NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] OnStar Begins Spying On Customers' GPS Location For Profit
OnStar Begins Spying On Customers' GPS Location For Profit
http://j.mp/nuv56t (Zdziarski)
"So the GPS location of your vehicle and your vehicle's speed are going
to be collected by OnStar and sold to third parties. What kind of
companies are interested in this data? OnStar would have you believe
that respectable agencies, like departments of transportation and
various law enforcement agencies (for purposes of "public safety or
traffic services" - A.K.A ticket writing). I can imagine this data
COULD be used for good, to create traffic based analytics to improve
future road construction or even emergency response. But given that
those types of decisions are only made once a decade in most cities,
OnStar isn't likely to benefit much financially from "respectable"
companies."
- - -
The key aspects of this that are most disturbing are the apparent lack
of any user choice in these regards (except by totally eliminating the
service *and the data connection*!) and the provision of data to law
enforcement. OnStar is really becoming quite problematic in key respects,
and may now have crossed the infamous "creepy" line.
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org
Founder:
- Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org
- Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org
- PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Google+: http://vortex.com/g+lauren
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com