Drivers are failing to wipe personal information from old cars

Drivers are leaving telephone numbers, addresses and even wifi login details on their old cars, making them vulnerable to hackers, a survey has found.

When smartphones are connected to vehicles via Bluetooth or USB, they synchronise a ‘treasure trove’ of personal information so that users can play music, enjoy handsfree calls and retrieve live traffic and navigation information.

However, many users forget to wipe these details before selling their car, meaning it could be passed on to future owners.

Which?Magazine revealed the mistake after surveying 14,000 motorists who had sold their vehicle in the last two years.

The survey found four out of five vehicle owners did not follow instructions in the car manual to remove their data and restore the vehicle to its factory settings before they sold it.

It also revealed one in two drivers (51 per cent) had not tried to unsync their phone before parting with their car.

And a third (31 per cent) took no action at all to remove their personal data before giving up their vehicle.

Just over half of respondents (54 per cent) told Which? they had synchronised their phone with their car. 

The consumer group is concerned that motorists are not being provided with enough information about what is being collected when they sync their phones or download an app, and the importance of eradicating the data.

Editor of Which? Magazine, Harry Rose, said: ‘If cars are not treated the same as a smartphone, tablet or other connected devices when it comes to data security, Permainan slot Playstar77 motorists risk giving away a treasure trove of information about themselves when they decide to sell their car.

‘Manufacturers must do much more to prioritise customers’ personal privacy so that drivers fully understand how much data their vehicle could be harbouring and how to delete this information in order to eradicate these risks.’