Privacy4Cars, the privacy-tech company focused on identifying the challenges posed by vehicle data and creating solutions to better protect consumers, announced that it has secured two patents, including a patent for its proprietary process to remove privacy information from in-vehicle modules. Privacy4Cars offers a global tool for the deletion of personal information including phone numbers, call logs, text messages, garage door codes, and more that would otherwise remain stored in modern vehicles’ systems after a handoff.
In 2014, Privacy4Cars founder, Andrea Amico, authored the first statistical study on how frequently and what kind of data is left in rental and for-sale vehicles. It was while completing the project that he realized how extremely common it was for drivers and occupants to leave – and unknowingly grant others access to – highly detailed digital footprints of personal information in vehicles they no longer owned or controlled. Amico also realized that companies were putting themselves at risk of violating a budding and increasingly complex web of local and global privacy and data security compliance regulations. The idea of a solution to resolve these data privacy issues for consumers and businesses sparked, and Privacy4Cars was born.
“By securing these two patents, Privacy4Cars has solidified itself as the clear leader and innovator in the vehicle privacy and security space,” said Andrea Amico, Privacy4Cars founder/CEO. “Last year, more than 4 out of 5 cars were resold while still containing the Personal Information of the previous occupants. As regulations and litigation in this area continue to evolve, and as consumers become increasingly aware of the growing amount of Personal Information vehicles ingest, store, share, and leave exposed if not properly removed, automotive businesses that seek to efficiently secure this data and protect their customers while building compliance records can rely on Privacy4Cars’ proprietary solutions.”
Privacy4Cars has emerged as the industry’s sole standard deletion tool and has been adopted by leading companies in the automotive space, including OEM captives, auto finance companies, fleets, auto insurance companies, dealerships, auto auctions, vehicle recovery agents, and vehicle inspection companies. Privacy4Cars is available to consumers as a free-to-download app, and to businesses as a subscription service. Businesses can also use Privacy4Cars’ Software Development Kit to easily embed its patented data deletion solution into their existing apps.
