Privacy on Autopilot: Exploring User Attitudes Toward Data Use in Autonomous Vehicles

Privacy on Autopilot: Exploring User Attitudes Toward Data Use in Autonomous Vehicles | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Privacy on Autopilot: Exploring User Attitudes Toward Data Use in Autonomous Vehicles Noora Zeyad AlRais, Saif Matar AlHajeri, Hilal Almansoori, Abdulrahman AlAwadhi, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8601977/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The rapid evolution of autonomous vehicle (AV) technology driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics is transforming the landscape of modern transportation. Yet, this technological progress brings pressing concerns about data privacy and user trust, particularly due to the constant collection, sharing, and analysis of real-time data. This study explores user perceptions of data privacy in autonomous vehicles, with a focus on the context of Dubai. Utilizing machine learning (ML) techniques and k-fold cross-validation, we analyzed user data across various demographic factors, including age, gender, and education, to accurately predict privacy concerns. Among several classifiers K-Nearest Neighbors, Decision Tree, Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest, Neural Networks, and AdaBoost Gradient Boosting demonstrated the highest predictive accuracy. The results underscore the importance of robust data governance frameworks, public awareness initiatives, and cross-sector collaboration among policymakers, AI researchers, and the automotive industry. Future work should consider longitudinal studies, the application of advanced deep learning models, and the development of comprehensive regulatory strategies to foster a privacy-conscious, AI-enabled mobility ecosystem. Autonomous vehicles Artificial intelligence Data privacy Smart mobility Predictive modeling Full Text Additional Declarations Ethics Approval Statement: Our research study was approved by the Ethics Committee of University of Dubai. The research adhered to ethical standards and guidelines for studies involving human participants. Participant Consent Statement: Informed consent was obtained from all participants in the study, all of them are over 18 years. Participants were informed about the purpose of the research and their right to withdraw from the study at any time. The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8601977","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":574556789,"identity":"667115b5-5057-46cd-8423-25d872a27439","order_by":0,"name":"Noora Zeyad AlRais","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Dubai","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Noora","middleName":"Zeyad","lastName":"AlRais","suffix":""},{"id":574556790,"identity":"df6e8d74-1e10-4858-b372-d3cdaa0fff9c","order_by":1,"name":"Saif Matar AlHajeri","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Dubai","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Saif","middleName":"Matar","lastName":"AlHajeri","suffix":""},{"id":574556791,"identity":"7bae8553-8753-471a-aae7-80e4bd901515","order_by":2,"name":"Hilal Almansoori","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Dubai","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hilal","middleName":"","lastName":"Almansoori","suffix":""},{"id":574556792,"identity":"c80bb1ec-e54f-4505-be97-48a1355f65bd","order_by":3,"name":"Abdulrahman AlAwadhi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Dubai","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Abdulrahman","middleName":"","lastName":"AlAwadhi","suffix":""},{"id":574556793,"identity":"989869e9-cc23-4538-a939-7d0f36ff85c4","order_by":4,"name":"Alavikunhu Panthakkan","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA6UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYLACxgYGAwkg9YCBjVgtByFamA1I1sImQZQW/tnNzx5/3GFnLNl+9lg1TxmDPH8D88MH+LRI3DlmbnDwTLKZNE9e2m2ecwyGMw6wGRvgteZGgpnEwTZmGzmGHLPbvG0MjBsYGMwk8OmQv5H+Dail3kaO/41ZMVCL/QYG9u8/8GkxuJEDsuWwmbREjhkzUEviBgYeM7zuMrxzpkzibNtxY8kZb4wl55yTSJ5xmKcYr8Pkbrdvk6hsqzaccT7H8MObMhvb/vb2jR/wWiOBwWXGqx5TyygYBaNgFIwCTAAAPlVGIWL8SOoAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7746-0609","institution":"University of Dubai","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alavikunhu","middleName":"","lastName":"Panthakkan","suffix":""},{"id":574556794,"identity":"6ec39685-4e36-42c8-9e28-e287a765cf0c","order_by":5,"name":"Saad Ali Amin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Dubai","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Saad","middleName":"Ali","lastName":"Amin","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-01-14 12:54:29","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":true,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true,"humanSubjectConsent":true,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8601977/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8601977/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":100377894,"identity":"54f375b2-379e-4839-bd08-90413d5edcd2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-16 08:48:49","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":548011,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"C92.ASET2025PrivacyonAutopilotSept2025.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8601977/v1_covered_722af43a-e453-4156-8da0-8ffbdc6ee2bc.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"\u003cp\u003eEthics Approval Statement: Our research study was approved by the Ethics Committee of University of Dubai. 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