Technology

That was Nissan. I don't think that it was ever established that they were, just that their click-through privacy agreement had the consumer explicitly give them the right to do so.

kagis

They apparently say that they put it in there because the data that they did collect would permit inferring sexual orientation (like, I assume that if they're harvesting location data and someone is parking outside gay bars, it's probably possible to data-mine that).

https://nypost.com/2023/09/06/nissan-kia-collect-data-about-drivers-sexual-activity/

On Nissan’s official web page outlining its privacy policy, the Japan-based company said that it collects drivers’ “sensitive personal information, including driver’s license number, national or state identification number, citizenship status, immigration status, race, national origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation, sexual activity, precise geolocation, health diagnosis data, and genetic information.”

“Nissan does not knowingly collect or disclose consumer information on sexual activity or sexual orientation,” a company spokesperson told The Post.

“Some state laws require us to account for inadvertent data collection or information that could be inferred from other data, such as geolocation.”