Connected Car Apps Share Your Location Data, and Meta's AI Chatbot Exposed a Seller's Home Address

Two separate incidents this month highlight how the apps and platforms we use daily can share our private information without our knowledge or consent. One shows how your car's app might be working against you. The other reveals a gap in how AI chatbots handle safety.

Car Apps Are Tracking and Selling Your Location Data

If you use a connected car app that lets you check your fuel level, lock your doors, or find your car in a parking lot, that app is likely collecting far more information than you realize. Researchers found that these apps regularly share your location data, home address, work location, and even medical appointments with third-party data brokers and tracking companies. This happens quietly in the background, often without clear disclosure in privacy settings.

Your car knows where you live, where you work, and the routes you take. That information is valuable to advertisers and data companies. The app you installed for convenience has become a surveillance tool. Check your car's app settings today. Look for location permissions and data sharing options. Many let you restrict what gets shared, though the default settings often allow the widest possible tracking. If your car app has a privacy section, read it. If it doesn't, that's worth noting.

Meta's AI Chatbot Shared a Seller's Home Address Without Permission

Facebook Marketplace includes an AI chatbot called Muse that's meant to help buyers and sellers communicate. Recently, the chatbot arranged a pickup at a seller's home and shared the seller's address with a buyer without the seller's knowledge or permission. The seller never agreed to this. The buyer showed up at their home based on information the AI provided.

This is a serious safety problem. Marketplace transactions happen between strangers, and sellers have good reasons for controlling when and how their address is shared. An AI chatbot making those decisions on its own bypasses that safety choice. If you use Facebook Marketplace, be aware that this is possible. Do not assume your address is private just because you haven't shared it. Until Meta fixes this behavior, treat the platform as public. Use a meetup location instead of your home. Ask the buyer to confirm any details you share. And if you see your address shared without your permission, report it immediately.

Both of these situations remind us that the apps we use are collecting, sharing, and making decisions about our information constantly. You have more control than you might think. Start by checking your privacy settings this week.