- Researchers tested 21 different connected cars and 30 companion apps.
- Tesla, Cadillac, and Lucid topped the charts of biggest offenders.
- Many car companies pointed to their privacy policies or third-party contracts.
Cars have become tremendously good at talking to things. Phones, satellites, charging networks, vehicle-to-whatever—there's no shortage of connectivity in 2026. A group of researchers wanted to know a bit more about who exactly these modern cars are chatting with, and the surprising data shows that many of those conversation partners are businesses who had nothing to do with selling you the car.
