Garun .Prdt/Shutterstock No one likes snitches, and those snitches are often threatened with dire consequences. Modern cars don't care about that, though, and are likely to snitch on you. The difference is that their snitching often happens after they wind up in a ditch. Most late-model cars contain what is called an Event Data Recorder (EDR), which is sort of the automotive version of the black box installed in airplanes. They record data on what your car and, to some extent, you were doing at the time of an accident. But there are multiple other connected devices in your car — like cameras, OnStar, and your infotainment system – that could be used to collect information on you. And, in fact, lots of new cars are spying on you in various ways, not just during accidents. What's more, cars are really bad at protecting that data. But this isn't a new development. EDRs started showing up in automobiles in the 1970s. By the 2017 model year, EDRs came in 99.6% of new light vehicles. How do you know if your vehicle has an EDR? Since 2012, federal law has required automakers to state in the owner's manual if a car has this device. And the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has minimum requirements about what the device should record. These can be helpful in an accident, as can video footage and other data provided by those additional devices. But who's to say certain data can't be misinterpreted or twisted by an insurance company? What the black box records Andreypopov/Getty Images The NHTSA doesn't require vehicles to carry EDRs, but it does require that 15 things be recorded if a car is equipped with one. Those include the change in speed during the crash (longitudinal delta-V), the biggest change in speed during the event (maximum longitudinal delta-V), how much time it took to make it to that biggest change (time to maximum delta-V), speed at the time of the accident, engine throttle, whether the service brake was on, ignition cycle at time of crash, ignition cycle at time of download, whether the driver was wearing a seat belt, frontal air bag warning lamp, deployment time of driver-side air bag, deployment time of front passenger-side air bag, number of events (if applicable), time from event 1 to 2, and whether the complete file was recorded. There are lots of things in that list that could tell on you, especially when it comes to speed and whether you were wearing your seat belt. But under certain circumstances, there are 30 other things that the EDR is required to record. These items include engine rpm, anti-lock brake system activity, steering wheel angle, whether the right front passenger has their seat belt on, frontal air bag suppression switch status, and the weight of the driver and front passenger. That last one is useful in case the alleged driver claims someone else was driving instead. What is recorded by other devices Smith Collection/gado/Getty Images Again, your car may have other devices that have the potential to record information about you. Tesla collects all kinds of information on your vehicle use, but claims it can't decrypt the information that ties that data to you personally unless triggered by a "safety event" (collision, air bag deployment, etc.). When a safety event does happen, a video lasting up to 30 seconds is recorded. According to Tesla, that video is used to help emergency responders, roadside services, and aid in "vehicle evaluation". GM states that if you are enrolled in OnStar, it "may use Driver Behavior Information, precise Geolocation Information, and External Vehicle Camera Images and Video" when, among other things, use of that data is "reasonably necessary" or is "otherwise compatible with your reasonable expectations." Who knows what "reasonable" means here, though it does give an example: "such as seatbelt information in the event of a crash." Reactions probably range from those who are inclined to take the automakers at their word to those who believe the Illuminati is using this data to control our minds. But the the Federal Trade Commission doesn't take this stuff for granted and accused GM of sharing driver data collected from OnStar without consent. It released a final order in January prohibiting GM from sharing this data with third parties. And now GM is being sued for selling this data.