OnStar to provide your information starting Dec 1 2011
Senior Member
Joined: 07-01-2010
Posts: 284
From: Denver, CO
I have pulled the fuse for onstar on every car I have owned with it. Once they started to use it in legal cases, I decided I didn't want to take part. I'm very surprised the IIHS hasn't paid Congress to make these things mandatory, and make the data available to insurance companies.
Deceased
Joined: 06-30-2010
Posts: 25,739
From: Kannapolis NC
OK, time for the legal guy to weigh in on this deal, first here is a link to the revised OnStar privacy policy at the heart of the controversy.
http://www.onstar.com/tunnel-web/web...t-2011-USE.pdf
Now just so you all know, I don't have any interest in this either way. I do not represent any clients currently involved in any litigation involving OnStar or General Motors. Nor do I represent OnStar or General Motors in any way.
So here we have a case of more information being sold to third parties than has happened in the past, but this information is sold on an anonymous basis. According to the business practices established by OnStar, the data will be scrubbed of any information that can tie it to a specific vehicle. In other words your data will become part of a blind sample which can then be sold to a marketing firm or something along those lines.
The only time specific tracking data related to your vehicle can be transferred to a third party is in a case of a subpoena served by law enforcement in the investigation of an accident or criminal activity. Whether the law enforcement agency then shares this data with your insurance underwriter is another matter. This of course doesn't apply to the normal data sharing used by OnStar related to vehicle servicing, e-mail updates, etc.
So basically my point is this, if you are not involved in criminal activity, or you do not cause an injury accident or fatality which will be investigated as a matter of course by law enforcement...you shouldn't panic about this. Besides, except for a few changes to the third party data sharing aspects of the privacy policy, if you have OnStar you've already had your anonymous date shared.
The future level of tracking by OnStar is not much different than how you are tracked now by your wireless providers. Just remember that any wireless data device is a two way street, while you check the scores on your smart phone...someone is checking you.
http://www.onstar.com/tunnel-web/web...t-2011-USE.pdf
Now just so you all know, I don't have any interest in this either way. I do not represent any clients currently involved in any litigation involving OnStar or General Motors. Nor do I represent OnStar or General Motors in any way.
So here we have a case of more information being sold to third parties than has happened in the past, but this information is sold on an anonymous basis. According to the business practices established by OnStar, the data will be scrubbed of any information that can tie it to a specific vehicle. In other words your data will become part of a blind sample which can then be sold to a marketing firm or something along those lines.
The only time specific tracking data related to your vehicle can be transferred to a third party is in a case of a subpoena served by law enforcement in the investigation of an accident or criminal activity. Whether the law enforcement agency then shares this data with your insurance underwriter is another matter. This of course doesn't apply to the normal data sharing used by OnStar related to vehicle servicing, e-mail updates, etc.
So basically my point is this, if you are not involved in criminal activity, or you do not cause an injury accident or fatality which will be investigated as a matter of course by law enforcement...you shouldn't panic about this. Besides, except for a few changes to the third party data sharing aspects of the privacy policy, if you have OnStar you've already had your anonymous date shared.
The future level of tracking by OnStar is not much different than how you are tracked now by your wireless providers. Just remember that any wireless data device is a two way street, while you check the scores on your smart phone...someone is checking you.
Senior Member
Joined: 12-19-2008
Posts: 234
From: dfw texas
Two questions: (1) will pulling the fuse positively make one "invisible". (2) will pulling the fuse, prior to an accident, have any negative effects on insurance settlements, or policy purchase in the future. I've discontinued my On-Star service last month, due to no need for it, but I know that it follows me everywhere anyhow. I'm used to having the phones all surveilled and the silent black 'copters overhead at night, but a man's car is his castle (law) in Texas. Too much.
