Car owners should be urged to remove personal data, including telephone contacts and satellite navigation addresses, from their vehicles before selling them.
The call comes from the Vehicle Remarketing Association (VRA) who said it would like to see formalised guidance on data that should be removed from vehicles prior to them entering the used car sector.
A recent survey of VRA members found that 90% of respondents felt there was not enough clarity and understanding around personal data security protocols and the associated procedures for its removal prior to the vehicle resale. While 56% of respondents said the current protocols did not ensure adequate protection for the end-user of the vehicle.
“It is quite clear that the remarketing sector as a whole, covering inventory owners and service providers, needs to agree a set of standard protocols for the removal of personal data from returning vehicles,” said John Davies, chairman of the VRA.
“Until this is achieved, we will continue to see uncertainty and more importantly an inconsistent approach to this very important issue. Perhaps as a good first step, the corporate inventory owners should highlight the risks to their customers/drivers and issue a clear set of guidelines on why and how to remove personal data stored in vehicles before they are handed over or exchanged for another one.”