Your television and car became product surfaces after you bought them.

A connected product can be useful precisely because it has sensors, a network connection and an update path. Those same components can turn a television interface into an advertising surface or convert ordinary driving into a record of location and behaviour. The ownership question is no longer only whether the device works. It is what the manufacturer can continue to collect, change or sell after the checkout.

In January 2026, the US Federal Trade Commission finalised an order with General Motors and OnStar over allegations that they collected and sold precise location and driving-behaviour data without adequate notice and affirmative consent. The order requires new consent, access, deletion and opt-out routes, and prohibits sharing certain data with consumer reporting agencies for five years.

The device needs a local life

A car, television or home device should retain its core function when an optional cloud feature is declined. Privacy settings should be legible on the product itself, and a customer should be able to distinguish data needed to provide a feature from collection used for advertising, analytics, insurance or product development.

Before buying connected hardware, ask what still works offline, which sensors can be disabled, whether data can be exported or deleted, and what happens when a subscription ends. Those questions are now as basic as checking a warranty.

Test the product without the account

Before buying, write down the three functions you need the device to perform. Ask whether each works without a subscription, an internet connection or a vendor account. Request a model-specific answer: a promise about a product family is not the same as a documented feature on the device in your basket.

For hardware you already own, review optional permissions and connected services one at a time. Record the original setting and check that the function you depend on still works after a change. Do not disable safety-critical vehicle or emergency features as a privacy experiment; use the manufacturer’s documented controls and support route.

The useful comparison is the whole ownership period. Include subscriptions, replaceable parts, update support and what remains usable if the cloud service closes. A lower checkout price does not answer those questions.