A new partnership will bring Privacy4Cars’ patent-pending process for the deletion of personal information from modern vehicles to the European market for the first time.

The partnership is between Privacy4Cars — which is a platform to help erase personal information including phone numbers, call logs, location history and garage door codes from modern vehicles — and Fimatix UK Ltd, a digital technology services consultancy.

The companies say the partnership will work to address what they describe as a vehicle privacy compliance burden in Europe.

A cybersecurity and vehicle privacy expert developed Privacy4Cars, which says it offers a standard process that makes data deletion simple and scalable.

As for Fimatix, it said it is committed to helping make organizations more effective, with a strong track record in fintech and govtech.

Companies that handle vehicles face privacy compliance risks, and the partnership will work to help solve those risks.  

The companies say research last year showed that four of five U.K. vehicle owners took insufficient steps to remove personal data before selling their vehicles.

Personal information, the companies say, is a rising compliance and reputation risk for auto remarketing businesses. Failure to remove personal data before a vehicle changes hands could have major legal implications for dealers, auctions, fleet managers, and others who handle used vehicles. It could also represent data breaches under GDPR, which the European Data Protection Board pointed out in its Guidelines for Connected Vehicles and Mobility Applications published last year.

Companies with an auto portfolio in the U.K. and EU can use the Privacy4Cars platform to reliably delete any personal information that is stored in modern vehicle systems. They can also obtain a compliance record of completion.

U.K. and EU auto retailers and wholesalers should pay close attention to the process of deleting personal information stored across their fleets, said Privacy4Cars founder Andrea Amico. Neglecting to do that could result in serious data breaches under GDPR and ePrivacy laws, Amico said.

“The storage of personal information in modern vehicles has become a rising compliance and reputation risk due to legal liability and operational complexity,” Amico said in a news release.

Amico also said, “Through our partnership with Fimatix, we are bringing a simple, scalable, and  auditable data deletion solution to the European market that will help reduce security liability and vulnerability through a certification that is backed by financial guarantee.”

Tim Howarth of Fimatix said that company seeks to help its clients become more effective through technology.

“And we’re delighted to bring Privacy4Cars to the European market,” Howarth said.

Howarth also said, “This solution will help to protect consumers when they hire a car, or sell a vehicle, ensuring their personal data is kept safe. We are looking forward to working with clients, including car hire firms, dealers, auctions and fleet managers, to help them protect their consumers and avoid GDPR data privacy risks. Having spent 25 years in regulated industries, we know how costly compliance can be if not managed effectively and how vulnerable companies can be to regulatory intervention if known issues are not handled promptly.”

In other news, Privacy4Cars has launched a new website that offers resources for businesses such as a regulations tab that calls out state regulation risks. It outlines the increasing regulatory and compliance liabilities relating to personal data collected by cars.

For more with Amico, the company founder, listen to the podcast below.