VEHICLE DATA PRIVACY PRACTICES

American Honda Motor Co., Inc.


American Honda Motor, Co., Inc. (“Honda”), the distributor of Acura and Honda vehicles in the United States, for a long time has taken most seriously the need to protect consumer privacy. With the growing application of in-vehicle technologies and services that can transmit personally identifiable information to Honda, its service providers, and, potentially, third parties to enhance the safety, performance, and driving experience of its customers, Honda has, along with other automakers, made a commitment about how it will collect, use, disclose, and hold such information. The Consumer Privacy Protection Principles for Vehicle Technologies and Services (the “Privacy Principles”) that are linked below reflect that commitment.

The Privacy Principles provide a framework for how Honda will handle “Covered Information” it collects from vehicles or about vehicles or their operators, to the extent described in the Vehicle Data Privacy Notice below. The Privacy Principles provide additional, heightened protections for the most sensitive types of consumer in-vehicle data, such as geo-location, driver behavior, and vehicle operation and performance data.

Honda’s Commitments Under the Privacy Principles:

  • Transparency: Honda commits to providing Owners and Registered Users of connected vehicle services with ready access to clear, meaningful notices about its collection, use, and disclosure of Covered Information.
  • Choice: Honda commits to offering Owners and Registered Users with certain choices regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of Covered Information.
  • Respect for Context: Honda commits to using and disclosing Covered Information in ways that are consistent with the context in which the Covered Information was collected, taking account of the likely impact on Owners and Registered Users.
  • Data Minimization, De-Identification & Retention: Honda commits to collecting Covered Information only as needed for legitimate business purposes. Honda further commits to retaining Covered Information for only as long as it determines necessary for legitimate business purposes.
  • Data Security: Honda commits to implementing reasonable measures to protect Covered Information against unauthorized access or use.
  • Integrity & Access: Honda commits to implementing reasonable measures to maintain the accuracy of Covered Information and further commits to offering Owners and Registered Users reasonable means to review and correct Personal Subscription Information that they provide during the subscription or registration process for Vehicle Technologies and Services.
  • Accountability: Honda commits to taking reasonable steps to ensure that it and other entities that receive Covered Information adhere to the Privacy Principles.

As part of the commitments under the Privacy Principles, Honda has established this webpage so consumers can access the American Honda Vehicle Data Privacy Notice, which explains how Honda collects, maintains, uses, and discloses Covered Information as part of vehicle technologies and services, and all other relevant documents related to Honda programs, technologies, and services whereby Covered Information may be collected, used, disclosed, or held by Honda. The applicable documents are linked below: 


VEHICLE DATA PRIVACY NOTICE

American Honda Motor Co., Inc.


Effective December 12, 2024

Thank you for selecting a Honda or Acura vehicle. Your privacy is important to American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (“Honda”, “we”, “our”, “us”). Vehicle data collection varies by product, model and year. Your vehicle (e.g., car, truck, motorcycle) may be equipped with technology that enables you to access and use a variety of connected, wireless, or internet-based functions and services provided by Honda, either directly in the vehicle or through a smart device or a smart device software application that you connect with the vehicle (collectively, “Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services”). Certain of these Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services may also provide us or our service providers with information about your vehicle and your use of the vehicle.

Examples of Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services available on some vehicles include, but are not limited to, HondaLink®, AcuraLink®, incident response and roadside assistance services accessed directly through the vehicle, traffic and weather services, navigation services, vehicle diagnostic tools, vehicle location/locator services, vehicle geo-fencing services, and programs on the vehicle or your smart device that analyze your use of the vehicle or its systems.

This Vehicle Data Privacy Notice (“Vehicle Privacy Notice”) explains how we collect, maintain, use, and disclose the following information related to the Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services (collectively, “Covered Information”):

  • Information that the vehicle collects, generates, records, or stores in electronic form, which we or a service provider on our behalf wirelessly retrieve from the vehicle or from smart devices (or applications thereon) you connect to the vehicle, and that is associated or may reasonably be associated with the vehicle from which the information was retrieved, the owner(s)/lessee(s) of the vehicle, a connected smart device, or a registered user of Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services; 
  • Information you provide when subscribing to, registering for, or using Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services.

This Vehicle Privacy Notice does not apply to information recorded on your vehicle’s Supplemental Restraint System Electronic Control Unit (“SRS ECU”) during a crash event. Information stored on the SRS ECU is only accessible via a physical connection with special tools and state and/or federal law restricts who may access such information and how such information may be accessed.

This Vehicle Privacy Notice supplements our Privacy Notice. You should review our Privacy Notice in addition to this Vehicle Privacy Notice.

You accept the terms of this Vehicle Privacy Notice, and consent to our collection, use, storage, and disclosure of information as explained in this Vehicle Privacy Notice, when you:

  •  Purchase or lease a vehicle equipped with Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services;
  •  Use Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services;
  •  Subscribe, register, or provide any information to us in connection with an attempt to subscribe or register for any Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services;
  •  Agree to the terms & conditions of any Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services; or
  •  Accept or enable data transmission, collection, or analytic services on a vehicle or connected smart device.

Covered Information We Collect and How We Collect It

We collect Covered Information provided to us or retrieved by us from your vehicle or smart device (including applications thereon). The categories of Covered Information we collect may include:

  • Identifiers such as your name, login username & password, device identifier, and contact information such as your address, email address, and phone number;
  • Audio electronic, visual, or similar information such as calls and other communication recordings and associated logs with our customer service team or service providers, such as recordings and logs of telephone calls, or communications using Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services;
  • Commercial Information such as:
    • Your vehicle information number (“VIN”);
    • A calculated valuation of your vehicle;
    • "Vehicle Operation and Performance Information" such as:
    • Information about Use of Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services such as
    • Driver Behavior Information such as vehicle speed, vehicle acceleration and deceleration, pedal positions, engine speed, direction, and time of travel, steering angle, yaw rate, vehicle control, and Honda Sensing/Acura Watch system settings and usage.
  • Precise Geolocation information meaning the exact location of your vehicle at a specific point in time or over a period of time accurate within an area equivalent to a circle with a radius of 1,850 feet or less.
  • Non-Precise Geolocation Information meaning the approximate location of your vehicle at a specific point in time or over a period of time accurate within an area greater than an area equivalent to a circle with a radius of 1,850 feet or less.

Some of the Covered Information listed, including Precise Geolocation Information and account login credentials, also qualify as “Sensitive Personal Information” under applicable privacy laws. Some of the Covered Information listed may also be considered “personal information” as defined in Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.80(e).

General Motors Collection (Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX)

The Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX models include technologies operated and managed by General Motors. We may collect Covered Information collected through those technologies from General Motors for the purposes set out in this Vehicle Privacy Notice.  In addition, General Motors will independently use this Covered Information for the purposes set out in the OnStar Privacy Statement.

 

Communication Recording and Monitoring

You agree and understand that we and our service providers may monitor and record any communications you have with us and our service providers, including via in-vehicle technologies, smart devices, smart device applications, telephone calls, text messages, email, chat, and mail. If you communicate with us using a method that may record a third party, such as a vehicle occupant, you will advise the third party of the potential for monitoring and recording and obtain that third party’s permission prior to communicating with us. Neither we nor our service providers will monitor, record, or otherwise access any audio from your vehicle or connected smart device unless:

  • You contact us or our service provider by pressing the communication button in the vehicle;
  • You contact us or our service provider via phone, email, online chat, or similar mediums; or
  • Your vehicle detects that a crash occurred and you opted into automatic collision notifications (ACN)

We do not monitor, record, or otherwise access any video from your vehicle or connected smart device. 

How We Use Covered Information

We use Covered Information for the following purposes:

  • Provide the Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services;
  • Communicate with you;
  • Evaluate and improve quality, performance, and design of vehicles, systems, and Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services;
  • Facilitate provision of software updates and enhancements to Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services;
  • Help maintain and provide alerts regarding the maintenance of your vehicle;
  • Provide customer service, sales, and product support;
  • Market first-party and third-party goods and services that we think would benefit vehicle owners;
  • Perform market research;
  • Calculate the value of vehicles;
  • Facilitate safety, diagnostics, warranty, maintenance, recall, and compliance programs;
  • Develop future goods and services;
  • Prevent fraud or misuse;
  • Comply with legal and contractual requirements;
  • Engage in dispute resolution;
  • Protect our rights or property or the rights or property of others;
  • Help protect the safety of you or others; and

For any other purpose for which we obtain your consent.

We cooperate with government and law enforcement officials and private parties to enforce and comply with the law. We may use and disclose Covered Information and any other information about you to government or law enforcement officials or private parties if, in our discretion, we believe it is necessary or appropriate to respond to legal requests (including court orders, investigative demands, warrants and subpoenas), to protect the safety, property, or rights of ourselves, consumers, or any other third party, to prevent or stop any illegal, unethical, or legally actionable activity, or to comply with law.

We may use and disclose Covered Information with businesses controlling, controlled by, or under common control with us for purposes permitted under this Vehicle Privacy Notice and our Privacy Notice. If we are merged, acquired or sold, or in the event of a transfer of some or all of our assets, we may disclose or transfer Covered Information in connection with such transaction.

Anonymized Information

Information that has been anonymized, aggregated, or deidentified such that it is no longer reasonably capable of being associated with any person or vehicle does not qualify as Covered Information; therefore, we may use or disclose it without limitation or restriction, subject to applicable law. We will not knowingly attempt to reidentify previously anonymized, aggregated, or deidentified information.

Precise Geolocation Information

We use Precise Geolocation Information only for limited purposes, including: 

  • To provide information to and assist incident responders or roadside assistance providers if your vehicle is in a crash or you press an assist button in your vehicle;
  • To provide information to and assist law enforcement agencies in situations we believe to constitute “exigent circumstances” where a person’s life or safety is deemed at immediate risk;
  • With your consent, to assist law enforcement with locating a vehicle that has been reported as stolen or missing;
  • With your consent, to immobilize a vehicle that has been reported as stolen or missing;
  • To assist in locating and recovering your vehicle or communicating with you if you breach any of the terms of the agreements covering the leasing or financing of your vehicle (to the extent permitted by your agreement with the lease or finance company);
  • With your registration, request, consent, or activation, to facilitate certain services that rely on or utilize Geolocation Information such as traffic, map, navigation, driver behavior or geo-fencing features;
  • To perform business operations including research, development, and data analytics;
  • To provide warranty repair services;
  • Any other purpose with your consent or activation of vehicle functions or Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services that utilize Precise Geolocation Information.

We will not use Precise Geolocation Information for our own marketing purposes. With your registration, request, consent, or activation, we may disclose Precise Geolocation Information to companies that provide services integrated with our products, such as third-party navigation systems and connected vehicle data services platforms.

Disclosing Covered Information to Service Providers

We disclose Covered Information to companies that provide services to us or provide services to others on our behalf. Our service providers who may receive Covered Information include:

  • Satellite, traffic, and telecommunications companies;
  • Roadside assistance vendors;
  • Contact centers;
  • Research and development vendors;
  • Providers of software integrated into our vehicles and systems;
  • Marketing and non-marketing communications, analytics, and consulting firms;
  • Professional service firms such as attorneys and accountants;
  • Day-to-day business operations vendors such as courier services, facilities management suppliers, and information technology and network support.

We provide our service providers the Covered Information that we believe is reasonably necessary for them to perform their services for us or on our behalf, including for them to improve their services provided to us.

Disclosing and Sale of Covered Information to Third Parties

We disclose Covered Information to third parties who are not our service providers (“Third Parties”) who provide goods or services that may benefit vehicle owners including Honda/Acura dealerships and consumer goods or services companies, such as satellite radio providers and connected vehicle data services and analytics platforms. We may also disclose Covered Information to Third Parties with your permission. These Third Parties may use Covered Information for their everyday business purposes, including marketing, customer service, fulfillment and related purposes.  These disclosures, except those made with your permission, may qualify as a sale under certain state privacy laws.

We may disclose Covered Information to Honda affiliates such as American Honda Finance Corporation.

Covered Information disclosed to the above Third Parties may include all or some of the following:

  •  Personal Identifiers;
  •  Audio electronic, visual, or similar information;
  •  Commercial Information;
  •  Precise Geolocation Information (only to the extent described in the “Precise Geolocation Information” section above).

In limited instances, we disclose Covered Information, specifically Commercial Information and Non-Precise Geolocation Information, to Third Parties with whom we have a relationship to facilitate research and development of products, services, infrastructure, and other technologies for ourselves or others.

Your Choices Regarding Covered Information

For specific information regarding the in-vehicle and smart device-based switches or settings that facilitate your choices, please consult your owner’s manual and the help sections of the smart device applications you use in connection with Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services.

You can control our collection of certain types of Covered Information.

  • Opt-in/Opt-out
    • You may opt-out of sending via an embedded telecommunications unit (if installed) your vehicle’s location to us or our service provider in the event a possible crash is detected.
    • You may opt-in or opt-out of using your connected Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® smart device to attempt to contact third party responders in the event of a crash or other incident.
    • You may opt-in or opt-out of collecting and sending your vehicle’s diagnostic, location, and trip log information to us.
    • You may opt-in or opt-out of sending communications data to us when you pair your connected smart device.
    • You may opt-in or opt-out of sending vehicle or vehicle systems’ data to us.
    • You may exercise your opt-in or opt-out rights explained above by use of in-vehicle or smart device-based switches/settings, as applicable.
  • Non-Use. You may choose not to register or subscribe for certain Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services, such as HondaLink® or AcuraLink® or may choose not to use certain technologies or services, such as a navigation system provided in your vehicle..
  • Deactivation. When you buy a vehicle equipped with Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services, data collection may be active. You may deactivate certain of the Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services at any time by contacting us and following the directions provided to you, in which event we will no longer collect the Covered Information related to the deactivated Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services.

Changing or Updating your Covered Information and Other Privacy Rights

You must promptly contact us when you have new contact information or have sold or transferred your vehicle. If you do not notify us of a change in contact information or the sale or transfer of your vehicle, we may continue to send reports or other information about the vehicle to the address currently on file with us and/or about your account to the vehicle (and new owner). We are not responsible for any damages you may suffer as a result of your failure to promptly inform us of changes in your contact information or vehicle ownership

You may review and update certain types of Covered Information by contacting us. Depending on the state in which you reside, you may also exercise certain rights related to our collection, use, and disclosure of Covered Information that qualifies as “personal information” under a state privacy law. For more information on these rights and how to exercise them, please review our Privacy Notice.

Security

We strive to protect Covered Information by using commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards and requiring our service providers to do the same. Even with these safeguards, no data transmission or storage can be guaranteed 100% secure. As a result, you provide or authorize collection of Covered Information by us or our service providers at your own risk. 

International Data Processing

We may store or process Covered Information in the United States and in foreign countries. In some countries, applicable laws may allow the government to more easily demand access to your Covered Information. 

On-Board Data

“On-Board Data”, is information that the vehicle collects, generates, records, or stores in electronic form that remains on the vehicle and could be retrieved by a person with access to the vehicle, but which we do not wirelessly retrieve. For example, On-Board Data may include data such as diagnostic information that a dealer’s vehicle service technician or another person can retrieve using a plug-in device or destinations a user programs into the navigation system. On-Board Data is not Covered Information except when transmitted to us, in which case we will treat it as Covered Information. We generally do not receive On-Board Data; however, third parties with physical access to the vehicle, such as service technicians, a person to whom you sell the vehicle, valets, or temporary operators of the vehicle, may be able to retrieve this data. Although not Covered Information, we want to provide you with information about On-Board Data so that you can make informed choices about how to use the vehicle and what access to provide others.

The vehicle may generate and store as On-Board Data the same categories of information that are described as Covered Information. Like with Covered Information, you may make certain choices regarding the types of On-Board Data generated or collected by the vehicle:

  • If you refrain from accessing or using the vehicle navigation system, information about your trip destinations will not be stored in the navigation system.
  • If you refrain from connecting a smart device to the vehicle, either by wireless or physical connection, the vehicle will not receive (or store) information from the smart device.

Management of On-Board Data

To reduce the amount of On-Board Data stored on the vehicle prior to sale or turning it in at the end of a lease, you should perform a data reset of the audio and navigation systems. Instructions for performing a data reset of the audio and navigation systems may be found in your owner’s manual and/or navigation manual. 

Third-Party Services

Your vehicle may support third-party services including Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, AT&T Wi-Fi Hotspot, Google Automotive Services, Alexa Auto, and SiriusXM Radio. These services are provided by third-party companies. If you choose to engage with these services, the privacy policy and other terms and conditions from the third party govern their collection, use, and disclosure of your data by or in connection with the services. When using these services, your smart device may collect and transmit to the respective third party or others information about your vehicle, your use of the vehicle or its systems, your use of the third party’s services, your smart device or applications thereon, information you input into the smart device either directly or via the interface in the vehicle’s audio and connectivity system, and information you input into the service. We do not control these services and you use them at your own risk. We are not liable to you for any damages you incur from using these services.

Changes and Updates

We may modify this Vehicle Privacy Notice at any time, without notice or obligation to you. We will post the modified Vehicle Privacy Notice on our website (www.honda.com) and you should regularly review this Vehicle Privacy Notice for changes. If you are a current owner/lessee and a registered user of Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services, and the modifications to the Vehicle Privacy Notice materially expand our collection, maintenance, use, or disclosure of your Covered Information, we will use commercially reasonable efforts to notify you such as by a notice on our website, through the Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services, and/or by email and, if the modifications materially expand our use or disclosure of your Covered Information, obtain your consent prior to the effective date of the modified Vehicle Privacy Notice.

Marketing Preferences

You may choose not to receive marketing communications from Honda by calling us at 1-888-528-7876. Please note that you still will receive communications regarding recalls and service campaigns, the status of any of the Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services, your account, and any other service-related communications and updates. You may also continue to receive marketing communications from independent Honda and Acura dealerships.

Other Privacy Resources

Although not a part of this Vehicle Privacy Notice, there are several other privacy resources you may find informative and helpful. The links below are provided as a courtesy only.

If you have any questions regarding this Vehicle Privacy Notice, would like to update certain of your information on file with us, or want to learn more about how to exercise your choices with regard to Covered Information and On-Board Data, please call us at 1-888-528-7876.

HondaLink Assist and AcuraLink Assist

Statement regarding HondaLink® Assist and AcuraLink® Assist Automatic Collision Notification & Assistance Request (the “HondaLink® Assist Services”).

When Honda’s service provider receives a crash notification and/or request for assistance from your connected Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® phone, it will first attempt to verify your request, and then, if appropriate, contact third party responders to respond to your incident. You understand that neither Honda nor its Third Party Provider can assure you, or make any guarantees, about the manner or timeliness of such third party response or whether third party responders will respond to your incident in a timely manner or at all. YOUR VEHICLE HAS TO HAVE HONDA ASSIST SERVICES, A WORKING ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (INCLUDING ADEQUATE BATTERY POWER), A BLUETOOTH® HANDSFREELINK® PHONE THAT IS CONNECTED TO THE VEHICLE, AN ACTIVE CELLULAR SERVICE ACCOUNT FOR YOUR BLUETOOTH® HANDSFREELINK® PHONE, ADEQUATE GPS SATELLITE SIGNAL, AND CONNECTION TO THE CELLULAR SERVICE FOR THE AUTOMATIC COLLISION NOTIFICATION AND REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE FEATURES TO OPERATE. 

The Honda Assist Services are not a service of your wireless carrier. If you use the Honda Assist Services, it may require your wireless carrier to disclose your customer information, including location information, to Honda’s telematics service provider, its subcontractors engaged in providing the Honda Assist Services, or other third parties. By using the Honda Assist Services, you authorize your wireless carrier to disclose your information to third parties to enable the Honda Assist Services. If you aren’t comfortable with these Honda Assist terms, don’t use it. By using the Honda Assist Services, you acknowledge and agree that (1) your relationship with Honda is separate from your relationship with your wireless carrier; (2) your wireless carrier is not responsible for the Honda Assist Services; and (3) you will hold harmless your wireless carrier and its subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, employees, agents, successors and assigns from any judgments, claims, actions, losses, liabilities or expenses arising from or attributable to the Honda Assist Services or the acts or omissions of Honda or its subcontractors providing the Honda Assist Services.

Honda reserves the right to terminate Honda Assist Services at any time or for any reason, and in the future may not be able to provide services due to changes in or obsolescence of technology integral to the service or changes in governmental regulation.

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Statement re: Event Data Recorder Operations

Event Data Recorder Disclosure Statement

While American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (“Honda”) cannot (and therefore does not) retrieve data from an event data recorder without physical access to the vehicle, and thus no such data is transmitted to Honda while a vehicle is in normal use, because there often is confusion about what event data recorders are used for and whether automakers can access the data, Honda believes that it is important to include a copy of the Event Data Recorder Disclosure Statement included in its vehicles’ Owner’s Guides and/or Owner’s Manuals on this webpage. The statement is as follows:

“This vehicle is equipped with an event data recorder (EDR). The main purpose of an EDR is to record, in certain crash or near crash-like situations, such as an air bag deployment or hitting a road obstacle, data that will assist in understanding how a vehicle’s systems performed. The EDR is designed to record data related to vehicle dynamics and safety systems for a short period of time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this vehicle is designed to record such data as:

  •  How various systems in your vehicle were operating;
  •  Whether or not the driver and passenger safety belts were buckled/fastened;
  •  How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
  •  How fast the vehicle was traveling.

These data can help provide a better understanding of the circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur. NOTE: EDR data are recorded by your vehicle only if a non-trivial crash situation occurs; no data are recorded by the EDR under normal driving conditions and no personal data (e.g., name, gender, age, and crash location) are recorded. However, other parties, such as law enforcement, could combine the EDR data with the type of personally identifying data routinely acquired during a crash investigation. 

To read data recorded by an EDR, special equipment is required, and access to the vehicle or the EDR is needed. In addition to the vehicle manufacturer, other parties, such as law enforcement, that have the special equipment, can read the information if they have access to the vehicle or the EDR.”

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