The National Association of Motor Auctions (NAMA) has launched an industry-wide initiative to strengthen data deletion practices in the used car and van sector.
Its Data Deletion and Privacy Protection Certificate addresses areas including data deletion procedures, auditability and reporting, operational workflows, and GDPR-aligned governance.
The launch is backed by the Vehicle Remarketing Association (VRA). Jonathan Butler, VRA legal counsel and partner at Geldards said failing to delete personal information breach GDPR rules.
“Legal analysis and regulatory expectations make clear organisations handling vehicles – including rental, leasing, fleet and remarketing businesses – become data controllers for personal data stored in a vehicle once it returns to their possession.
“Failing to delete this data before the vehicle is passed to another user may constitute unlawful processing and a personal data breach, potentially contravening several articles of UK GDPR.
“The new NAMA certificate provides the means for the automotive industry to take decisive action to protect consumer privacy as connected vehicle features continue to expand the volume of personal data stored in modern vehicles.”
The VRA said one of its members Privacy4Cars has been named the first approved supplier under the initiative, following assessment of its data-deletion platform.
The company met key requirements, ensuring that personally identifiable information and other sensitive data are removed from vehicles in a consistent and verifiable manner prior to resale.
Philip Nothard, VRA chair, said: “As cars and vans incorporate more and more digital technology, the responsible management of the personal data stored in them is becoming an increasingly acute issue.
“From navigation histories and call logs to synced contacts and messages, modern vehicles routinely store sensitive information – and when those vehicles are returned, resold, or remarketed, that data frequently remains.
“For all of those reasons, this NAMA initiative is timely and welcome. At the VRA, we are pleased to offer our support and are sure that it will also quickly find popularity among our members.”
