The mobile data heist: How 5 popular apps sell your driving habits to Allstate

January 22, 2026

By Kim Komando

Larry Johnson in Atlanta installed Life360 to keep tabs on his teenage kids. Good parenting, right?

Then he got quoted insane car insurance rates. When he pushed back, he learned the truth. That family safety app had been tracking every turn, every hard brake, every mile his family drove, and it sold all that information to insurance companies.

Larry had no clue. Neither do the 45 million other Americans getting spied on right now.

📱 The 5 apps (go check your phone)

1. Life360: The family tracker. Selling your driving data to Arity, which is owned by Allstate. Yeah, that Allstate.
2. GasBuddy: That feature rating your fuel efficiency? It’s powered by Arity. Surprise.
3. MyRadar: Innocent little weather app. Same tracking garbage hidden inside.
4. Fuel Rewards: Saving you 3 cents a gallon while selling you out.
5. Routely: Marketed to gig workers. Monetizing your every mile.

Insurance companies buy driving scores based on your speed, braking and routes. Then they use them to raise your rates. You never agreed to this. You never even knew.

🛡️ Shut them down

iPhone: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. Find the offenders. Change them to “Never” or “While using.” Tap each one and toggle OFF “Precise location.”

Android: Settings > Location > App permissions > [App Name]. Choose “Don’t allow” or “Allow only while using the app.”

Or delete them. GasBuddy isn’t worth your insurance jumping $300 a year.

🔍 See what they know about you

You can request your driving report like you pull a credit report. It’s free once a year. You might be shocked at what’s already in your file.

LexisNexis is the big one. Insurance companies use them constantly to check your history before giving you a quote.

1. Go to consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com.
2. Click the red rectangle marked “Request a Consumer Disclosure Report.”
3. Fill out the form with your name, address, date of birth, SSN and driver’s license number. Yes, you need to give them all that info to confirm it’s you. They have it already.
4. They’ll mail you instructions to access your report online.

Rather talk to a human? Call 1-888-497-0011.

Your report will show what driving data they have on file, any claims history and who they’ve shared it with. If something’s wrong, you have the legal right to dispute it under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Same rules as your credit report.

These apps promised to keep your family safe or save you a few bucks on gas. Instead, they’ve been selling your every move to the highest bidder.

Check your phone. Pull your report. Delete the snitches.

🚘 These apps shared your data without asking. Now it’s your turn to share something, this story. Someone in your life is getting spied on and has no idea. Use the icons below.