![]() ![]() If you plug your phone into a rental car's USB port, pair a device via Bluetooth or use the car's navigation system, the car almost certainly stores some of your personal information. Although most of Guardian Data Destruction's services are available across the country, Clear My Data is currently available only in the New Jersey metro area.Ī lot of these concerns apply even if you aren't driving your own car. In early 2019, a New Jersey data security company, Guardian Data Destruction, launched a service called Clear My Data that can do it for you - perfect if you're a technophobe or just afraid of missing something important. If these steps seem too complicated, you do have other options. In particular, the FTC cautions that the factory reset, if available, might not wipe the car quite as clean as you'd expect. Some of these steps might seem redundant, but they're all necessary. If it's newer, it may take you longer to go through the checklist, but it will be time well spent. If it's on the older side, you might only have a few items on the list, such as Bluetooth or a navigation system. ![]() The amount of work you need to do depends largely on the age of your car and how many connectivity features it has. Check your owner's manual to see if your car has a factory reset feature, which will wipe out stored settings and data.If your car has removable media storage, like an SD card reader, make sure it's empty.If your car has a built-in hard drive, delete all music and data.Reset the automatic garage door opener.Delete all maps and addresses from the navigation system.Clean out contacts from the phone book.Log out of all mobile apps that are included in your car or that pair to an app that lives on your smartphone, and make sure your account names and passwords do not automatically populate to log you back in.Cancel or transfer over subscriptions, such as data plans, Wi-Fi hotspots, emergency communication services and satellite radio or music streaming services.Let's take a closer look at some steps you can take to guarantee your privacy and safety. Even if, for example, your dealership says it'll wipe the car clean as part of the reconditioning process to get it ready for its next owner, you can take some easy (though time-consuming) steps beforehand to ensure your own peace of mind. If you're selling, trading in, donating, or otherwise getting rid of your car, the onus falls on you to ensure that all of your sensitive private information is wiped out. If you wouldn't leave your smartphone out for a random stranger to grab and scroll through at their leisure, then it doesn't make sense to leave that same information accessible to the next owner of your car. This includes credit card numbers and other bank information, account names and passwords, addresses and frequently traveled routes, contacts' names and numbers, and possibly even text messages. In the same way that consumer advocates and organizations like Consumer Reports advise wiping a smartphone, tablet or computer before selling, trading in or recycling, it's important to keep in mind that newer cars with sophisticated infotainment systems accumulate much of the same sensitive digital information. Your car begins accumulating information about you the minute you drive it off the lot, but there are steps you can take to wipe it clean before you part ways. ![]()
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