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YOU DON’T QUIT ONSTAR – ONSTAR QUITS YOU
Sep. 28th, 2011 10:12 amITEM: OnStar – the company that provides navigation, security and emergency services by tracking yr car via GPS – changes its privacy policy, under which they have the right to sell the data they collect on you to third parties.
Also, they will continue to track yr car – and sell the resulting data – even if you discontinue using the service.
On the bright side: (1) you can opt out of this, (2) the data is anonymous and (3) at least they sent all their customers a letter informing them of the change, rather than just quietly changing it. So I’m not saying OnStar is evil, or that you have anything to worry about if you use them (as long as the opt-out choice is available).
Still, I marvel at the notion that someone approved this policy change and thought (or worse, didn’t think), “This shouldn’t result in any bad publicity. I mean, who could possibly object to this?”
Who indeed? It’s not like we live in an era where people make a good living spinning conspiracy theories about this kind of thing.
Keep on trackin’,
This is dF
Also, they will continue to track yr car – and sell the resulting data – even if you discontinue using the service.
On the bright side: (1) you can opt out of this, (2) the data is anonymous and (3) at least they sent all their customers a letter informing them of the change, rather than just quietly changing it. So I’m not saying OnStar is evil, or that you have anything to worry about if you use them (as long as the opt-out choice is available).
Still, I marvel at the notion that someone approved this policy change and thought (or worse, didn’t think), “This shouldn’t result in any bad publicity. I mean, who could possibly object to this?”
Who indeed? It’s not like we live in an era where people make a good living spinning conspiracy theories about this kind of thing.
Keep on trackin’,
This is dF
