Today's Article

"I don't think a lot of people know about this. A lot of people don't. " 

David Kirst is a car insurance expert from AAA in Buffalo. He says, 7depending on the car you drive, you might have 8opted into sharing that information with your car 9manufacturer without your knowledge. He recently bought a car himself, and much like the long disclosure 10statement on your cell phone that most people don't read, he says he didn't read the one for the car. 

"And I kind of 11opted in, but I didn't really go back and take a look at this now. And I think it's an 12eye-opener for a lot of people to actually read what they are signing off on and what they're agreeing to share with it."

You're speeding, braking, where you went to dinner, 13you name it. A vast amount of data is collected. Most late model vehicles have that 14capability, especially the ones connected to the internet. Automakers are not legally required to tell you if they're going to sell that information. 

"Whether the insurance carriers actually use that information or not, but the scary thing is that it's available and it's out there and that they could use that. So even though they may or may not, it's something that is readily available to them." 

And according to a recent article in the New York Times, some automakers are selling your information to data brokers 15teamed up withinsurance companies that are using it to 16jack up insurance rates.

One driver told the paper that he saw a more than 20 percent increase in his premiums and discovered hundreds of pages of data on his driving habits from one data broker alone. But Kirst says, at least in New York State, insurance companies are not allowed to use that information against you.