Toyota Motor Corporation—Australian privacy regulator opened formal investigation into Toyota's connected-vehicle data collection and third-party data sharing
Australia's Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) opened a formal investigation into Toyota (publicly named April 2026, after Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind first flagged an unnamed 'Asia'-based carmaker in February 2026), examining whether Toyota's connected vehicles collect personal data -- including location history, braking patterns, and vehicle speed -- beyond what is reasonably necessary for vehicle function, whether it obtains valid consent, whether it discloses driver data to third parties for secondary purposes such as sales and marketing without proper consent, and whether it adequately destroys or de-identifies data it no longer needs. The probe follows a 2024 CHOICE consumer-advocacy investigation that rated Toyota's data practices as 'middle of the pack' among 10 car brands and included a Toyota VP telling News Corp Australia that 'customers should really, really be aware' of what data is collected. Toyota declined to comment while the investigation, expected to take up to 18 months, is ongoing.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| User Privacy | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.322 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (medium ×1) × confidence (0.64)× agency (negligent ×0.5)
Evidence (2 signals)
CHOICE: Toyota and Hyundai named in OAIC formal investigation into connected-car data tracking
Australian consumer group CHOICE reported that the OAIC formally named Toyota and Hyundai in its connected-vehicle data investigation, examining data collection scope, secondary use without consent, and data retention practices; Toyota declined to comment while the investigation is ongoing.
Sydney Morning Herald: Privacy Commissioner investigates carmakers over data collection concerns
The Sydney Morning Herald reported on the Australian Privacy Commissioner's investigation into connected-car data collection, part of the same probe that formally named Toyota and Hyundai.