Hyundai Puts Drivers In Control of Connected Car Data

Hyundai Motor America (HMA) has launched a one-stop resource that makes it easy for owners and lessees of Hyundai vehicles to see, understand and control how data from their connected car can be collected, used and shared. 

Before the launch of this resource, the customer data privacy choices were located across different tabs on the Hyundai owner portal, MyHyundai.com. Now, they are all in one place, accessible through a new, user-friendly interface. 

“Consumers care deeply about their data and privacy, and we wanted to ensure they had a better and easier way to understand their data and make choices about it,” Michael Stewart, senior group manager, corporate and marketing public relations at HMA, told PYMNTS in an email interview. 

Making It Easier to Understand Options, Exercise Choice 

Through the new “My Data and Privacy” page at MyHyundai.com, vehicle owners and lessees can exercise choices regarding data sharing, manage their telematics services, control their settings for communications and personalized offers, and access an easy-to-read “Your Privacy at a Glance” overview of Hyundai’s privacy practices and more user-friendly privacy policies. 

“The choices are the same, but it’s now much easier for customers to understand their options and exercise choice,” Stewart said. 

The new “Privacy at a Glance” page offers a high-level description of how data is collected and used. It also provides links to more detailed disclosures in the privacy policy, so owners can easily find the information that they are looking for. 

In addition, HMA revised the format for the “Privacy Policy” and “Vehicle Technologies and Services Privacy Notice” to include icons and collapsible headers with links to more detailed disclosures. 

Explaining How Services Will Be Affected 

Within this resource, HMA also explains what services may be impacted by the privacy choices owners and lessees make within the interface.

Among these are Bluelink, Hyundai’s connected car service that enables such things as remote start, remote door lock and unlock, on-demand diagnostics and alerts, destination search and remote car finder, and the Hyundai Driving Score, which uses vehicle sensors to collect data that summarizes the driver’s overall driving style in a way that is relevant and usable to insurers.

Shutting off data sharing will also impact Hyundai’s ability to help owners and lessees receive tailored promotions and offers from Hyundai Financial Services and business partners. 

“Turning off Bluelink connected services will stop all data sharing from the vehicle, but will also prevent owners from being able to access the convenience features offered as part of that enrollment,” Stewart said. “None of these features impact the safety, efficiency or drivability of the vehicle.” 

HMA’s enhancements to the interface were inspired by the Carnegie Mellon University CyLab Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory’s work on privacy “nutrition labels” and the use of icons to readily convey privacy information. 

“Through our Privacy at a Glance page, we are embracing CyLab’s insights by presenting layered disclosures,” Stewart said. “For example, the primary layer on the Privacy at a Glance conveys to consumers important information about the types of data collected, who it is shared with, how it is used, when it is collected, and the choices consumers have. They can click on links to obtain more detailed information.”