Facing inquiry, OnStar drops 'Big Brother' plans

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
By Paul A. Eisenstein, The Detroit BureauFacing intense criticism from Capitol Hill and calls for a government investigation, General Motors’ OnStar division has dropped plans that would have allowed it to track detailed personal driving information about both current and former subscribers.

The Detroit Bureau

Most GM vehicles currently offer an initial, free subscription to the OnStar service.

The telematics subsidiary had advised users that it was changing its terms and conditions to permit it to track a vehicle’s speed, location and other data including whether or not a motorist was wearing a seatbelt.  A driver who dropped OnStar would still be linked to the service unless specifically opting out.  And the company said it reserved the right to sell that information to third-party marketers or even government and law enforcement agencies.

New York’s powerful Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer termed the move a “brazen” invasion of privacy and called for an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. Facing mounting criticism from other government and private quarters, OnStar said it has canceled its policy change and will not maintain a link to customers who quit the service.

“We realize that our proposed amendments did not satisfy our subscribers,” said OnStar President Linda Marshall in a prepared statement. “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.”

 The company continued to defend its initial plans, insisting they would have given OnStar the ability to send emergency messages to even those no longer subscribing to the service in the event, it suggested, of a tornado or other serious storm.

Going forward, Marshall noted, a link will be maintained only if a customer opts in voluntarily.  And then, OnStar would “honor customer references” as to how it might use any data it collects.

The company notably did not say it would reverse its plans to be able to sell data collected from existing subscribers, however.  The GM unit could track a vehicle’s speed, for example, as well as its location.  Though OnStar officials insist they currently have no plans to do so, such data might be sold to a marketer interested in reaching motorists who might be passing a shopping mall, or to pitch a nearby brand of gasoline.

OnStar currently claims 6 million active subscribers. The service is offered free for a limited time with most new General Motors vehicles sold in the U.S.  The telematics company has traditionally focused on safety and security issues, such as automatic emergency responder notification in case of a serious crash. But it has been expanding into other areas to remain competitive with other telematics firms, such as Ford’s popular Sync system.

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GM’s OnStar service raises privacy alarms

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
In a sudden reversal, General Motors’ OnStar subsidiary has backed down on plans to keep monitoring customers even when they choose to unsubscribe from the in-car telematics service. But the service will still maintain the right to track active customers.

OnStar, with 6 million subscribers, had come under withering attack in recent days from customers, privacy advocates and federal lawmakers over what Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., described as “one of the most brazen invasions of privacy in recent memory.”

Before OnStar backed down, Schumer was calling for a Federal Trade Commission investigation  into OnStar’s revised terms and conditions, which some liked to Big Brother, the fictitious, all-seeing dictator in George Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984.”

“We realize that our proposed amendments did not satisfy our subscribers,” OnStar President Linda Marshall said in a prepared statement announcing the hasty retreat. “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.” 

What kicked off the brouhaha was a seemingly modest revision to the OnStar customer guidelines which revealed the company would maintain the cellular data link installed in any vehicle subscribed to the OnStar service, “unless they (customers) ask us not to do so,” confirmed Joanne Finnorn, vice president of subscriber services.

Finnorn said that by maintaining the data link OnStar would have “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.”

But such assertions — along with an apology for creating “confusion” — failed to satisfy the company’s critics — who also included Sens. Al Franken, of Minnesota, and Chris Coons, D-Del.

Facing inquiry, OnStar drops 'Big Brother' plans

Part of the problem was that OnStar also reserved the right to not only track customer driving patterns — including miles driven, routes, vehicle speed and even whether occupants wore seatbelts — but to sell that information to third parties that could include marketers, along with government and police agencies.  It didn’t help much when OnStar insisted it would aggregate such personal information and not provide identifying details.

Following OnStar’s Tuesday announcement, Coons and Franken jointly called it “the right thing to do.” But the move might not satisfy all critics.  Company spokesman Stefan Cross told msnbc.com that while OnStar so far has “not sold data to any third parties” it has not given up that right or option for active subscribers.

OnStar is the largest brand in the fast-growing field of telematics, offering a package of safety features that can perform functions like alerting authorities of serious accidents and allowing a motorist to remotely unlock a door if the keys are locked inside.

Most automakers now offer, or are planning to add, telematics services. Most versions, such as Ford’s Sync, rely on customers to “pair” the vehicle’s onboard technology with a smartphone to access services stored in the so-called “cloud.” But OnStar has its own direct, onboard data and voice link that allows it to track vehicle information even when the customer isn’t clued in.

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It’s too early to tell whether the privacy flap will hurt OnStar, although comments popping up on Twitter and Facebook suggest the Big Brother image is not playing well in the public eye.

“I'm thinking this will make me learn more toward Dodge next time,” posted Detroit writer Phil Foley.

This isn’t the first time the brave new world of in-car communications has triggered concerns about safety and security. There has been much written about the dangers of texting while driving, of course — and many laws now ban the practice. But there’s also growing concern about potential abuses of privacy.

Several organizations have shown it possible to hack into a vehicle’s onboard electronics remotely to access personal information — and even to operate vehicle functions, such as unlocking doors or starting the engine without a key.

Freelance security blogger Casey Halverson wrote a June 14 report in Computer World magazine revealing that the Carwings system on the new Nissan Leaf left “wide open” data about the vehicle and how it was being driven that could be readily tapped by a provider of RSS news feeds. Potentially, authorities could access that data to see if the vehicle was driven over the speed limit, while marketers could learn if a motorist were approaching a mall and then direct targeted ads at the vehicle.

While many Americans fret over such possible invasions of privacy others seem to be welcome the opportunity to offer up personal data for financial benefit.

State Farm is the latest in a growing list of insurance companies offering discounts on automotive coverage to those willing to install a small device that will monitor driving behavior.

Developed in a partnership with Hughes Telematics, the In-Drive service offers an additional twist: several OnStar-like services, such as automatic emergency response after an accident.

There’s a monthly charge of $14.99 after a six-month free trial, but In-Drive subscribers will also save about 10 percent — and possibly as much as 50 percent, State Farm says — if they’re recorded showing safe driving behavior. The company does not say whether “bad” drivers would be penalized.

A Connecticut car rental firm tried to punish customers who exceeded the speed limit several years ago by using a hidden GPS-based tracking system. The courts eventually ruled against the American Rental company’s practice.

© 2011 msnbc.com.  Reprints

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NEW AUTOMOBILE, OnStar, Privacy And Consumer Tracking

I was flying to Washington, D.C., last week and noticed a piece in the Wall Street Journal titled "OnStar to Start Tracking, Sharing More Data From Cars." Apparently New York Sen. Charles Schumer noticed it as well as another article over the weekend quoted the Senator as saying "OnStar is attempting one of the most brazen invasions of privacy in recent memory." The article also quoted OnStar's vice president of subscriber services as apologizing for "creating any confusion about our terms and conditions." I don't think confusion is the issue.
All of this was triggered when General Motors’ OnStar announced that it would keep the vehicle's OnStar connection live -- even if the vehicle owner is not an OnStar subscriber. A live connection means the vehicle location is being tracked, along with a whole host of sensor data. Consumers can close the connection, but only by contacting OnStar and asking specifically to deactivate the data connection. The Senator’s comments seem a bit extreme. Google, Facebook, a myriad of ad networks and others have elevated tracking of consumers to a fine art. OnStar may be operating more in the “real world” as opposed to the “virtual world,” but its announcement merely shows it is travelling down a well-worn path. This doesn’t mean that what OnStar is doing is a good idea.
My issue with the state of consumer tracking today is that it is being done without the consumer’s express and informed consent. Marketers (and now OnStar) tout all the benefits consumers derive from tracking, such as more relevant advertising and the like. These benefits may indeed be valuable to consumers, which is the rub. If they are so valuable, what is the big deal about just asking consumers to opt in? The downside of failing to be straight with consumers is minor dust-ups like the one between the Senator and OnStar, or potentially something more serious in the future.
It is easy to see the logic of OnStar’s decision. Everyone seems to be tracking consumers today. Consumers don’t seem to be pushing back, so why not? I worry about this logic. I realize that for many companies, there is profit in tracking consumers. But I would argue there is great value in building trust. So far, most companies have not shown enough self-restraint when balancing trust against profits. As much as I would hate for it to come to this, it may fall to the Federal Trade Commission to regulate consumer protections along the lines we see in Europe, where the default is for consumers to opt in. That should be the default. Explain to consumers what you are doing, convey the benefits and ask them to opt in.

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GM’s OnStar service raises privacy alarms

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
In a sudden reversal, General Motors’ OnStar subsidiary has backed down on plans to keep monitoring customers even when they choose to unsubscribe from the in-car telematics service. But the service will still maintain the right to track active customers.

OnStar, with 6 million subscribers, had come under withering attack in recent days from customers, privacy advocates and federal lawmakers over what Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., described as “one of the most brazen invasions of privacy in recent memory.”

Before OnStar backed down, Schumer was calling for a Federal Trade Commission investigation  into OnStar’s revised terms and conditions, which some liked to Big Brother, the fictitious, all-seeing dictator in George Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984.”

“We realize that our proposed amendments did not satisfy our subscribers,” OnStar President Linda Marshall said in a prepared statement announcing the hasty retreat. “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.” 

What kicked off the brouhaha was a seemingly modest revision to the OnStar customer guidelines which revealed the company would maintain the cellular data link installed in any vehicle subscribed to the OnStar service, “unless they (customers) ask us not to do so,” confirmed Joanne Finnorn, vice president of subscriber services.

Finnorn said that by maintaining the data link OnStar would have “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.”

But such assertions — along with an apology for creating “confusion” — failed to satisfy the company’s critics — who also included Sens. Al Franken, of Minnesota, and Chris Coons, D-Del.

Facing inquiry, OnStar drops 'Big Brother' plans

Part of the problem was that OnStar also reserved the right to not only track customer driving patterns — including miles driven, routes, vehicle speed and even whether occupants wore seatbelts — but to sell that information to third parties that could include marketers, along with government and police agencies.  It didn’t help much when OnStar insisted it would aggregate such personal information and not provide identifying details.

Following OnStar’s Tuesday announcement, Coons and Franken jointly called it “the right thing to do.” But the move might not satisfy all critics.  Company spokesman Stefan Cross told msnbc.com that while OnStar so far has “not sold data to any third parties” it has not given up that right or option for active subscribers.

OnStar is the largest brand in the fast-growing field of telematics, offering a package of safety features that can perform functions like alerting authorities of serious accidents and allowing a motorist to remotely unlock a door if the keys are locked inside.

Most automakers now offer, or are planning to add, telematics services. Most versions, such as Ford’s Sync, rely on customers to “pair” the vehicle’s onboard technology with a smartphone to access services stored in the so-called “cloud.” But OnStar has its own direct, onboard data and voice link that allows it to track vehicle information even when the customer isn’t clued in.

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It’s too early to tell whether the privacy flap will hurt OnStar, although comments popping up on Twitter and Facebook suggest the Big Brother image is not playing well in the public eye.

“I'm thinking this will make me learn more toward Dodge next time,” posted Detroit writer Phil Foley.

This isn’t the first time the brave new world of in-car communications has triggered concerns about safety and security. There has been much written about the dangers of texting while driving, of course — and many laws now ban the practice. But there’s also growing concern about potential abuses of privacy.

Several organizations have shown it possible to hack into a vehicle’s onboard electronics remotely to access personal information — and even to operate vehicle functions, such as unlocking doors or starting the engine without a key.

Freelance security blogger Casey Halverson wrote a June 14 report in Computer World magazine revealing that the Carwings system on the new Nissan Leaf left “wide open” data about the vehicle and how it was being driven that could be readily tapped by a provider of RSS news feeds. Potentially, authorities could access that data to see if the vehicle was driven over the speed limit, while marketers could learn if a motorist were approaching a mall and then direct targeted ads at the vehicle.

While many Americans fret over such possible invasions of privacy others seem to be welcome the opportunity to offer up personal data for financial benefit.

State Farm is the latest in a growing list of insurance companies offering discounts on automotive coverage to those willing to install a small device that will monitor driving behavior.

Developed in a partnership with Hughes Telematics, the In-Drive service offers an additional twist: several OnStar-like services, such as automatic emergency response after an accident.

There’s a monthly charge of $14.99 after a six-month free trial, but In-Drive subscribers will also save about 10 percent — and possibly as much as 50 percent, State Farm says — if they’re recorded showing safe driving behavior. The company does not say whether “bad” drivers would be penalized.

A Connecticut car rental firm tried to punish customers who exceeded the speed limit several years ago by using a hidden GPS-based tracking system. The courts eventually ruled against the American Rental company’s practice.

© 2011 msnbc.com.  Reprints

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

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Facing inquiry, OnStar drops 'Big Brother' plans

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
By Paul A. Eisenstein, The Detroit BureauFacing intense criticism from Capitol Hill and calls for a government investigation, General Motors’ OnStar division has dropped plans that would have allowed it to track detailed personal driving information about both current and former subscribers.

The Detroit Bureau

Most GM vehicles currently offer an initial, free subscription to the OnStar service.

The telematics subsidiary had advised users that it was changing its terms and conditions to permit it to track a vehicle’s speed, location and other data including whether or not a motorist was wearing a seatbelt.  A driver who dropped OnStar would still be linked to the service unless specifically opting out.  And the company said it reserved the right to sell that information to third-party marketers or even government and law enforcement agencies.

New York’s powerful Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer termed the move a “brazen” invasion of privacy and called for an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. Facing mounting criticism from other government and private quarters, OnStar said it has canceled its policy change and will not maintain a link to customers who quit the service.

“We realize that our proposed amendments did not satisfy our subscribers,” said OnStar President Linda Marshall in a prepared statement. “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.”

 The company continued to defend its initial plans, insisting they would have given OnStar the ability to send emergency messages to even those no longer subscribing to the service in the event, it suggested, of a tornado or other serious storm.

Going forward, Marshall noted, a link will be maintained only if a customer opts in voluntarily.  And then, OnStar would “honor customer references” as to how it might use any data it collects.

The company notably did not say it would reverse its plans to be able to sell data collected from existing subscribers, however.  The GM unit could track a vehicle’s speed, for example, as well as its location.  Though OnStar officials insist they currently have no plans to do so, such data might be sold to a marketer interested in reaching motorists who might be passing a shopping mall, or to pitch a nearby brand of gasoline.

OnStar currently claims 6 million active subscribers. The service is offered free for a limited time with most new General Motors vehicles sold in the U.S.  The telematics company has traditionally focused on safety and security issues, such as automatic emergency responder notification in case of a serious crash. But it has been expanding into other areas to remain competitive with other telematics firms, such as Ford’s popular Sync system.

More from the Detroit Bureau:

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

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