The American Recovery Association has become aware of an industry-wide concern with the personal data stored in the electronic systems of repossessed automobiles. As technology continues to advance, vehicles will store growing amounts of Nonpublic Personal Information (NPI), which may be accessed, without the knowledge or consent of the previous vehicle user, by future occupants. This may include sensitive personal information such as detailed geolocation, home address, garage codes, text messages, phone contacts, personal identifiers, biometrics, and more. Not deleting NPI is a risk, considering the many federal and state laws regulating privacy, data security, data breach, data retention, and biometrics.
“When auto finance companies repossess a vehicle, they end up owning the NPI stored in the asset, and consequently have to put administrative, technical, and physical safeguards in place to ensure the privacy and security of customers’ information,” said Andrea Amico, CEO and Founder of Privacy4Cars. “A growing number of manufacturers’ privacy policies state that the NPI stored in vehicles must be removed at handoffs to prevent future owners from gaining unauthorized access to customers’ sensitive data. With repossessions, this responsibility clearly falls on the lender, which is why we applaud The American Recovery Association who, through this partnership, is looking out to the best interest of both consumers and the auto finance community they serve.”
Under this new partnership, ARA now can offer its clients safety nets and protections to improve customer experience, reduce risk, and extend data governance across vehicles in the US and Canada.
“We are excited to work closely in partnership with Privacy4Cars,” stated Dave Kennedy, ARA president. “This initiative will allow ARA members to feel secure in regard to their privacy, and receive standardized records proving their data protection and record disposal policies are regularly enacted.”