehicle diagnostic report to your email, though I believe it has been discontinued. This, too, required a phone to be hooked up.
2016-2018 Explorers are where the water gets muddy.
The website says that these vehicles do not transmit data themselves- however, the 2016 was the first year to include Amazon Alexa voice commands and the 2017 was the first year to include CarPlay/Android Auto.
Both of these services require a phone to be connected. As anyone who's ever gotten advertisements relevant to a real life conversation knows, smartphones are constantly collecting data. Therefore, data and maybe even driving data may very well be collected by the phone through these services. According to the vehicle privacy report website, Amazon and Anroid Auto both sell data to data brokers, however this data is anonymized. Apple does not. All three companies appear to be silent on whether or not they sell information to insurance companies.
Again though, these require a cell phone. If you do not connect a cell phone, the vehicle has no other way to broadcast data. Therefore you can prevent this by not connecting a phone.
**Edit: User Michael Blackburn has informed me that his 2018 Limited has FordPass which is mentioned in the next post. So everything I wrote for the 2019 may apply to certain 2018 models as well.
The 2019 is the worst of the 5th gens when it comes to data privacy.
According to the vehicle privacy website, the 2019 has the capability itself to send out data itself. Dealer websites I found list that 2019+ explorers have access to the FordPass app.
FordPass is watching you! Reporting your speed, G-forces, etc.
Beware of "FordPass". Our salesman really pushed it, and now I know why. By using it you give Ford permission to Hoover up a LOT of data. Data that could be used against you by law enforcement; your MVA/DMV; your insurance company; and/or Ford...
www.broncosportforum.com
Here is a great post about the FordPass app and what data it collects from the bronco forum.
From what I can find, uninstalling the app does not stop data transfer because the modem itself can transfer data with the Telematics unit. There may be a fuse to disable this, I've heard about it on a mustang forum, but I don't know about explorers.
***some of this information may be incorrect, but I've done my best to thoroughly explain my findings and inferences. If you have any questions or need me to elaborate let me know.
