By John Palm, Editor
GCN Live.com
GM’s OnStar has announced it will be collecting data from registered vehicles, and as a result has spurred major questions about customer privacy.
Courtesy OnStar
Update
GM has reversed its decision to track the information of subscribers who cancel OnStar services. Now, the only vehicles that will have information collected are those who are actively subscribing to OnStar – around six million people, according to GM.
This is ultimately a response to the terrible press and criticism from customers that the company received once their original plan was announced.
The press release stated: “We realize that our proposed amendments did not satisfy our subscribers,” OnStar President Linda Marshall said. “This is why we are leaving the decision in our customers’ hands. We listened, we responded and we hope to maintain the trust of our more than 6 million customers.”
For the entire GM press release announcing the reversal, click here.
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According to Vijay Iyes, public relation official for OnStar, “It’s on an anonymous basis. We wouldn’t include any type of personal information – just bulk information.”
OnStar claims to want to keep cars ready for the possible restart of its services if people chose to subscribe again. When people cancel the service, they will be asked if they want to keep the connection “alive” in the car.
However, the new policy says it can collect location data “for any purpose, at any time.”
The policy says OnStar can share information with roadside assistance, emergency providers, law enforcement, credit card processors, data management companies, and “third parties with whom we contact with to conduct joint marketing initiatives.”
There are questions being raised regarding how to opt out of the data collection. A company representative says OnStar will ask if departing customers want to keep the connection “alive,” but have also stated that service users can deactivate completely by contacting an OnStar representative.
Many are questioning the pure business sense a move like this makes. There is no way for a person to opt out of the data collection without canceling the OnStar service in its entirety – meaning, if one wants to use the OnStar services they are required to participate in the data collection, and customer’s info will be available to outside parties on an anonymous level.
Finally and most importantly, according to the way online message boards are exploding, people are questioning and sometimes outraged at the intrusion on what some may call private information – driving patterns, driving times, and additional vehicle usage data. Meanwhile, others see no current issues with OnStar’s changes, and think that the data retrieved can be extremely valuable for future analysis and improvements.
“From my perspective, the ramifications of the new policy are not all that troubling, provided that the data about individual drivers is indeed being packaged and furnished anonymously,” Mark Anfinson, veteran information law attorney and professor of communications and media law at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., stated in an email. “If there’s really no way that a recipient could possibly identify the vehicle or driver that the data relates to, then it’s just statistics, and it’s hard to see how it could be used negatively with respect to any individual.”
Anfinson continues, “Furthermore, the availability of this kind of statistical profiling could have many societal advantages, in terms of developing a better understanding of driving behavior and all of the critical issues that are implicated – such as highway development, fuel options, vehicle design, etc. My perspective would be considerably different if individuals could be identified from the data, and I’m sure civil libertarians would see it as very ominous.”
Read the press release below for an explanation of OnStar’s new terms and conditions.
New Terms & Conditions
The following statement can be attributed to Joanne Finnorn, Vice President, Subscriber Services”
“OnStar has and always will give our customers the choice in how we use their data. We’ve also been very open with our customers about changes in services and privacy terms.
“Under our new Terms and Conditions, when a customer cancels service, we have informed customers that OnStar will maintain a two-way connection to their vehicle unless they ask us not to do so. In the future, this connection may provide us with the capability to alert vehicle occupants about severe weather conditions such as tornado warnings or mandatory evacuations. Another benefit for keeping this connection “open” could be to provide vehicle owners with any updated warranty data or recall issues.
“Of course, if the customer requests us to turn off the two-way connection, we will do as we have always done, and that is honor customers’ requests.
“Our guiding practices regarding sharing our subscribers’ personal information have not changed. We are always very specific about with whom we share customers’ personal information, and how they will use it. We have never sold any personally identifiable information to any third party.
“Keeping the two-way connection open will also allow OnStar to capture general vehicle information that could be used in future product development.
“We apologize for creating any confusion about our Terms and Conditions. We want to make sure we are as clear with our customers as possible, but it’s apparent that we have failed to do this. As always, we are listening to our subscribers’ feedback and we will continue to be open to their suggestions and concerns.”