BYD removes China and surveillance references from car privacy policy
Privacy takes a detour.
A BYD electric car under a watchful surveillance eye. Image by Cybernews.
- BYD scrubbed China and surveillance references from its Australian privacy policy after Four Corners questioned its data practices.
- The original policy allowed broad data collection and sharing, including information linked to “suspected illegal or improper activities.”
- Overseas data transfers remain possible, meaning removing the China reference does not necessarily prevent Australian customer data from being sent there.
- The policy change comes amid wider scrutiny of connected cars, with Australia updating privacy laws and investigating how automakers collect and use driver data.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Chinese electric vehicle company BYD has removed references to “China” and “surveillance” from its Australian privacy policy, just days after the current affairs program Four Corners raised questions about the document.
The original policy gave BYD discretion to collect and disclose information from Australian vehicle owners, including anything in connection with “suspected illegal or improper activities."
Privacy expert Katherine Kemp expressed her alarm on the show, citing “highly concerning indications about the potential data practices of the company.”
The original policy also explicitly listed China among 16 countries where Australian customers’ data could potentially be sent.
BYD responded 2 days after receiving Four Corners' concerns and informed them that it had “undergone a review and been updated.”
Additionally, just an hour and sixteen minutes after informing Four Corners of the change, the replacement policy appeared on the BYD website, in a swift turnaround.
It remains unclear whether changing the wording will make any difference to how a driver's date might be shared.
China scrubbed, overseas transfers remain
Although the new policy removes every reference to China, it does not prohibit BYD from transferring Australian customers’ data overseas, including potentially to China.
On Four Corners, Kemp dismissed the reassuring language at the beginning of BYD’s new policy, which says the company values and “respects our customers' privacy,” calling such statements “privacy fluff.”
Last month, the Australian government released draft legislation aimed at updating the Privacy Act and specifically acknowledged risks created by emerging technologies, including connected vehicles.
Authorities are already examining how carmakers handle data collected by connected vehicles, with the privacy watchdog confirming in April that it was investigating Toyota and Hyundai.
