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Volkswagen Car-Net / Audi connect

Volkswagen Group · Connected Car

Staff Reviewed — a person at DeSpy reviewed this rating.

5.7Surveillance
Index
Policy — what its policy permitsF
Evidence — what research provesD

Car-Net and Audi connect tie your VW/Audi to a cloud account and continuously report precise GPS position, ignition on/off events, trip history, driving behavior, voice commands, and vehicle health, linked to your name, email, phone and home address. VW Group's own privacy terms permit sharing personal data with affiliates and partners for marketing, and the company was named among automakers that hand location data to police without requiring a warrant. What you gain in remote lock/locate/climate features you pay for with a persistent, identity-linked record of everywhere the car goes.

Why this rating

The written explanation of this rating is withheld while a person re-reviews it.

What it is

Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group
Category
Connected Car
Model years
2020-present
Market status
Current
Companion app
myVW / myAudi

The evidence 3

Independent research, regulatory action, lawsuits and journalism about how this device handles personal data — the "what actually happens" axis. Each links to its source.

  1. S5Massive data leak at Volkswagen exposes locations of 800,000 EV drivers, for months
    Breach report · Electrek · 2024-12

    VW software unit Cariad left precise geolocation and personal contact data for ~800,000 VW/Audi/SEAT/Skoda EVs unprotected on a misconfigured Amazon cloud store for months, surfaced by the Chaos Computer Club and Der Spiegel.

    Why it matters here: Directly exposed Car-Net/Audi connect telematics data (location, contact details) for the exact service under review.

  2. S4Carmakers lying about requiring warrants before sharing location data, Senate probe finds
    Regulatory action · The Record (Recorded Future News) · 2024-04

    Wyden and Markey found several automakers, including Volkswagen, disclose customer location data to government on a mere subpoena rather than a warrant, and asked the FTC to investigate.

    Why it matters here: VW was specifically named as providing Car-Net/Audi connect location data to law enforcement without a warrant.

  3. S3It's Official: Cars Are the Worst Product Category We Have Ever Reviewed for Privacy
    Ngo review · Mozilla Foundation · 2023-09

    Mozilla flunked all 25 car brands reviewed, including Volkswagen and Audi, for over-collection and selling/sharing personal data.

    Why it matters here: VW and Audi were individually reviewed and failed every privacy criterion.

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Descriptive, cited, not legal advice; ratings are versioned and corrections create a new version. Data from the IoT Info Grabber DB research project, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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