BRONCO BUSTED: I caught Ford sneaking my data — and uncovered an even bigger threat

Last night my Ford Bronco installed an automatic software update. By the next morning, it had quietly opted me into sharing additional driving data without asking my permission.

Fortunately, I caught the change before heading out and turned it back off. But instead of simply being annoyed by another software update, I found myself asking some much bigger questions: Why does Ford need more information about how I drive? Who benefits from collecting it? And why can a vehicle I already own change my privacy settings without my approval?

Manufacturers can collect your vehicle’s data, transmit it wirelessly, analyze it, and in many cases monetize it.

That update made me realize I’d been covering the same story under different headlines. Right to repair. Connected vehicles. Insurance companies buying