It's Electric

Electric Cars Are Spying on You—And You Might Not Even Know It

Electric vehicles (EVs) like Tesla have revolutionized the way we drive, offering promises of cleaner energy, autonomous driving, and seamless connectivity. But behind these technological marvels lies a quieter, more pervasive reality: massive data collection. Every time you drive, your electric car is collecting and transmitting vast amounts of personal information—from your location to your driving behavior.

And it’s not just for improving the car’s performance—governments, corporations, and law enforcement could be tapping into this data soon. With little regulation in place, your car could be recording far more than you’d expect. Welcome to the new world of data on wheels, where the future of privacy is now in the passenger seat.

The Data They’re Collecting: More Than You Think

Today’s electric vehicles are rolling data centers. Tesla, for example, collects terabytes of data every day from its fleet of vehicles, according to CEO Elon Musk. But it’s not just performance data. Here’s what’s being captured:

 • Location Data: Every trip you take is logged—where you drive, how long you stay, the routes you prefer. Tesla collects GPS location data on each vehicle to “optimize driving and navigation,” but it also creates a detailed profile of your habits.
       

• Driving Behavior: EVs capture everything from acceleration to braking, speeding, and how closely you follow other cars. Tesla’s data collection system, Autopilot, is designed to understand driver behavior to improve autonomous driving, but it also tracks every decision you make behind the wheel.
       

• Energy Usage: EVs track how you charge, how much energy you use, and your overall driving efficiency.
       

• Camera and Sensor Data: Tesla’s vehicles are equipped with eight cameras, radar, and ultrasonic sensors. These continuously map your surroundings, creating a real-time picture of what your car sees—and logs.

Tesla openly acknowledges that it collects this data to improve its products, but according to the Guardian, Tesla drivers sign away much of their control over this data when they agree to the company’s user terms.

Who Owns This Data, and Who Can Access It?

This is where things get murky. While drivers interact with their cars every day, the data their vehicles collect is typically owned by the manufacturer. Tesla, for instance, retains broad rights to the data it collects, though it says it anonymizes the information before using it for analytics or regulatory purposes.

However, experts warn that this growing treasure trove of data could easily be accessed by third parties—including governments. As electric vehicles become more ubiquitous, the temptation for law enforcement or other governmental agencies to access real-time data from vehicles will likely increase.

“I think it’s inevitable that governments will start using vehicle data as a tool for law enforcement,” says Jennifer King, Director of Privacy at Stanford Law School. “We’re already seeing it in certain jurisdictions where police have requested access to driving data to assist in investigations. The technology is there, the data is there, and it’s just a matter of time before it becomes more widely used.”

A 2020 report by the European Parliament expressed concerns that vehicle data could be accessed by law enforcement without sufficient safeguards. In the U.S., the Fourth Amendment protects citizens from unlawful searches, but there’s still no legal consensus on how driving data is treated.

Remote Control of Vehicles: The Dystopian Future?

Electric vehicles are often praised for their over-the-air updates, where manufacturers like Tesla can send software improvements directly to your car. But this also gives them the ability to remotely control aspects of your vehicle. In 2020, Tesla remotely deactivated Autopilot from a used car after it had been sold, showing just how much control manufacturers can wield over your vehicle’s software.

Now imagine that power in the hands of law enforcement. Governments could push for the ability to remotely disable vehicles in the case of emergencies or criminal pursuits. Some jurisdictions have already floated the idea of “kill switch” laws, allowing police to shut down a vehicle remotely to prevent high-speed chases.

“This is where things get dangerous,” says David H. Slayton, an attorney and policy expert at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society. “The ability to remotely control or disable vehicles might sound like a public safety tool, but it opens the door to serious abuse. Who decides when it’s appropriate to shut down someone’s car? And what happens when that power is misused?”

In 2021, New York became one of the first U.S. cities to propose a bill allowing police to remotely stop stolen vehicles. While aimed at preventing car thefts, critics have raised concerns that such laws could lead to excessive surveillance and potential misuse.

The Current Laws: Weak Protection in the U.S.

While Europe’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) has strict laws about personal data, including vehicle data, the U.S. lags behind. There’s no federal law explicitly regulating how much vehicle data can be collected, how long it can be stored, or how it can be used. Tesla’s privacy policy states that it will provide data to law enforcement when required by law, but it remains unclear just how often that happens—and under what circumstances.

“Right now, we’re in the Wild West,” says Al Gidari, a privacy lawyer and former director of privacy at Stanford. “There’s no clear legal framework for how vehicle data should be treated in the U.S., and that’s dangerous. Without protections, drivers’ personal information is up for grabs.”

The Laws That Need to Be Written

As we move forward, clear regulations need to be created to safeguard driver data and protect individuals from potential overreach. Here’s what the future of data protection could look like:

1. Data Ownership Rights: Drivers should have clear ownership of the data their vehicles collect. Companies like Tesla should not have full control over personal driving data without user consent.
       

2. Warrant Requirements for Law Enforcement: Governments and law enforcement should be required to obtain warrants before accessing vehicle data in real-time or remotely controlling vehicles.
       

3. Limits on Remote Access: Regulations should limit the ability of manufacturers or third parties to remotely control or disable vehicles except in clearly defined, emergency situations.
       

4. Transparency: Car manufacturers must be transparent about how they collect, store, and share data. Drivers should know exactly what information is being gathered and how it’s used.

The Power—and Risk—of Driving Data

Electric cars are undeniably the future of transportation. But as we welcome this new technology, we must be cautious about the immense power behind the data being collected. Without clear protections, our vehicles could become tools of surveillance and control, not just transportation.

While the convenience of smart cars is undeniable, the price of giving up your privacy could be far higher than you think. Tesla, and other EV makers, have introduced a new paradigm: one where every mile you drive is data to be sold, shared, or controlled. It’s time to ask—who’s really driving the car?