January 18, 2025
GM Spying on Drivers
Timothy Birdnow
Apparently Government Motors (GM) has been collecting data on drivers and selling it to credit bureaus and insurance companies and whatnot in what can only be called a gross violation of the privacy of their customers.
And amazingly the FTC is suing them over it.
From the article:
Americans have become entirely too comfortable with the surveillance state. It amazes me the folks who invented the Fourth Amendment and jealously defended protecting their privacy rights have so easily surrendered them to any Tom, Dick, or Harry who comes along. But we let fear rule us, especially in the Cold War and then in the War on Drugs and then the War on Terror and at each step we gave government greater surveillance power. Couple that with the cult of celebrity, where everyone wishes they were famous public figures and are happy to just give away their life's secrets, has led to an American fishbowl. Natturally people will profit off the stupidity of the public...
A former CIA guy once said they had spent decades trying to find ways to get data on people and all the while all they had to do was ask them for it. We know the CIA was involved heavily in the creation of a number of internet platforms, notably Google and probably Facebook (via Peter Thiel). Certainly they figured out early on how to utilize social networking and the like. Just watching Google searches says a lot about your person of interest.
So if the government can do that, the thinking undoubtedly went in the GM boardroom, why can't a carmaker spy on their customers? Fair is fair, right?
My wife once had a dream where she had a commercial halfway through it; we laugh about that all the time. But in our future that's going to be coming. Certainly Elon Musk and others want to implant chips in our brains. How long before they use such chips for data mining and implanting commercials? You know it's coming. And while civil libertarians such as myself will resist it many will happily accept it as just what you have to do to get free stuff.
We used to call that selling your soul. If you made this deal with Beelzebub you would have been burned at the stake for witchcraft in bygone days; now you are just an average American.
Ben Franklin said:
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
It's true too of giving up your privacy for free stuff - in spades.
Apparently Government Motors (GM) has been collecting data on drivers and selling it to credit bureaus and insurance companies and whatnot in what can only be called a gross violation of the privacy of their customers.
And amazingly the FTC is suing them over it.
From the article:
"The FTC alleged that GM "collected, used, and sold drivers’ precise geolocation data and driving behavior information from millions of vehicles—data that can be used to set insurance rates—without adequately notifying consumers and obtaining their affirmative consent,” said a Jan. 16 statement from the agency.
The issue stems from GM encouraging customers to sign up for its OnStar connected vehicle service and the OnStar Smart Driver feature through a "misleading enrollment process,” the agency said. The company claimed that these tools help users "assess their driving habits.”
However, GM did not "clearly disclose” that the collected information—including data related to speeding, instances of hard braking, and late-night driving—would be sold to third parties such as consumer reporting agencies, the FTC claims.
Agencies "used the sensitive information GM provided to compile credit reports on consumers, which were used by insurance companies to deny insurance and set rates,” it said.
The FTC pointed out that tracking or collecting geolocation data was an invasion of privacy because it reveals details such as daily routines or an extremely specific event such as visiting a medical facility."
The issue stems from GM encouraging customers to sign up for its OnStar connected vehicle service and the OnStar Smart Driver feature through a "misleading enrollment process,” the agency said. The company claimed that these tools help users "assess their driving habits.”
However, GM did not "clearly disclose” that the collected information—including data related to speeding, instances of hard braking, and late-night driving—would be sold to third parties such as consumer reporting agencies, the FTC claims.
Agencies "used the sensitive information GM provided to compile credit reports on consumers, which were used by insurance companies to deny insurance and set rates,” it said.
The FTC pointed out that tracking or collecting geolocation data was an invasion of privacy because it reveals details such as daily routines or an extremely specific event such as visiting a medical facility."
Americans have become entirely too comfortable with the surveillance state. It amazes me the folks who invented the Fourth Amendment and jealously defended protecting their privacy rights have so easily surrendered them to any Tom, Dick, or Harry who comes along. But we let fear rule us, especially in the Cold War and then in the War on Drugs and then the War on Terror and at each step we gave government greater surveillance power. Couple that with the cult of celebrity, where everyone wishes they were famous public figures and are happy to just give away their life's secrets, has led to an American fishbowl. Natturally people will profit off the stupidity of the public...
A former CIA guy once said they had spent decades trying to find ways to get data on people and all the while all they had to do was ask them for it. We know the CIA was involved heavily in the creation of a number of internet platforms, notably Google and probably Facebook (via Peter Thiel). Certainly they figured out early on how to utilize social networking and the like. Just watching Google searches says a lot about your person of interest.
So if the government can do that, the thinking undoubtedly went in the GM boardroom, why can't a carmaker spy on their customers? Fair is fair, right?
My wife once had a dream where she had a commercial halfway through it; we laugh about that all the time. But in our future that's going to be coming. Certainly Elon Musk and others want to implant chips in our brains. How long before they use such chips for data mining and implanting commercials? You know it's coming. And while civil libertarians such as myself will resist it many will happily accept it as just what you have to do to get free stuff.
We used to call that selling your soul. If you made this deal with Beelzebub you would have been burned at the stake for witchcraft in bygone days; now you are just an average American.
Ben Franklin said:
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
It's true too of giving up your privacy for free stuff - in spades.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
01:16 PM
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1
I have two Chevrolets -- with OnStar, of course. It's nice that they tell me every so often what my tire pressure is, and how much percentage of oil life I still have. I do wonder, though, how much they're snooping on me and what kind of info they're getting. Are they reporting all the trips that our Equinox makes to Our Lady Of Peace Roman Catholic Church (because my wife is employed there)? Are they clocking our trips to the liquor store?
Posted by: Dana Mathewson at January 18, 2025 11:51 PM (6r44G)
2
They probably are Dana. And with that knowledge the insurance company could wind up charging more.
All of these lovely services come with a price.
All of these lovely services come with a price.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at January 19, 2025 09:31 AM (bhEGf)
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