Privacy4Cars, which bills itself as the first and only global data privacy-tech company focused on the automotive industry, DisconnectedCar, a first-of-its-kind connected car safety solution. DisconnectedCar builds upon AutoCleared, Privacy4Cars’ in-vehicle data deletion solution, and is designed to solve a previously unrecognized massive scale liability affecting dealerships, lenders, remarketers, fleets, and rental companies, and their service providers such as inspectors, auctions, repossessors, marketplaces, and other automotive businesses.
Every connected vehicle that changes hands may remain digitally tethered to - and remotely controlled by - previously registered users. Anybody with those credentials can remotely locate, unlock, and start the vehicle and even activate cameras, microphones, and other advanced features through OEM apps. Furthermore, the vehicle continues personal data collection under those prior users’ legally invalid consent - since they no longer have any relationship with the vehicle. This creates an increasingly litigated data liability for auto businesses.
DisconnectedCar addresses this risk by severing digital ties between a vehicle and its previous users and resetting data-sharing settings beyond what a factory reset alone can accomplish.
“Connected services can be incredibly convenient and useful, but when unknown people are invisibly tethered over-the-air and in control of a vehicle on your lot - or that was sold to a customer - it can turn into a safety, financial, security, privacy, and liability nightmare for your company,” said Andrea Amico, Privacy4Cars’ founder and CEO. “The early feedback and interest we are getting on DisconnectedCar is beyond our expectations. Documented cases of serious crimes and abuse perpetrated by people with such stealth remote control have increased with national media coverage, and until now, have been an unresolved pain point for the auto industry and a growing undisclosed risk for consumers. DisconnectedCar offers critical vehicle protections for dealers and wholesalers – with unmatched patented technology in the palm of the hand.”
For automotive businesses, DisconnectedCar promises lot safety and reduced theft risk – from dealership lots to inspection yards and corporate garages: stop unauthorized third parties from locating, unlocking, and starting the vehicles you thought were safely in your control. It also promises to protect prior users, future users and offers robust compliance records.
DisconnectedCar joins Privacy4Cars’ growing product suite alongside AutoCleared (in-vehicle data deletions) and Vehicle Privacy Report (data disclosures), completing a comprehensive privacy trifecta Disclose–Delete–Disconnect framework for the vehicle lifecycle. Coverage currently spans major vehicle manufacturers and is regularly expanding.
As part of its initial rollout, DisconnectedCar is being offered to Privacy4Cars’ Privacy Care Dealerships and Wholesalers in the United States and Canada, with a waitlist available for international partners.
