Is it legal for a lender to track my vehicle's location 24/7?
Last updated: 2026-07-11 · Educational content; not legal advice.
Short answer
Continuous GPS tracking of a borrower is personal-data processing under the Data Privacy Act (RA 10173) and is only lawful if it meets the Act's requirements: a legitimate, declared purpose, freely-given and specific consent (or another lawful basis), transparency, and proportionality — the data collected must not exceed what the stated purpose needs. Round-the-clock location logging to secure a loan can fail the proportionality and consent tests, and the National Privacy Commission (NPC) has jurisdiction to investigate, order deletion, and penalise. Global Mobility Service Philippines and similar lenders are data controllers accountable under RA 10173 for the location data their devices collect.
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Frequently asked
I signed a consent form — does that settle it?
Not necessarily. RA 10173 requires consent to be freely given, specific, and informed, and processing to stay proportionate to the purpose. Consent forced as a loan condition, or tracking beyond what securing the loan requires, can still be an unlawful processing.
Can I ask what location data they hold?
Yes. RA 10173 gives you the right to access your personal data, to be informed of how it is processed, and to demand correction or deletion when processing has no lawful basis.
Where do I complain about the tracking?
File with the NPC (privacy.gov.ph) for the data-privacy violation, and with the SEC under RA 11765 if the same lender's collection conduct is abusive. LabanPH prepares both.
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