AAA warns Motorists of Risks of Saving Personal Data on Connected Cars

AAA Mid-Atlantic has warned motorists of the dangers of saving their personal data on the infotainments systems of connected cars by syncing their phones to their vehicle’s infotainment system. This can make the drive smoother and more comfortable as it would then be possible to make hands-free calls and texts, stream music, and look up things on the net. It would however mean that the infotainment system can store personal information that is on the phone.
Ken Grant, manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic said that drivers need to be careful about their personal info as saving such information on the car can make them vulnerable to identity theft and can even give thieves access to your residential address.

In the event that the stored information is stolen, especially if the motorist is using a valet service or a rental car, unauthorized people can gain access to details of the home address and access the text messages, contact lists, frequently used GPS addresses, call and message logs and personal contacts.

He warned that motorists should be aware of what kind of information is stored in the infotainment system of connected vehicles and ensure that when they trade in a car ore return a leased car, all the data is removed so that their security and information is not compromised.