The Vehicle Remarketing Association has launched a campaign to remind drivers that they must delete all personal information from car infotainment system when selling/returning their car. The VRA has also asked traders to ensure they wipe personal information.
A four-point Best Practice Guide published by the VRA is looking to re-educate those whose car is changing hands. They suggest:
- Ensure that wording is included in customer contracts and master hire agreements informing their customer’s drivers of their obligations.
- Signed confirmation must be received by the vehicle owner as part of the vehicle de-hire process that all data has been removed from the vehicle.
- Action Delete All or Factory Reset, or similar functionality as part of their remarketing process before a car is sold.
- Encourage individual companies to conduct a Privacy Impact Assessment.
VRA Chairman John Davies added:
“We have yet to see major instances of any personal data being misused if it is inadvertently left on a car’s sat nav or in-car system, but this won’t be the case forever. We have, for example, seen an instance where a car buyer traced the previous company car driver to his home address to ask more details about the used car he had just purchased at auction. But if a driver’s phone has personal details of, for example, a politician or public figure and the sat nav includes details of how to find where they live, this could be a real security concern.”
